Page 63 of Afterglow
“…the biggest.” Gabe finishes the statement. “It’s always the shy ones, isn’t it?”
“I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m good with Landon’s larger-than-average size. I don’t need monster dick,” my friend says a little too loudly, earning some curious looks from a nearby table.
“Thoughts and prayers.” Gabe leaves a few comforting pats on my back.
Indi takes the last glug of her second mimosa. “R.I.P. your vagina.”
“We…haven’t slept together yet.” The admission has me feeling bashful. Me. Behraz Irani. My face flames. “We’re taking it slow.”
“I’m glad.” Indi clasps my hand over the tabletop.
“I’m in love with him,” I add.
“We know,” Gabe adds through a laugh. “You two finally got it together. We’ve been rooting for you guys for years.”
“Really? I had no idea.”
“Oh, yeah. Wade has been trying to get Fletcher to talk to you forever. You two are made for each other.”
“We are, aren’t we?” I beam. “I’m glad you approve. He’s literally the best thing to ever happen to me.”
“And he’s lucky to have you, but that doesn’t change what I said,” Gabe breathes through her nose through a drink of water. “I’m still praying for you. Whenever you decide to do the dirty, Fletcher Donovan’s gonna have you limping around town for a week afterward.”
Indi chokes. I almost do a spit take, and all three of us break out into a collective cackle.
I’m banking on it.
Chapter 23
You Have a Kink
Fletcher
“I wanna fucking die,”Landon says through quick, leaden breaths, after completing a series of agility ladders. “This new drills coach can fuck right off.”
“Next time, lay off the ladoos, Landy.” Wade straightens, keeping his hands on his hips. He’s a goddamn poet.
Jaeger grunts, seemingly unshaken by the exercise. Our team’s captain is 6’6, 230 pounds, and barely breaking a sweat.
“I would, but they sent us home with a hundred-pound box of them.” Landon shakes his head. “Poor Esha.”
“Who’s Esha again?” I ask.
“Indi’s youngest sister,” Landon explains. “She’s the whole reason we all went to India.”
“Oh, right. She got married or engaged or something?”
He denies it. “Nope. The groom-to-be and his family were being pricks about an enormous dowry. Indi’s parents essentially called it a stupid, outdated tradition they didn’t believe in, but the guy’s side apparently expected thousands ofdollars and lavish gifts. It turned into, like, ahugething, and her parents told them their daughter wasn’t for sale.”
“That’s horrifying. I mean, for her family.”
Landon takes several gulps of Gatorade. “She ended up breaking it off, and we went on a family trip through Rajasthan instead.” My friend has become quite the gossip queen in his old age. “They tried to get her to come back to Canada with us, but she went on a Paris honeymoon. Said she paid good money for it and wasn’t gonna let it go to waste over a piece of crap like her ex.”
One of the d-men, Olsen, jogs by with a dopey grin, pushing out a series of equally dopey chuckles. It only takes a second to realize we’ve been crop-dusted. We struggle to protest, choking on the residual fumes.
“Aw, come on, man!”
“That’s fucking rank!”
