Page 68 of Not That Complicated

“Well, I didn’t sleep with him, if that’s what everyone is worrying about,” I said.

Amalie’s jaw dropped and she recoiled. “Ray—”

“For the record, though, he’s old enough. Some people might think it’s problematic. But we’re both adults. We shared a bed. That’s it.”

Amalie turned a sickly green.

I eyed her. “What?” I said. “A warm body in the night and all that...” I trailed off when she gagged. She actually gagged. “Why are you looking at me like that?” I demanded.

“You had…him…in the bed with you?” She sounded appalled. “Why would you do that? Ray. That’s not okay.”

I frowned at her.

“And maybe...maybe you shouldn’t talk any more. To me.”

“Uh—” Wow. “We shared a bed. Once. That’s all.” It had been a deeply moving and life-changing moment, but I didn’t think telling her that was going to improve matters. Because Amalie was gagging again.

She really meant it, too.

“Can you please stop?” I said. “It’s very offensive. Is there a bit of an age gap? Yes. But it’s not that big. Come on.”

“Are you kidding?” Her face scrunched up and she shuddered.

“I’m not even ten years older than him,” I said indignantly.

“That’s not what I heard,” she said.

“I’m thirty-two! He’s twenty-three. You know that. You went to school with him, didn’t you?”

“Hold on.” She stared at me. “Who did I go to school with?”

“Adam.”

“Oh. Ohhhh.Adam.” She said his name on a heavy exhale, then smiled, shaking her head. “You’re talking aboutAdam.”

“Yes. Adam. Adam Blake. Who on earth did you think I was talking abou—ohmygod.” My brain screeched to a halt and I replayed the conversation in my head. “Oh my god.Who did you think we were talking about? Don’t say it.Do not say it.”

“The dead guy.”

“What the fuck? Amalie! You think I slept with a dead guy?”

“Kinda?”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, Ray, you’ve been struggling to get a date on Grindr because you won’t let me do your profile—”

“Notthathard! I’ve had dates!”

She looked at me.

“I’ve had matches!”

She looked at me again.

“One match, fine; but Ididhave one. And, yes.He was alive.”

“If you say so, but you were the one who started talking about sleeping with a warmbodythe day after you were found with another corpse—”

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