Page 149 of Inflame

“Eww,” Blake whines, making a face at his roommate. “What are you eating?”

“My feelings,” Henry mumbles, shoving more cheese curls into his mouth. “It’s been an emotional day.”

“Claire and I need the couch,” Blake says with authority. He’s usually not this brash, but desperate times must call for desperate measures.

“Friends with benefits. Nice.”

Just the way he emphasizes the word “nice” makes my skin crawl. Henry is so—

Immature?

Inappropriate?

Brazen?

All of the above.

“Up,” Blake reiterates, snapping his fingers. “You’ve been here the entire night. Claire’s back, and we’re having a movie marathon day.”

“Now that sounds like a fun time for a foursome. There’s room on my lap for you, Claire.”

I scrunch up my brow in confusion, but before I can ask what he is talking about, a tall, blonde chick walks out of the bathroom, wearing a ratty no-name band T-shirt and a cutoff denim miniskirt.

“This is Lilly,” Henry says, motioning toward the stranger.

“It’s Lucy,” she corrects.

“Well, this is fine and dandy,” Blake says, clapping his hands together, “but Claire and I have a date for two.” He holds up his two fingers and wiggles them in front of Henry’s face, as he dodges the obstruction to see the screen. “Only two.”

“Okay, okay,” Henry snickers. “I can take the hint.”

“Can you?” Blake asks directly.

Henry winks at me, shuts off the video game, and walks Lucy to the door. “I’ll see you when I see you.” How vaguely romantic. “Off you go.” He starts shutting the door as she puts her hands up to halt the movement from the hallway.

“My shoes,” she pouts, sticking her bottom lip out. “I left my shoes.” Her whine makes me snicker, as I watch this scene unfold with Henry taking top rank as the Master of Douches.

Henry sighs as if Lucy is the most annoying person in the world. “I put them outside in the hall. I’ll call you,” he says, shutting the door and locking it. He turns and leans his back against it. “Never.” His eyes meet ours. “I owe you both for saving me from that unnatural disaster. She is so damn needy. And I’m pretty sure the plastic surgeon messed up on her jugs-of-juice. I don’t think there’s supposed to be any discharge. But what do I know?”

“Eww, Henry,” Blake says, covering his ears.

He turns his attention to me, ignoring his actual roommate. “There’s only so much man meat loving I can put up with. I’m putting a Do Not Disturb sign on my dick for the day.” He walks over to us and plops back down on the middle cushion between us. “What are we watching?”

Blake and I groan but do not make Henry move. I prop my feet up on his legs.

“Can you take off my socks and rub my feet, Henry?”

“Anything for you, Carly.”

“It’s Claire.”

43

NIC

I pour some more whiskey and down it with one gulp, slamming the glass tumbler onto the kitchen island. I feel sick inside over Claire leaving and wanted to run after her, scoop her into my arms, and make her stay. Except, I couldn’t. I have let things get too complicated. I thought with my heart instead of my brain for too long.

I never should have gotten involved with someone so close to my family, and yet here I sit like a pathetic shell wishing she would have kicked me in the nuts, so at least I would have physical pain to mask the emotional pain I’m currently feeling.

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