Page 148 of Messy Strokes (Wrecked Roommates)

“Milo––”

“Don’t make me ask again.”

With a slight nod, she does as she’s told, and I shoot both of them down, desperate for the numbness to follow—anything to take the pain away.

The barstool next to mine scrapes the floor, but I don’t bother checking who’s beside me. Doesn’t matter anyway.

“You all right?” Jake asks warily.

I shake my head and stare blankly at the wall in front of me.

“What happened?”

“She was cheating on me.”

“What?”

“Maddie. She was cheating on me,” I repeat, hoping if I say it out loud enough times, the truth will finally sink in, and I’ll stop wanting her.

“What?When?”

“Before,” I choke out. The knife lodged in my chest twists uncomfortably, and I rub at the aching spot.

“Before what? Dude, you’re not making any sense. What’s going on?”

“Maddie was sleeping around behind my back.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah, man. She just told me.”

Silence follows, and I catch Jake lifting two fingers to the bartender from the corner of my eye. “Sam! We’re gonna need two more.”

As she sets the glasses in front of us, Jake shakes his head and grabs the almost empty bottle from her fingers, chugging straight from it. After wiping the back of his mouth, he hands it to me. “Here.”

With a dry laugh, I take a long pull, welcoming the numbness beginning to settle in my bones. Unfortunately, it isn’t enough to erase the pain taking up shop in my chest.

“Why’d she tell you now?” Jake asks a few minutes later, his voice barely making a dent in the fuckingwhat-ifsracing through my head.

I glance at him, lifting the bottle to my lips again. “I dunno. She lost her shit as soon as she saw the piece. Then Marty showed up, and…” Scrubbing my hand over my face, I wait for the image of Marty’s arrogant smirk to disappear, but it doesn’t.

“Why was Marty there?”

“He said he was gonna introduce Donny Hayes to my kid.” My head hangs low as another dry laugh escapes me, and I swig the bitter liquid. “Penny might not be my kid.”

Jake leans closer, his eyes wide as the severity of the situation finally dawns on him.

“Wait.What?”

“Don’t make me say it again.”

“You’re not making any sense––”

I slam my hand against the bartop and twist in my seat to face him fully. “It’s not fucking rocket science, Jake.” My chest heaves. “Mads was sleeping with Marty behind Gibson’s and my back. I figured she might’ve hooked up with him before, or maybe even after we broke up, but notduring,” I spit, my head hanging in defeat as I face the truth, no matter how much it guts me. “I…I might not be Penny’s dad.”

He shakes his head. “We don’t know––”

“Doesn’t make it hurt any less.” I twist back around and grab the bottle we’d been nursing. Realizing it’s empty, I reach for the closest one hidden beneath the counter.

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