Page 21 of Laugh

“What should I do?” I ask softly.

Smiling at me like she used to when I was little and being silly, she walks over to pat me on the cheek. “I’m not sure, but you should do something. Show her you appreciate all her hard work. I’m sure those boys aren’t easy. Young men at that age can be a lot to handle.”

Fuck me.

I didn’t even think about the fact that they’ve already expressed an interest in her. It’s like I left her to the wolves without a care.

Quickly pulling out my phone, I type out a text. I already know she isn’t working tomorrow. She gave me her work schedule for planning purposes.

Me: I’ll pick you up tomorrow for the next meeting with my guys. 1 o’clock?

Happy: Aye Aye, Cap.

I smile when her response comes quick and I remember I changed her name to ‘Happy’ on my phone.

Chapter 8

Holy Shit

Haddie

“Wait, wait,wait. I’m so fucking lost right now. Amber said that she and this guy were basically together.”

Addie looks so confused and I hate being the one to remind her that her friend, my sister, is a dirty, dirty fibber.

“Bambi lives in Pretendsies-ville!” Marcus sings out from where he’s lounging on my couch. He may be thin, but he’s so tall that my ‘munchkin’ couch, as he calls it, is more like a chaise lounge for him.

I’m running around my apartment, picking up stray items of clothing I tend to discard as I move around my place. Bras are just the worst, and I have a habit of yanking them off the moment I get home. There’s nothing more satisfying than chucking it across the room at the end of a long day.

Beau is coming to pick me up soon, so just in case he comes to the door instead of texting me, I figured I’d at least have my apartment looking like I’ve got my shit together.

“But she said–”

I cut my friend off. “Addie, Bamber is a liar. She lives in a fantasy world where what she wants is always the truth. I’m not saying that he wasn’t interested in her. Wait, yes I am. He absolutely wasn’t interested in her the night you all met.”

I’ve got an armful of clothes as I look around to check for any I’ve missed. Marcus whistles to me and when I glance over, my laughter bursts out of me. “Missed this little treat, Harry,” he teases.

Marching over, I snatch the white lace from where it’s dangling on the tip of his index finger. Bending over, I get right in his face. “Stop. Playing. With. My.Panties!”

Addie’s giggle makes it hard to keep a straight face as I mock glare at Marcus.

“I’ll never understand you girls and your need to spend loads of money on crap no one is ever going to see. Hanes brand all the way here.”

Addie scowls at him. “I’ll have you know plenty of people have seen my panties!”

Marcus and I both freeze and stare at her with mouths hanging open, then I fall to the ground howling like a madwoman when Marcus whispers, “Youho…”

“Wait!That’s not what I meant!” The embarrassment on her face makes me attempt to rein it in, but I just can’t. Not yet.

“Oh Addie Shmaddie, be proud of your sexuality! Own it and make no excuses.” I honestly love that she’s so comfortable with her body. Addie has always known what she wants and has no problem getting it. She keeps herself safe, and she’s smart. “Besides, who else would I get details from to put in my books? I’m living vicariously through you, my friend!”

“It still blows my mind that you’re able to write the smut that you do without actuallyknowing,” Marcus muses.

Glaring at him, I blow my hair out of my face and haul my ass off the ground when Addie prods me with her toe. “Like you’re one to talk. I’d askyou, but you know, you’re just as virginal as I am.”

Huffing in annoyance, he shrugs and crosses his arms across his chest. “My virginal status is by choice.”

Smiling, I remind myself that it’s one of the things I love the most about my best friend. He knows himself and is comfortable with the fact that he’s just not interested in sex. Whether he’s asexual, gay, straight, bi, or somewhere else in the list of orientation, it doesn’t matter. Marcus has never identified one way or the other with words. He’s just not interested in pursuing that type of intimacy.

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