Page 92 of Gods & Angels

Florence shrugged coyly. “I don’t know. I’m asking you.”

“Sometimes,” I told her. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t. You love me.”

I frowned. “I think we both know those two things arenotmutually exclusive.”

“So Valen’s feelings matter?”

I huffed and flopped back on my bed. “Only in so much as I want him to care. Is that bad?”

“I don’t think so. Would you care if he was fucking around?”

“I think we both know he is.”

“Okay, do you care?”

“I can’t care, Floss. Same as I can’t care when Apollo fucks around.”

She nodded like she thought we were getting somewhere. “Okay. Pretend you can care. Do you?”

“Kind of...” I said slowly.

“Valen or Apollo.”

“Valen. Both. Neither. I don’t know!”

“Do you want to be told if and or when one – or both – of them have been fucking around?”

I shrugged. “I don’t want it to be a secret, but I don’t need details... Okay, no. I don’t think I do.”

“All right, so do you feel like Valen should know?”

“Maybe...?”

“Why?”

“I don’t feel like I owe him anything, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Wasn’t. Interesting you thought I might be, though.”

“It just...” I sighed. “I don’t know what it means. With Apollo.”

“Have you talked about it?”

“No.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

I wasn’t against it happening again. I was pretty sure I wanted it to happen again, but I didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t want to suddenly be in this monogamous relationship with new rules and expectations. I was ready for him to pleasure me, but I wasn’t ready us to be more.

“No!”

Florence’s eyes widened at the vehemence in my voice, but she just nodded. “Okay. Then don’t. You don’t owe either of those boys anything, babe. You clearly think you can’t tell Apollo about Valen–”

“Because I can’t!”

“And what’s telling Valen about Apollo going to do except make him deny even harder that he wants you?”

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