Page 64 of Cross Checking

“That’s special to Sweden, right?”

“Yeah, it’s unmatched. Here, I’ll send you a recipe,” I offer. “It’s been in the family for years, so don’t share it around.”

“Really?”

I send him the first glögg recipe I find on the internet. “No, it’s from a supermarket blog. A glögg blog.”

Ha. That almost rhymes.

“Hmm, glögg,” he says. His voice floats over the sounds, slow and deliberate as he tries to mimic my pronunciation. “I want to glögg on your dick.”

I snort and angle my phone down, flicking at the waistband of my sweatpants. “Of course you do. Wanna see it?” I ask. I can always trust Luke to flip from sweet to horny in an instant. Pretty convenient, if you ask me, at least for satisfying certain cravings.

Horny cravings. Myemotionalcravings are nowhere near sated—what Luke and I are doing helps to tamp them down a little, and I’m happy to spend time with him, at least.

Even if that’s not the healthiest thing in the world, it makes me feel good. That’s what counts, right?

Luke inhales sharply, biting his lip and smiling. “I’m tempted, but my family could get back at any second.”

“Damn. I’m horny as hell,” I joke.

“Dude, when are younot?”

When I can’t see you?

“There’s a thirty-minute window right after I nut. If you blink, you’ll miss it.”

Luke lets out an adorable laugh, one that makes my heart clench, but he falls into silence.

“Anyway, I’m gonna go to sleep soon,” I say. “Just wanted to catch up since you were on the road today.”

“That’s really nice of you.” He pauses. “You look so cozy there.”

“For sure, my grandparents went all-out when they renovated this house. It’s a lot nicer than my apartment, that’s for sure.”

Luke frowns. “Nah, I don’t know about that. I get cozy vibes wherever you call me from.”

“Even from our road trip hotels?”

“Those too. Maybe it’s a Sweden thing. Coziness.”

A gale from the sea howls outside and beats against the walls of the shed, invalidating his theory.

“I’m not so sure about that,” I say. “It’s so cold here.”

Luke brushes me off. “Nah. Can’t be that bad, can it?”

“You should visit me and see for yourself.”

What the?—

Why did I have to go there?Sure, I’d love it if he came here, but asking him is soclingy.

“That’d be sick. I’ve never been to Sweden,” he says.

Okay, he isn’t running for the hills, so this is salvageable, maybe with a joke. “I bought the cheapest sofa I could find, so you’ll have a place to crash.”

“How generous of you.”

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