Page 18 of Keeping it Casual
I mean it. I’m pretty sure being with Jeremy would be so distracting that my house could burn down around me, and I wouldn’t even notice.
Jeremy’s Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows.
“I get that, Dustin. I’m never going to question you wanting to be a good parent.” His voice is quiet.
“I know you won’t.” That’s the thing. Jeremy is a good guy. A great guy. Things would actually be so much easier if he wasn’t such a great guy.
“We can be friends though, right?” he asks.
“Definitely.”
Chapter 7
Dustin
Ican’t help but question my decision over the next week.
Memories of being with Jeremy haunt me. Particularly when I’m in the shower or in bed, I replay the feel of his hands on my skin, the heat and suction of his mouth, and that wicked smile he gave me right after the most incredible blowjob of my life.
I don’t think I’ve ever jerked off so many times to a single memory.
It doesn’t help that I keep seeing Jeremy everywhere I turn.
I mean, I know Mineral Creek is a small town, but right now, it seems microscopic.
Lachie and I go to join the library, and I see him in the library car park. Lachie insists we go to the public pool so he can practice for the upcoming swimming sports, and I spot Jeremy and Lucy coming out of the pools. Luckily the entrance and exit areas are quite far apart, so I get away with a long-range wave.
On Saturday morning, Lachie informs me we’ve run out of toilet paper.
“I don’t understand how we could have run out of toilet paper already,” I grumble.
Lachie just shrugs. I study his face closely. There isn’t an illicit teenage activity that requires toilet paper that I don’t know about, is there?
I go to the corner store and buy some from Joyce, and luckily, she doesn’t say anything about Jeremy. I can do without her talking about the sexual chemistry between Jeremy and me when I’ve been thinking about nothing else all week.
Just as I’m emerging from the store, who should I bump into but Jeremy.
“Hi, friend.” He gives me a happy smile, and some of the tension I’ve been feeling drains. I’ve been stressing about how Jeremy will react when I talk to him again, but it appears he’s not fazed about being friend-zoned after incredible sex. Maybe he has that kind of sexual connection with everyone?
“Hey.” I stand there, clutching toilet paper. Which isn’t the most romantic prop in the world, but it shouldn’t matter, right? Jeremy is just my friend. We’ve agreed on that.
“How’s your week been?” I ask.
“Great, just great. Nothing out of the ordinary. Monday lunchtime, I just had an ordinary hour. And I haven’t spent the rest of the week constantly replaying what happened during that hour. Absolutely no replaying at all has been happening in my head.”
I laugh loudly. Fuck. I can’t deny how much I just plain like this guy.
“It turns out I’ve been doing a bit of replaying myself,” I say, meeting his eyes.
The air sizzles between us.
Jeremy tilts his head. “Amongst all that replaying, did you get your report done?”
I’d forgotten I’d told Jeremy at dinner about the big waterways report I’ve been working on.
“Yep, I sent it off last night.”
“That’s great. Want to go out tonight to celebrate?”
