Page 91 of Tempt Thy Neighbor

On the first flight, I feel the tears begin to sting my eyes.

On the second, they start to spill over.

And by the time I reach my destination, I’m a full-blown mess, so weak in the knees I can barely knock.

The door swings open, and Dean’s face falls, pinched tightly in anger.

“Who the fuck am I killing?”

And I fall into his arms.

18

Sutton

I’m not okay.

I’m not even fucking close to okay.

Everything hurts, and not just because I’ve been sleeping on a lumpy fucking couch for the last week.

It hurts because I lost her.

I thought I was prepared. I thought I could do it, thought being without Holland and resisting her would be doable. Not easy, but doable. I’d be able to manage.

I was fucking wrong.

I’m a miserable sack of shit without her.

The worst part? It’s all my fault, too.

If I could have just resisted her in the first place. If I just hadn’t let her tempt me, none of this would have happened. We could have gone on living as roommates and ignoring each other like we originally planned.

But I’m a selfish asshole, and I couldn’t keep my hands to myself.

“Jesus, kid. You’re driving me nuts with all this moping around.” She whacks at my feet. “Get your shoes off my table.”

Last week after everything blew up in my face, I couldn’t go back to the apartment knowing Holland was there. I couldn’t face her. Couldn’t bear to see that look of disappointment on her face.

So, I ran to Alma, and luckily, since I’m the favorite nephew, she’s been letting me crash on her couch ever since.

I drag my foot to the floor, and Alma flops down onto a cushion next to me.

“All right, you’ve been lying on my couch weeping into your pillow”—I glare at her because I most definitely havenotbeen weeping—“for the last week and you haven’t told me anything about what’s happened. So, let’s hear it.”

I clamp my lips tighter together, not ready to get into it yet.

But Alma being Alma, she won’t let it go.

“I’m gonna guess it has something to do with that girlfriend of yours.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” I say gruffly.

Alma rolls her eyes. “All right, then, your fuck buddy.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Shit, Alma.”

She shrugs. “What? Isn’t that what the kids are calling it these days?”

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