Page 44 of Love in Unexpected Places

“No matter. I’ll catch up with him. I really do miss him.”

Evan scoffs. “Get the fuck away from me, Atlas. And don’t bother him. He doesn’t need your shit.”

With no more words, Atlas turns to walk away, but not before I see the calculating look in his eyes.

Turning to Evan, I raise an eyebrow. “What was that?”

He scoffs again and puts his sandwich down and pushes the plate away. “That’s Derek’s ex. A real piece of shit. Derek actually walked in on him with someone else at a party. A party they went to together. He ditched my best friend so he could go get his dick sucked by someone else.” Evan’s eyes grow wide. “Shoot, Dad. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say it like that.”

I’m not paying attention to how Evan dropped the news, just what he said. That fucking fuck cheated on Derek? What a fool. I wish I could go beat his ass for it, but it seems as if Evan and my son have it handled.

Still, I don’t like him asking about my man. There’s no reason for him to want anything to do with Derek since he didn’t appreciate what he had before deciding to cheat.

Atlas strikes me as the type that thinks his good looks excuse all of his behavior. That because he looks the way he does, he can fuck people over and doesn’t expect consequences. Something tells me he’ll get what he deserves on of these days.

Getting back to our conversation, I tell Evan, “Derek is lucky to have a friend like you having his back like that.”

Evan smiles. “He’s my best friend, and he deserves more than a man that can’t be honest with him. If Atlas wanted to play the field, all he had to do was tell Derek. Would have saved him a lot of hurt.”

I nod, knowing Evan is right. Derek is a great person. He’s one of the best people I know. Anyone who hurt him is an idiot that will get their karma soon.

chapter nine

DEREK

Exams fucking suck and I’m glad they’re over. I press submit on my last exam and lie back on my bed, smiling at the ceiling. Done. No more exams. No more boring classes. No more school.

Moving my laptop to my nightstand, I kick my legs in joy, squealing with glee. I’m done! Even though I haven’t gotten my grade back yet, I know I did well on the exam. I chuckle, thinking of how far I’ve come, from a shy freshman that didn’t know his ass from his elbow to a senior-almost-graduate that has everything he wants in his life—job offers, a nice apartment, and a man that he’s falling for. How can life get better?

“What are you so happy about?” Bryson says from my doorway, a hand on his hip.

I sit up, look at him, and raise an eyebrow at him when I read his shirt. “Really?” I ask, pointing to it.

He looks down, holding the shirt out as if he needs to read it himself. “What?”

His shirt says:

My favorite things start with the letter C:

1. Coffee

2. Cock

3. Cumshots

“Where did you even get a shirt like that?” I ask with a wry grin.

“Custom made. You like?”

“It’s something,” I joke, climbing out of bed to grab my duffle. When I have it on my bed, I shoot Keith a message, asking if it’s okay if I stay the night. His answer is an immediate yes, and I smile.

Bryson sits on my bed, sitting cross-legged as he stares at me packing my bag. “Where are you going? I miss you.”

I stop folding a shirt and look at him. He looks really sad. Not in the way he does when he wants his way, but like he’s genuinely upset.

Moving the bag to the side, I sit beside him and put my head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’ve just been?—”

“I know, you met someone. And that’s fine, of course it is. I want you to be happy after the bullshit with Atlas. But I barely see you anymore. I’m sure you wouldn’t be here if not for your exams.”

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