Page 58 of Conner's Luna

"You've had boyfriends?" he interrupts me with a growl. "Boyfriend? One, two? How many?"

I crinkle my nose at him. "Rude much? I've had one serious boyfriend."

"How many un-serious ones?" he snaps out quickly.

My eyes narrow as I give him my best gimlet stare. "NOYB, Conner. What is with the misogynistic interrogation?"

"Who was the serious one?" he slaps out right after I finish berating him.

"Are youseriouslyinterrogating me right now?"

There's a long pause, a beat that stretches too long to be comfortable. I can visibly see him reel it in as if his fur was ruffled and smoothed back out. "Just questions," he tries to play it casually, even though he's blown that chance. "Between friends."

"I will not be your fuck buddy, Conner." Fury is making my blood run hot. The hot-headed Irish girl is about to come out and play.

"I didn't ask you to be that, Bailey," he mimics my tone.

I drop my arms back down and take a step toward him. "Let me explain something to you, Conner Grim. I am a grown woman, perfectly capable of making my own decisions regarding my love life. I do not need you to act like a big brother or a spurned lover. I am not interested in a relationship with you, because-"

"Why the fuck not!" he roars.

"I am about to tell you that, you jerk!" I scream back.

"Well, it had better be a fucking good reason, Bailey, because I felt how drenched that tight pussy was for me!"

"And I felt how hard your gargantuan penis was for me, Conner!"

He grabs his junk and shakes it, "No fucking kidding, Bailey! It's always hard around you!"

"And, it's hard around Lydia," I say quietly.

All of the anger drains from him in an instant. He sits down on the couch, expelling all the air from his lungs in a great whoosh. "It's not," he says quietly.

I sit in the easy-chair opposite him. "You are head-over-heels for her. You stare at her all the time. I can see it in your eyes." He just stares at me blankly, so I keep going. "That's why I won't be with you, Conner. That serious boyfriend? We fooled around some, which is none of your business, but he ended up breaking my heart a year ago. I beat him in the science fair, of all things, so he broke it off," I laugh, remembering.

"I'm sorry," he says quietly. "I'm sorry he hurt you."

"It didn'treallybreak my heart," I tell him. "It hurt and it was humiliating and I cried for days, but I got over it." I look at him steadily, "I really like you, Conner, but I won't risk my heart to a man who is in love with another woman."

"Will you still be my friend?" he asks softly. It's such a strange question, coming from a man who could snap me in half like a twig. It's almost childlike in its innocence. I can feel my little hairs rise. He's lost, because of Lydia. Why? What did she do to him?

"Of course I will," I respond. 'But none of..." I wave my hand in the air, "this. OK?"

Conner looks deflated. "Yeah. Yeah, OK."

I nod. "I'd like to go home, now, Conner."

"Alright. I... just let me get my keys."

He walks out of the room looking like someone kicked his puppy. I feel so bad, but he didn't deny liking Lydia and I refuse to compete for some man's attention with a woman who likes to torment other people.

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16 - Honeygirl’s Tired

Bailey

I schlep inside without looking back. Dad is home. Ironically he's asleep in his easy-chair in front of a football game on TV. Shaking my head, I turn the sound down and cover him with a blanket. He's snoring, his head tilted back, mouth open a bit.

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