Page 58 of Heart Strain

When it gets late, Jameson kisses me goodbye, then Gav and I get in my car with Peanut. This morning, I drove myself and Peanut to Jameson’s house to drop him off—like I always do on days Jameson has therapy—so my car was already there. When I drive away, Jameson looks a little sad and it makes me wish he was coming with me or I was staying with him.

“You alright over there?” Gav asks.

“Yep, fine.”

“Are you sure I’m not ruining your plans?”

I glance at him with a furrowed brow. “Gav, I’m glad you’re here, whether I had plans or not is irrelevant because I want to spend time with you.” He frowns, so I add, “I’m doing the same thing I do every single night.”

“You don’t stay with him?”

I sigh. “No, we’re… we’re taking it slow, I guess.”

I know he’s looking at me like I have three heads, but I don’t care. “Wow, Holds, you really like him, huh?”

“I really do.”

I see him grin as he reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Good.”

I shoot him a small smile before parking the car and heading into my parents’ old house to get ready for bed. It’s late and I’m tired, and I’m sure Gavin’s tired from his drive.

Only two minutes after we say goodnight, Gav walks into my bedroom and plops on my bed, lying back to look at the ceiling, so I join him and say, “Talk to me.” I figure he needs to get something off his chest if he came in here instead of sleeping in Drix’s bedroom.

“I don’t think your boyfriend likes me very much,” Gav whispers.

“He hasn’t used the boyfriend word, so I’m not even sure that’s what he is.”

“Whatever. Your… guy doesn’t like me.”

“Why do you say that?”

I feel him shrug, then sigh. “I think he’s worried I’ll steal you away.”

I snort. “Guess he doesn’t know you well enough ‘cause if he did, he’d know there’s no way I’d run off with you.”

He chuckles and nudges me with his elbow. “Whatever. I’m the one that kicked you out of my apartment because you were annoying as fuck.”

“I left willingly.”

He lifts his head to look at me. “You’re full of shit. I told you we weren’t working as roommates anymore.”

I smirk. “Yeah, but when I wanted to move away, you made me move across the hall. I wanted to go to a different complex.”

“If you hated it so much, why have you lived there for years?”

I knock him with my hip, and we both chuckle, then I sigh and say, “How about you just stay here forever?”

“Holds, I know you’ve had a crush on me for like forever, but I’m not going to stay tied to your bed as a sex slave for the rest of my life.”

A laugh bursts from my chest. “Ew! Gav! God, you’re so gross and weird. Go away.”

“You love me.”

“Ugh. I don’t know why.”

He laughs, and we fall silent for a long moment before he turns his head to look at me. “I can’t sleep.”

I look back at him. “I noticed. Scoot over so I’m not hanging off the bed.”

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