Page 95 of Mountain Wood

“And?” Grace’s eyes light up and she holds her breath.

“I have so many questions.”

The girls trail off and sit at the table while me and Conner wait in line. He bumps my shoulder. “It’s good to see you off the mountain. This is like, the second time in a month. That’s a record for you, man.”

“I’ll try to not make a habit of it.”

We order our drinks and join the ladies just as Grace says, “How could he have left a single hair at the crime scene like that? What an idiot.”

“So lazy.” Taylor leans in. “What I couldn’t wrap my head around though was how did he get the face to stick?”

I place Grace’s mug in front of her and sit down, quietly.

“I know, right?” She holds her mug with both hands. “I just kept imagining it looking like a collagen mask.”

“What the hell are you two talking about?” Conner passes Taylor her drink.

“That podcast you didn’t want to listen to, wimpy-wimp.” She takes a sip. “Mmm. That’s gooood.”

Grace pokes a marshmallow with her cinnamon stick. “I think it would be sticky if the blood dried a little. But then how does he look down to fuck?” She purses her lips and tips her head back. “Oh, maybe he didn’t look down, but looked up?”

“Makes sense.” Taylor shrugs. “What about the smell though?”

“If he’s peeling the faces off men who did his girlfriend dirty and then fucking her while wearing them as a mask, I don’t think the smell is his biggest issue.”

Conner chokes on his drink.

“You have a point.” Taylor nods. “It’s kind of romantic though, right?”

“In a very grotesque, villainy sort of way, for sure.” Grace glances over at me. “What?”

“You’re terrifying.” My words come out like a compliment, which she loves.

“You say the sweetest things.”

Grabbing her braid, I gently pull her to me and kiss her.

“This new beard oil is going to drive me insane,” she warns, her mouth brushing mine while she talks. “I’m in so much trouble.”

I bite her bottom lip. “Yeah, you are.”

A burst of cold air hits us as the door opens.

“Okay, you two, knock it off. This is a family friendly place and you’re about to hit the naughty list,” Nick says, dragging a chair loudly across the floor to join us. He straddles it, wearing an obnoxious smile on his face. “How’s it going, Mountain Wood?”

Taylor giggles.

“Can I get your autograph, bro?”

I flip Nick off.

“Hey, it’s not every day your best friend turns famous. You’re a big deal now, man.”

“Really big,” Grace adds. “So. Fucking. Big.”

Burying my face in my hands, I grumble, “Kill me now.”

“How many views are you up to?” Taylor asks. “Last I checked it was over one million.”

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