Page 122 of Crave Thy Neighbor

I pull my phone out of my purse, which is sitting on the bathroom counter.

Me: Still on for dinner tonight?

There. Simple enough.

No reason to get him freaked out while I’m still freaking out.

Romeo: Pizza?

Romeo: I’ll bring the meats.

Me: *rolls eyes*

Me: But deal.

Romeo: Be home in a bit.

Smiling, I tuck my phone back into my purse and push up from my spot on the closed toilet lid.

I wrap my arms around River. She stumbles, not expecting the affection, but squeezes me tightly anyway.

I’m not sure how long we stand there hugging, but it’s just what I need.

“Thank you.” The words aren’t much, but they’re important ones, and she knows how much I mean them.

“Always.” She gives me another squeeze before releasing me and wiping at her eyes. “Fuck. That shit got me emotional. I was having flashbacks to being sixteen.”

“You too, huh?” I laugh, brushing away my own tears. “At least this time I would have been a little more prepared for it.”

“You’d definitely need a bigger apartment.”

“And car,” I add, stepping in front of the mirror.

I’m a mess. My hair is all over the place from me running my hands through it, and my makeup is a wreck from rubbing at my eyes so many times.

Despite my appearance, I feel a million times better than I did when I first entered the bathroom.

I love Nolan, but I’m not ready for a baby. I want it to be just us—and obviously Sam—for a while.

“River! I’m home!” Dean’s voice echoes through the apartment. “Where are you?” He moves closer to the bathroom, his voice growing louder. “So, listen, I was thinking we could try that thing you mentioned the other night in the bedroom. You know the one I’m talking about. It’s dirty as hell, but the more I think about it, the more turned on I am.”

I lift my brow at River, whose face is burning a bright red.

“Shut up,” she hisses to me, and I laugh. She yanks open the bathroom door, running smack-dab into Dean. She slaps her hand over his mouth. “Stop talking!”

His brows crease together, confused. Then he slides his eyes my way, and they widen to twice their size.

Slowly, River removes her hand.

Dean swallows thickly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his khakis, nodding at me. “Maya.”

I smirk at his discomfort. It’s not often Dean is knocked down a peg or two, so I’m going to enjoy the moment while I can. “Dean.”

“What, uh, what are you doing here?”

“You know, just…stuff.” I shrug. “What’s the dirty bedroom thing?”

“You know, just…stuff,” he mutters.

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