Page 113 of Big Duke Energy

“Oh, shut up.”

•••

ME: Sorry about my brother. He was supposed to let me know when he was less than an hour away and he didn’t.

I watched my screen, chewing on the inside of my lower lip. It’d been hours since we’d kissed, and it was close to midnight, so I wasn’t even sure Max would still be awake.

I also wanted to make sure that he didn’t mind Kevin being here for a couple of days. I wasn’t sure if it counted as sub-letting since he wasn’t paying me, but still.

Max: Don’t worry about it. He could learn to knock though.

ME: He’s never been great at that. It’s not a problem that he’s staying, is it?

Max: I can’t say I’m a fan of how he arrived, but no. It’s fine. It’s not unusual for longer-term residents at the lodge to have a friend or family member stay for a few days. How long is he here?

ME: He said two nights, but we’ll see. He’s running from his problems.

Max: Maybe we’ll get along after all.

ME: Snort.

Max: Did you just type ‘snort?’

ME: There isn’t an emoji for that and sending the pig didn’t seem appropriate.

Max: That’s a fair point.

Max: It might be for the best that he interrupted us. I wasn’t prepared for that to go further.

Should I be offended by that?

There was only one way to find out.

ME: Should I be offended by that?

Max: I didn’t have a condom, Ellie.

Oh.

Oh.

Bugger it.

ME: We have very different ideas of what was for the best.

Max: Why? Do you have condoms?

ME: Oh, yeah, I keep them with my knickers. *eye roll emoji*

Max: I don’t know if you’re being serious or not.

ME: I am not. But it’s been a while, and you don’t need a condom to have fun, you know.

Max: …Noted.

Max: This is all going to end up in your book, isn’t it?

My lips tugged into a smile.

---