Page 103 of Just My Type of wrong guy

She laughs on the line.

“All right, got it. But I’ve only got forty minutes left on my break, so if you could spill it…”

I take a breath and run through the facts she doesn’t know yet, sorting them before spewing them out.

“Last week A.J. canceled one of our dates—he had a call with the guys.” I feel ridiculous but press on. “I got pissed for not being warned and went for a walk around the city at night.” Thalia’s giggle makes me close my eyes in shame. “It was amazing, like my mom was with me—seriously perfect. But the next morning I tried to plan something before we headed to Guilherme’s, since our tour routine was ending, but he had…”

“Another call with the boys?” Thalia interrupts, anxious.

“Worse. He had a woman over, opened the door half-naked and went to his room with her. Then I heard moaning and laughter, growls even. I was so angry, so disrespected. I blasted “Baby Shark” through the whole house audio system, and the poor woman left.”

“In your world, that’s calledanger?”

I ignore her laugh.

“She left right away. Then there was… a moment.” I murmur, looking away. “Like you said would happen when I moved here, and it was awkward. A.J. teased me, I got turned on—it was terrible.” Thalia bursts out laughing, echoing in the closed booth. “Then we went to Guilherme’s and it got worse.”

“You fought?”

“No, I was crazy about him, blind, I swear, it was annoying.Then we hooked up.”

“You what?”

“Thalia, you’re yelling—where are you?”

“Bathroom stall, sitting on the toilet lid—keep going.”

“We spent the night in his basement,” I whisper, and that’s all she gets. “Everything went back to normal after the shows. I mean, he didn’t kiss any fans, but… it was just us again,” I say, trying to convince myself more than her. “Until yesterday. We got wasted, fell asleep on the couch, and I woke up in my underwear with his shirt on while A.J. was asleep next to me on the floor in just his boxers.” I exhale as if shedding a huge weight.

Silence on the line doesn’t bother me; I need a moment to recover. But Thalia’s time is limited, and I need her advice. I clear my throat to wake her.

“Explain to me… exactly… what happened.”

“That’s the problem. I have no idea. We were talking, drinking, laughing. I remember us talking about why I stayed with Vicious instead of going back to Brazil; my issues with my dad; I heard his life story, which wasn’t easy at all… My last memory is us taking shots of some drink, and then… it’s all a blur or just nothing.”

“No, darling.” My friend laughs mockingly through the phone. “Go back a little… How come you hooked up and didn’t tell me?”

“Before and after making a woman happy, lust humiliates her. I was so thirsty for him, I don’t know if it was the jealousy of that girl who came here or if I just… stopped pretending he’s not kind, caring, attentive, hot… One minute, we were talking on the living room couch while everyone else slept, and the next, Anthony Fortin was kissing me in a way that ruined me forever…” I confess, crossing my legs just thinking about his touch and his lips.

“I warned you, living with a guy like that would come at a cost.”

“And I paid the price happily!” I laugh, pretending not to notice how wide my smile is when I think of that night. “But it’s over, for real.”

Thalia clicks her tongue in disbelief, and a pang hits my heart.

“And did you have sex or…”

“I’m an eighty-four-year-old lady, Thalia. I wouldn’t sleep with a guy I don’t like, and you know that.”

“Ah, you don’t like him?” she asks incredulously. “You’re not in love with him?”

“You know me better than that…”

“Sorry if it sounds offensive, I’m just trying to understand…” Thalia takes a deep breath before continuing. “Why are you freaking out so much about the possibility of something happening with your videogame and movie partner? You didn’t even sleep together, cuddle, or anything. For someone who says they don’t like him, this really affected you,” Thalia shoots back without hesitation, and I hear every word with my jaw dropping a little more. “If something happened,it’s something for you two to laugh about and move on until it happens again, not for you to call me in a panic…”

“You’ve got it all wrong. The problem is exactly this: A.J. is my partner, my friend, and now…”

I can’t even think about the mess one simple night can cause without blaming myself.

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