Page 38 of Love, Just In

‘I thought you were staying at Meghan’s,’ I say with surprise.

He folds an arm behind his head, and I register that he’s shirtless beneath the quilt. ‘Decided to come home. I’ve got the early shift tomorrow.’

‘Ah.’ I hover silently for a few heartbeats before pointing my phone at him accusingly. ‘You’re in my bed.’

He makes apffshsound. ‘No way in hell am I making you sleep on the couch. I changed the sheets in my room. Go for it.’

‘Zac.’

He gives me a resolute headshake without looking at me.

‘Thank you,’ I mumble after a yawn. ‘But this conversation is to be continued.’

His gaze finally lifts to mine. ‘You were outside for a while.’

My cheeks colour. ‘Stalker, much?’

‘Your lips are all swollen. That good, huh?’

‘Zac!’

He chuckles noncommittally and switches off his phone, casting the room into darkness. ‘I should probably warn you,’ he says sleepily, ‘you’re going to hear every car driving past tonight. These walls may look pretty, but they’re paper thin.’

‘Hmm, I’ll have to remember that for when I bring Lindsayinsidenext time,’ I reply pointedly, trying to get him back for the lips comment. But a sharp silence chews up the air and an uncomfortable feeling washes over me.

Why did I just say that? Why?

Zac expels a deep breath and rolls away from me. ‘Well, if you’re going to fuck Lindsay in my bed, Josie, at least give me a heads-up, so I can head over to Meghan’s. Then both you and Meg can scream as loud as you want to.’

‘Zac.’ My mouth falls open.

When he says nothing more, I stalk off to bed with a gaping hole growing in my stomach.

I feel like my best friend and I just swung bloody swords at each other on a battlefield. And I’m not sure I understand why.

CHAPTER 13

Seven years ago

‘Hey, Willy Wonkaaaa,’ drawls a second-year science student dressed as Austin Powers. He tips his beer bottle against Zac’s tumbler, which is housing the bar’s cheapest whisky.

Zac cuts me a sidelong scowl as I stifle a laugh, my fingers sweeping the gold beads of my crooked Cleopatra headpiece out of my face. ‘That’sthreedinners you owe me, Willy,’ I gloat under my breath while tugging Zac away. Every time someone erroneously guesses Zac’s Mad Hatter costume to be Willy Wonka, he has to take over one of my scheduled cooking nights.

‘You know that making dinner is not a punishment for me,’ Zac scoffs. ‘You should’ve picked something else.’

‘Sexual favours?’

He squints a ‘very funny’ look at me and begins fidgeting with the spotty satin bow tied around his neck.I don’t know if it’s the gigantic bow, the frizzy orange wig, or the bright-red lipstick making me snicker every time I look at him.

‘Come on, let’s go see if there’s anyone we know here,’ I say, looping my arm through Zac’s and pulling him deeper into the swarm of university students adorned in fancy dress. ‘Oh, shit,’ I blurt.

I spin away from Felix, the MBA student that Zac manhandled out of our apartment.

When Zac catches sight of Felix preaching to some first-years while sporting a glittery angel costume, complete with gold wings and a toga, he groans. ‘What a fucking dick.’

‘Said the guy wearing cherry-red lipstick.’

Zac goes to give me a pretend shove, but when I giggle and duck out of the way, he accidentally collides with a black-haired girl wrapped in a cute blue dress with a white apron. Her sheet of straight, shiny hair is pushed off her face with a bowed headband, and she’s trying to balance a margarita glass that’s on the brink of spilling.

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