Page 48 of Infected By Virus

He pinned them both with a look and glanced to see what they were looking at, as if he read their minds.

“Barker, will you please just calm down and we can talk about this? We’ve been friends a long time so we can get through this.”

It was complete and utter bullshit. Their friendship was so fucking over, but she needed to de-escalate the situation.

“Friends? Fucking friends? I never wanted to be your friend. I wanted so much more with you, Rae. I would’ve given you everything. Fuck, he always got everything, and I got nothing. What the fuck is so special about Darrin anyway, hmm? He may have fucked you last night for old time’s sake or whatever, but he already had another one all over him today.” She must’ve been unable to control her expression as tears threatened to spill because Barker smiled and went for the throat.

“Oh.” He chuckled threateningly. “Sweet naïve Rae, oh yeah. Saw them with my own two eyes, and right in front of Adam too. Why don’t you ask him about Carrie and what her tongue does? It must’ve been pretty special because she was practically in his lap and whatever she was doing to him under the table spilled his drink. So why don’t you ask Adam when you see him? He’ll tell you the same thing.”

The tears that had been waiting sprang from her eyes. Barker may be bat shit crazy in the moment, but he wouldn’t lie about that, especially involving Adam because the kid had zero guile and didn’t know how to lie.

She refused to give in to doubts about Virus so soon after promising herself she would trust him. It was hard, but she would trust, but verify, the first chance she got. Using her free hand, she thumbed away her tears as Harmon spoke. Her voice was shaky.

“Barker, you need to leave and don’t come back.”

The look he gave her was murderous, before he turned his attention back to Rae.

“Really, Rae? After everything I did to have you, you’re going to let her send me away while you welcome him back into your bed, after he fucked your sister?”

“Yes. Leave. Now.”

“I’m going because I can’t bear to look at you right now. You wanna shack up with him and play the happy little family with his bastard, go ahead. But mark my words, Sunny, that’ll never last. Someone will come along and end that little dream.”

With those menacing words, he turned and stomped toward the door. Right before he slammed it behind him, he spoke. “Remember, ask him about Carrie and her magic tongue. I’ll see you and Adam soon, Rae.”

Then he slammed the door. When they heard his car start, they both scrambled to the door to lock the deadbolt and peek to see him drive away.

“Fuck,” Rae said as she shakily slid down the door to land on her ass. Harmon joined her on the floor and just held her.

“Yeah, fuck,” Harmon agreed.

Once they both stopped shaking, they made their way back to the kitchen. Harmon handed Rae her phone and grabbed the eraser.

She watched her erase step 0.5. “Well, that’s toast,” she joked, but Rae could tell Harmon was just as shaken up by what happened as she was. But that was Harmon. She handles things like a champ. A lot of people thought she was cold and unfeeling, but that was the furthest thing from the truth. Harmon felt things deep, deeper than most, and she just compartmentalized in a way most people couldn’t.

Harmon turned and motioned to the phone in her hand. “Call him.”

“Harmon, I think seduction can wait.”

“First off, no it can’t, but second, that’s not why I said to call him.”

“Ah, Carrie and her magic tongue, right? As curious as I am, I don’t want to start our relationship off with suspicions and accusations. That’s what landed us here in the first place, remember?” She set the phone down and picked up her half-drunk beer.

“Dear god, woman. You are focused on the wrong things. I mean, call him and tell him you lost a friend today and shit got weird. Maybe invite him over or go see him. Not for seduction and hanky-panky, but for support and comfort, besides building the type of bond between you two that was lacking the first go around. And, in case Barker really meant his words as a threat. Especially since his anger seems to stem from his past with Virus, not yours. He deserves to know. If for no other reason than to know he’s not good for Adam since he had an apparent run-in with them already. And also, to maybe get the tea. You can’t tell me you haven’t been dying to know what happened between them.”

Harmon wasn’t wrong, and if they were starting over, they needed to start differently. That meant clinging to each other, confiding in each other instead of other people. To be each other’s best friend.

“Hey, Sunshine. Miss me already?”

His voice soothed her with just five words. It was right to make that call, for her too.

“You know it,” she teased. “I had something I wanted to?—”

“Is that Auntie Rae? Let me talk to her,” Adam said excitedly. She wanted to protest, but Virus already had her on speaker.

“Hey, buddy. Are you having fun with Daddy?”

“Yeah. We got pancakes.”

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