Page 29 of He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

‘Give me a minute, and we’ll talk,’ I say to Hollyn before following Sydney out the front door.

‘Dax!’ Roger greets me with a toothy grin. ‘Lookinggood, my man. Double digits tonight, eh?Noiiice…’

The look on Sydney’s face as Roger talks tells me River and I tolerate way too much of what this guy says.

‘Not now, Roger!’

‘Hear ya loud and clear, boss.’ He locks an imaginary lock over his mouth, tossing the invisible key over his shoulder.

‘I didn’t know she’d be here tonight, Syd. I’m sorry.’

She sighs. ‘It’s not a big deal. Just didn’t expect to battle my way into a guy’s apartment.’ Finally, she laughs about it.

‘You know I’m not this guy, right?’ I swing a thumb Roger’s way. ‘Twowomen? Come on. Hollyn’s only here temporarily. Her boyfriend dumped her; she’s on the outs with her family. She’s not in a great place.’

Sydney’s eyes move from me to Roger. ‘Wanna close that robe, ya freak?’

Roger glances down, readjusting himself. ‘Don’t let Bob the boner scare ya, baby. He likes you, is all.’

My god.

‘Roger!’ I growl, shutting him up instantly.

‘It’s not a problem, Dax. I’ll call you later this week,’ she says, heading down the stairs.

‘You are amachine,’ Roger says with a hip thrust once she’s out of sight.

‘Listen, Rog—Bob, whoever you are.’ I stop in front of his door. ‘No more creep factor with the women. You need to be fully clothed. You scared Hollyn.’

‘Is Hollyn the pretty blonde one? Cause da-yum, she’s boiling if ya know what I mean.’ He licks the tip of his finger, touching his shoulder with a ssss.

‘Don’t talk to her or look at her like that.Ever,’ I warn him. ‘She’s River’s sister. You don’t want to piss off River, do you?’

Roger thinks River is his best friend. Probably because River sits out here and has a beer with him once a week, humoring him with conversation.

‘No, I do not,’ Roger says.

‘Coverage head to toe around the ladies, then. Capiche?’

The irony of my saying this as I stand on my porch in only a towel isn’t lost on me.

‘Ten-four, buddy.’ He points a finger gun at me, blowing its tip afterward.

When I walk back into my apartment, Hollyn’s lying face down on the couch, groaning into a cushion. Red rose petals are scattered all over the living room, and half a dozen desecrated stems lie on the ottoman.

‘Did I just cock block you?’ Hols asks, her words muffled by the cushion her face is pressed into.

‘Yes, you did.’

She should be laughing with me at this entire situation right now. It’s funny. But she’s not. What do I do here? Obviously, she’s not doing well, and yet again, River is nowhere to be found.

‘God,’ she groans. ‘I’m sorry.’ She finally turns her head, resting the side of her face on the cushion and looking at me. Her eyes move from my face to my towel, an unmistakable smirk surfacing.

‘You do realize you’re wearing only a towel and have shampoo in your hair?’

‘Give me ten minutes. I want to show you something.’

Maybe she just needs some words of encouragement? I can handle that. I’m almost positive she thinks she’s hit rock bottom. Anything supportive and uplifting that comes out of my mouth will surely help whatever mindset she’s in.

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