Page 64 of As The Shifter World Turns

“Daire.”

“Yeah, your name tag,” he chortled.

“Right. Come back any time if you have a problem, Wesley.”

He put up his hand. “I have a problem.”

“That was quick,” I joked.

“My problem is there’s this cute guy at the nursery and I’d like to ask him out but I’m not sure how.”

My grizzly was clawing at my insides. I tapped my chin. “That’s serious. Perhaps we could meet for coffee when I finish work and we can discuss it.”

24

FRIDAY FUNDAY

Micah

Friday nights on the rooftop were sacred, except the weeks when Archer was gone, and everything fell apart for me. Both Daire and Ryder had had so much going on, we didn’t meet as we should on the roof. We agreed to never let that happen again.

It wasn’t a rule or anything that we had to be on the roof on a Friday night, but at the same time it kind of was. I learned that the first week I arrived. And it was nice. It made this place not just an apartment building, but so much more.

That didn’t mean it didn’t take all I had to rally and get my ass up there. I was exhausted from work and would rather stay snuggled up on the couch with Archer than to be all social.

No. That was a lie. I’d rather be bending him over the couch and pounding into him until he called out my name. I’d so much as told him that when he got up here. He thought I was teasing. I. Was. Not.

But same difference either which way. My desires included a couch and not being here drinking tepid beer and watching everyone tiptoe around all the big issues slapping us in the face.

Growing up, I thought you became an adult and all the hard stuff like making friends and getting along would somehow mysteriously be easy. I even thought breaking up was ridiculous. Why would you not want to have the same person for always? How very wrong I got it. Nothing about this was easy. Not with Archer. Not with my friends. Not with anything.

“We’re having pizza tonight,” Ivor announced.

“No grilling?” And there went the one thing I was looking forward to. Or maybe I was just in a shit mood because Archer wasn’t excited about my offer to live with me.

I got it. I really did. Moving in because you had to wasn’t the romantic dream everyone aspired to, but heck—sometimes you didn’t need the fairytale. Sometimes you just needed what life throws at you.

“We’re grilling.” Ivor bounced on his heels. “The freezer was busted at the corner store when I went to grab instant ramen for lunch, and the owner asked if I wanted the pizza dough because he was going to have to throw it out.” Had I not known him as well as I did, had it been the first night I sat on this roof, I’d have thought he was just animated with excitement.

But that wasn’t what this was. Sure he had a cool story to share, but this was his nerves shining through… nerves about Ryder. He should’ve known better than to get involved with anything Kellan adjacent. Kellan was toxic as fuck. I still hadn’t pieced together how he’d ever been accepted into Sunshine Manor.

“When I worked at the restaurant, the cook sometimes had grilled pizza as a special. It’s so good.” Ivor was still babbling. Someone needed to save him from himself.

“Are we having a make-your-own-pizza station?” Might as well be me.

“Yes. I need to get everything else from downstairs but I wanted to tell you guys in case you had toppings at your place.” I doubted any of us did and really, even if I had bacon down in my apartment, I knew me well enough to know I’d not come back up. It was best to stay there.

Ivor raced off to get the rest of the supplies. My guess was that he asked Daire to help with that. Daire wasn’t as flush as he once was, but he liked to take care of Friday night food and pizza would be a good way to do so without the money steaks or chicken would cost him.

“Think it will work?” Archer asked and it took me a few seconds too long to figure out he meant grilling pizza and not us living together.

“It’s cheaper,” I snapped, referring to Archer’s belief that living with Daire and Ivor was a cheaper and therefore better option.

I needed to stop drinking.

At least I caught myself, even if a bit too late. “Because the crust is free,” I added on. Neil gave me a look telling me everything I needed to know—no one was buying it. Oh well. It was my story and I was sticking to it.

“It’ll fall through the grill.” Neil scratched his chin. “Like sink in and then when it cooks get stuck.”

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