Page 77 of Spilled Coffee

“Shit,” he sighed, dragging a hand down his face. His phone lay on the nightstand, taunting him with its silence, and he picked it up, scrolling absently until Ethan’s name appeared once more.

“Ethan Parker…” he murmured bitterly, shaking his head as if scolding an invisible presence. “Why are you so fuckin’ annoying.”

His words weren’t loud, but they carried a tinge of exasperation mixed with something else—something closer to longing.

He set the phone down and pushed up from the bed. The wood floor met his bare feet, and he stood there for a moment, unsure what to do next, before he moved on autopilot and wandered into the kitchen.

Opening the fridge door, the cool air rushed out to meet him and he grabbed the carton of milk, tipping it back for a long drink. It wasn’t satisfying, but it provided a physical outlet for his restless hands while his mind continued to pace.

Back and forth he circled his apartment numerous times, weaving between the furniture like a restless ghost haunting itsown space. Every step brought another flash of Ethan: their argument that morning, the way he’d looked after, the hurt written across his face before he’d masked it with indifference.

There was a lingering tension that had refused to dissipate all day.I should apologize,he thought, for what felt like the hundredth time.

His footsteps faltered, and he paused by the couch, leaning against the armrest. His jaw tightened, and he shook his head as if trying to physically dislodge those thoughts from his brain.

“No,” he said aloud this time, “He doesn’t get off that easy.”

Even as he said it, doubt crept back in like an unwelcome guest.Maybe I did overreact,he admitted reluctantly to himself.Maybe I shouldn’t have snapped at him like that.

He resumed pacing, caught in an endless loop—one moment determined not to give in, and the next consumed by guilt over how things had ended between them.

Eventually, exhaustion won out and he trudged back to bed, hoping sleep might offer some reprieve from his mind’s internal war.

Several minutes ticked by before he finally rolled onto his side and grabbed his phone again. Ethan’s name stared at him like some kind of challenge—a dare he wasn’t sure if he was brave enough to take on.

His thumb hovered before moving away again just as quickly.

“What the fuck are you doing to me?” Logan whispered. The room was quiet, and the question just hung there.

He locked his phone and set it aside.

Sleep wouldn’t come easily tonight, that much was certain, and all he could do was lie there, letting thoughts of Ethan—all the ways their lives had become tangled together in an impossible knot—consume him.

CHAPTER 41

Ethan backed away,pushing Devon off him. “Look, you should go. It’s late and I need to sleep. I have work tomorrow and... well, this really isn’t a good idea. You need to go, right now.”

He turned the lock to open the door but unfortunately, Devon wasn’t only physically stronger, but taller too. He reached over the top of Ethan’s head and slammed it shut.

“C’mon, stop fucking around. Easy or hard… this is going to happen tonight.”

“We’re friends but I’m sorry, I don’t want you like that.”

“So, you were just playing me? Using me to try and make Logan jealous. Is that it? Cause you know, I don’t take kindly to games like that.”

Devon took a deep breath and calmed himself. “Let me tell you something about Logan. If he told you no, then it’s no. He doesn’t do this—this clingy, emotional stuff. And he doesn’t get jealous. Wake the fuck up, you’re only fooling yourself if you think it’s going further with him.”

He laid his hand on Ethan’s bare chest, running it gently over his muscles, then down his abs before trailing back up overhis biceps. “You’re a good-looking guy. Why would you think I wouldn’t want this when you spent all night leading me on?”

Ethan was fast, ducking under Devon’s arm, he backed towards the couch. “Just go. Please. I really don’t want this. Maybe I thought I did, but I don’t.”

“Too late.” Devon frowned. “You shouldn’t be such a tease. I made it clear I wanted to sleep with you. So, what makes you think I’m just gonna let it go now? Besides, no one knows I’m here, do they? C’mon, let’s have a little fun together.”

Ethan could feel his heart beating hard in his chest. He didn’t know what to say.

Why the hell didn’t I listen to Logan? He warned me about this guy, but I thought I was being clever. I wanted to prove a point. And maybe he’s right, maybe I did encourage him?

“Just go.”

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