Page 101 of Rules of Association

“Thanks, Malcolm. Really,” I said sarcastically, and he laughed again.

Slapping another hand over my other shoulder, he said, “Don’t worry yourself, friend. I’ll help you out.”

I peeked over at him. “You’ll…help?”

“Yeah, man,” he said. “Gracious guy that I am, I’ll keep your girlfriend on simmer if things get too hot.”

“My friend, Mal,” I corrected. I know I sounded like an idiot—a grown man denying the obvious to another grown man with working eyes—but whatever. “And thank you, thank Godforyou.”

He laughed, joking, “Oh, you know it’s music to my ears when you talk to me like that.”

But I wasn’t joking. I was so relieved.

Correction.

I wasmomentarilyrelieved.

Turns out, I had thanked that fucker too soon.

Apparently, I must have misspoken. When IthoughtI’d asked him to mediate the inevitable fire between my mother and Ceci, what I really must have said was “Malcolm, please flirt with Ceci all fucking night.”

Because that’s exactly what he did.

Him and his British ass stayed attached to her hip. The two of them forming some kind of devilish alliance and bonding with each other throughout the course of the night.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for them to hit it off in some way or another. They’d all been cordial last night, but it was no secret Cee hadn’t been herself. I didn’t tell my friends everything, but I had to tell them that she was going through something rough personally to explain her behavior the night before. And it showed. Ceci had been off when meeting my friends for the first time, and I regretted forcing her out because of that.

But now I might be regretting bringing her around Malcolm at all. Becausenowshe was having no problem being herself. Zero problem whatsoever. She was being herself all over the place.All over him.

Grabbing his arm as they both doubled over in laughter together. Joining his team instead of mine during backyard games. Sitting next to him on the living room couch as we waited for dinner to be set on the table. Tugging him around with her as she continued to be her normal electric self around everyonebutme.

She was avoiding me. Or giving me confusing dirty looks whenever our eyes met.

We were all hanging out on the back deck now, waiting for the caterers to set the finishing touches on the back dining setup, when I heard for maybe the hundredth time tonight the familiar and somehow piercing sound of Ceci’s laugh. A sound that usually never failed to warm my chest, but now made me want to throw the cup I was cradling in my palm.

Looking across the deck, I could see Cee sitting in a chair beside Malcolm, leaning shoulder to shoulder with him as he showed her something on his phone. They watched it again from the top, I could tell by the repetitive sounds coming from the little device, and when the punchline hit, she laughed just as loud this time. Tipping her head back and letting it touch his shoulder slightly as she leaned on him for support.

“Damn.” The sound of Clay’s voice literally jolted me out of my irritated haze. Liquid sloshed over the side of my glass and onto my hand. Even though I knew it wasn’t his fault, I glared at him anyway. He didn’t seem to notice as he set his hands on his hips and looked out in the same direction as I was. “So, Pip-squeak and Mal, huh?”

My head whipped to him, and I glared. Then, all but slamming my drink down on the table, I shoved him by the shoulder so he was out of my way. “Fuck off, Clay.”

“What!” he said, sounding genuinely shocked. “What’d I say?”

Ignoring him I stomped right over to the two idiots who couldn’t stop laughing and stood right in front of the bigger one. They had just been passing the phone between themselves again but paused at my sudden appearance. This left them holding onto the phone together as they looked up at me. Basically holding hands.

Reaching down, I snatched the phone from their joined hands and pointed to Ceci first. “Dinner’s ready.”

“I’ll wait for Mal,” she said. Looking up at me for less than a second before skirting her gaze away.

I think a blood vessel popped in my head. I spoke next through gritted teeth. “No, you go now. Mal is coming with me for a moment.”

Before anyone could say anything else, I reached down and latched onto Malcolm’s shoulder, pulling hard to yank him up.

“Let’s chat, bud,” I said. To Ceci I said under my breath, “Sit in the middle with me. I’ll be there in a second.”

Without a moment's hesitation, I pulled Mal into the house and into the hallway where we met up with Ria. She’d been walking from the kitchen toward the backyard but stopped when she saw us standing there.

“What’s up?” she asked looking from me to Mal and back to me.

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