Page 50 of Splintered Hearts

“Just wanted to say I love you.”

“What the fuck, Noah!” He looks over at Mark and I shake my head.

“Believe me, I’d wake him up, but you know that’s impossible.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I . . . made a mistake.”

“A mistake, at nearly...” He looks to their clock. “One in the morning!”

“Yes.”

“What kind of mistake?”

“I, well . . . it’s . . . better if you come see.”

Leaving him to dress, I chew on a manicured nail and watch the washing machine gush more bubbles. Hunter comes out of his room wearing his boxers. “Your chest hair is looking especially luscious this evening.”

“Noah, I’m contemplating killing you. I’ll tell Mark you ran away.”

“What! It’s hot! It’s just... everywhere.” I look down. “Is it everywhere?” I bite my lip. “Wouldn’t it be funny if you were just bald everywhere else?”

“What the fuck do you want?” he hisses.

“Right.” Turning, we walk into the kitchen and shit, I’ve messed up. “I made a choice.”

Coming in, Hunter’s eyes widen upon seeing the mess. “What the fuck did you do?”

“I learned a lesson.”

“And that is?”

“Soap is not just soap.”

Hunter looks at the mess with murder in his eyes, and avoiding his hardened gaze, I scoop bubbles into the sink, letting it run. Hunter stops in front of the sink. “Did you use dish soap?”

“It was soap!”

“You need laundry soap, Noah. Which we’re out of and need to get tomorrow! If you use something else you can break the machine. Jesus. Were you raised in a fucking barn?”

“Mansion. With staff.”

Shaking his head, he lifts up the lid. “Why are there blankets in here?”

“Hunter, we’ve bonded, I think—”

“No, we haven’t—”

“I just think there are some things you don’t want the answerto.”

“You called Jamie and had phone sex and jizzed all over Mark’s blankets.”

“Were you listening to us?”

His face falls and he blinks slowly at me. “Help me clean this up. I’ll fix it.” Hunter goes over to the kitchen, reaches into a cabinet I did not check, and grabs a bottle. “There might be a little left. See this, Noah? Laundry soap. You need like a cap full, but you’re going to have to make do with half because it’s nearly empty.” Putting the washer on rinse, we stand here waiting for the cycle. “I can’t believe this.”

“What if I said I have good news.”

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