Page 95 of Taste of Addiction

“It’s a joke.”

“You have a bizarre sense of humor.” I giggle as he tickles my sides.

I sit back down at my chair as Graham answers the door. I have so much work to get done before my lab class starts. The sound of laughter makes me turn around to see who is at the door.

“Have you ever heard of texting?” Graham teases, welcoming his friend inside.

I wave at Logan and am surprised to see him in a button-down and khakis. When I was in his piercing chair, I don’t recall what he was wearing—however, I know it was less formal. That’s if button-downs and beige pants can really be lumped into that category.

“I came to invite you in person, since you have a bad habit of not answering your phone when I call.”

“You gave me thirty seconds to pick up. So, I would not classify that as avoidance, you asshole.”

Logan shrugs and flips Graham off. Never in a million years would I have pegged these two men as being friends. They are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. I guess outsiders may say the same thing when it comes to me and Graham as well.

“Hey, Angie,” Logan greets.

I wave back. “Hi.”

“How’s your ears doing?”

“After my infection and two trips to the ER, they seem to be—”

His eyes grow large. “Wait, what?”

“Just teasing!”

“Oh, that’s evil.” Logan turns his attention back to Graham, who is resting his backside up against his desk. “Dude, you have your hands full with that one.”

“Oh, don’t I know it,” Graham agrees, giving me a smirk. He focuses his eyes on me, completely ignoring his friend.

What’s up with his excessive watching? It is throwing me off my game.

“You know it is a workday,” Graham says. “Get on with it. What’s this invitation you speak of?”

“Poker.”

“No limit?”

Logan sighs. “Not all of us are made of money. There’s a cap at two hundred.”

“So we are basically playing with M&M’s again. What night?”

“Tomorrow night.”

Graham glances over at me as I tap the end of my pen against my lips. “I’ll be gone for girls’ night anyway. Remember? With Claire.”

He nods and accepts the invitation, which I am glad about. He needs to relax and hang out with his friends. Loosen up a bit. “Want me to host since I have the table?”

“Sure, but I’ll bring the beer. Tired of your shitty seltzers you like to serve.”

Graham shakes his head chuckling, obviously entertained by Logan’s joke.

After Logan leaves, Graham heads out for a meeting, while I work for another thirty minutes on my article before I have to head over to campus for my class. Like the loyal bodyguard and chauffeur that he is, Collins is waiting for me in the main lobby to escort me out of the building into his idling SUV.

Lab class is interesting with an experiment involving the analysis of nervous tendencies for people in high stress situations. I always find the hands-on part of class the most intriguing and beneficial for my line of career. It helps to be able to read people, detect lies, and then use intuition to decode the real emotions of a person.

Since last week, the professor has moved us away from partner work and has made it more individual. I actually prefer it this way, only because now I no longer have to carry the weight of Bryce who seems to just be along for the ride—and the easy credits. I think he has completely checked out and is ready for the semester to end. I’m ready too. It’s just that so much needs to be done before I can do a victory lap. No point celebrating anything until my diploma, with my degree stamped on the front, is in my hand.

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