Page 33 of The Marriage Policy

My cheeks flush, and I shield my phone as if Eric can see it from home.

Me: What? No! We didn’t fuck. We’re best friends. Just…okay, fine. Something weird happened, and I need to talk about it.

Hayes: I’d say we could go to our place, but…well, you’ve met Ry. If we’re there, he’s going to know, so it depends if you want this just between us or not.

I chuckle. There’s no doubt in my mind he’s right. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a huge deal if Rylan knows, but I’m going back and forth about it. I spent most of my life only having a connection to Eric—outside of my family, at least—but I’ve felt a strong one since the moment I met Hayes and Anthony. I think I just want to share this with them for now. The Jilted Exes. The guys who all dealt with a manipulative asshole and not only came out the other side relatively unscathed, but found lifelong friendship too.

Anthony: You can come to my place.

We’ve never been to Anthony’s before. I’m sure there’s no reason for that other than the fact that he lives in a small apartment in West Hollywood. There’s a lot more space at my house or Hayes and Rylan’s.

“Trauma ER, five minutes. Trauma ER, five minutes,” comes from overhead, and I curse.

Me: Sounds good. Gotta go. We have a trauma coming in. Text the address, and thanks for being there! You guys are the best.I add a heart emoji. It feels good to have friends like them. Before, the only person I would have had to talk to was Eric and, well, that might’ve been awkward this time.Hey, so I’m totally confused about getting a boner with you, and did you happen to think of me too when you jerked it? If so, can you tell me what that means, please?

Not gonna work. While I basically tell Eric everything, I need an outside opinion about this. My biggest fear is losing him, and I can’t ever do anything that would cause that.

*

I called Ericon my break earlier to let him know I wouldn’t be home right after work because I’m meeting with Anthony and Hayes. He sounded confused, which made me feel guilty. I know how bored he is right now—not being able to do much and not working—but I also feel like I’ll combust if I don’t talk to the guys.

It was a long-ass day at work. The trauma had been a single-car accident. Luckily, the woman was okay. It’s hard for me not to bring my work home sometimes, especially when it has to do with a sick kid, but anything really. Our health is the most important thing we have, and it’s not easy to see people suffering or witnessing when people can’t get the care they deserve. It’s one of the reasons I was so insistent on finding a way to get Eric coverage.

Coincidentally, I happen to walk up to Anthony’s building at the same time as Hayes. The place isn’t far from Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard, which I know can’t be cheap. Even though Anthony’s complex isn’t anything fancy, it must cost an arm and a leg. I’m glad he’s able to afford it with what he makes dancing at Lush.

Hayes greets me with a smile. “Hey.” He’s wearing slacks and a short-sleeved button-up, his brown hair neat and tidy as always.

“Hey, you. Thanks for coming.” I give him a hug. I’m an affectionate person with people I care about.

“No problem. I hope everything’s okay.” He pulls open the door to Ant’s building.

“Everything is…weird. I’ll tell you inside.”

We find Anthony’s apartment, and I knock. He pulls open the door a moment later, wearing a crop top and jeans. He’s not a small guy. Anthony is tall and slender, with lots of lean muscle I must admit looks sexy with his cutoff shirt. His eyes are green, his skin an olive tone.

“Hey, what’s up.” He kisses my cheek, then does the same to Hayes. “Does this meeting of the Jilted Exes call for something strong to drink, or is alcohol not needed?”

I chuckle. “Alcohol isn’t needed.”

His place is decorated very nice and modern, with lots of grays and blacks, but I notice there’s nothing super personal out for everyone to see. No photos of Anthony, family, or anything like that, which surprises me.

“I’m good too,” Hayes says.

“Have a seat. Want water?”

We both say yes, and Anthony goes into the kitchen and grabs two glasses, then comes back and sits cross-legged on the floor in front of the coffee table, moving fluidly. We’ve talked about going to Lush at some point but unfortunately haven’t made it yet. I’d really like to go see him dance, though.

“I’ve been on the edge of my seat all day,” Ant says, grinning. “We need an Eric update stat.”

I swallow half my water in a few gulps. Now that I’m here, I feel almost silly talking to them about it. I’m twenty-eight, and I needed to tell my friends I got hard and jerked off to Eric? It sounds absurd.

“I was playing with Eric’s hair while we were watching TV last night. He got a random boner. He asked me to look at it, and—”

“Was there something wrong with it?” Hayes interrupts.

“No. He didn’t ask me to examine his cock. He just sat up and pointed to his erection, which made me look, and then I got hard too.”

“As one does when looking at the bulge of a sexy man,” Anthony says.

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