Page 82 of Wildest Dreams

“Can you please sign here?” He handed me a small touchscreen device.

I did, accepting the bouquet from him. There weren’t flowers in it but arranged pieces of what looked like newspaper.

“Who is it?” Mama called from the kitchen.

“Oh, just one of those artistic bouquets…” My fingers searched for the card attached to it, finally finding it nestled between the curled shreds of paper.

Good moaning, Cosmos.

Hope you had a great night. I’ll see you very soon.

—Rhyland’s cock.

I stifled a snort, taking another look at the bouquet to see what was printed on those pieces of paper. There were lots of them. The first thing I noticed was that they were all the same. Meaning it was the same page printed over and over again. I walked over to the kitchen counter, pulling pieces of it out to try to put together one full page, like a jigsaw.

When I realized what it was, a laugh escaped me.

It was his clean health bill sheet to show he didn’t have any STIs. This was his stab at romance.

“Why are you laughing?” My mother turned to look at me, confused.

I immediately grabbed the bouquet, shoving the papers back into it. “Nothing. Rhyland is just being…Rhyland, I suppose.”

“That boy always had a thing for you.” Mama snorted distractedly, returning her attention to the bologna and mayo she was slamming onto pieces of bread.

I took a shower, got dressed, and said goodbye to Mama and Marty. Grav cried when they left, which made me feel shitty. What made me feel even shittier was the knowledge that Tucker was finally coming over at ten in the morning to meet Gravity for the first time. Suffocating panic clogged my throat. I was going to be there the whole time, but I was still uneasy about this entire thing.

“Mommy, when is our new friend coming?” Gravity trotted to the kitchen, clutching Mr. Mushroom close to her chest.

I’d told her Tucker was a friend from Staindrop who’d been traveling the world for the past few years and wanted to meet her. I wasn’t going to tell her he was her dad until he proved to be a balanced and reliable individual.

I checked the clock on the wall. “Oh, in ten minutes, actually. I’ll fix you a snack beforehand. Apples and peanut butter?”

“Yes, please.” Gravity hoisted herself onto the couch, grabbing her iPad and flipping through the pictures on it, grinning.

“What are you looking at?” I started slicing an apple for her.

“Uncle Rhyrand and I drew faces on my toenails and made a TV show about them. They are all different characters.”

I snorted. I should probably be more worried about how completely and thoroughly this man was now woven into my life, but he was the only good thing that had happened to me in a really long time.

I handed Grav her apples and peanut butter and checked my phone, hoping to find a message from Tucker announcing he wasn’t going to come over after all or from Rhyland saying…well, anything at all.

But all I found was one message from Cal.

Cal: I’m not crazy, right? There’s something going on between you and Rhy. I could feel it sizzling between you two.

I bit down on my lower lip, suppressing a smile. I felt bad for not confiding in her about my enemies-with-benefits situation with Rhyland, especially considering she’d been extremely transparent about her love story with Row when they started dating. But I knew she’d never keep a secret from Row, and Row would kill Rhy if he found out. For once, I wanted something just for myself. My thumbs flew over the screen.

Dylan: Nope. Being a mess is our entire personality. Of course we’re being cheeky with each other. But there’s nothing going on.

Cal: Okay…

The doorbell rang. Tucker. I opened the door with a ten-ton anchor in my stomach, dread coursing through my veins. He was dressed as though this were a date, in a crisp white button-down shirt and smart navy pants. His hair was slicked back, and he was holding flowers and chocolate.

“Hey, babe.” He smirked.

My nose tingled like I’d smelled something foul.

---