Page 103 of Refrain
Allegra: Tell me.
Allegra: Please.
Spook: I want to hunt you down and shove you up against the rock face.
Spook: Take everything I want from you.
Spook: Work you with my fingers.
Spook: Leave the imprints of them on your thighs.
Spook: Get right inside of you. Possess you. Make you scream and come, even though you know you shouldn’t like it.
Spook: Leave you with your undies torn.
Allegra: Is that supposed to scare me off? Give me a time and place. I’m yours.
Spook: …
Spook: We said we weren’t going to do this.
Spook: I’m not… I can’t…
Spook: Sorry.
Spook: Alle, I can’t.
“For fuck’s sake, Spook, just fucking invite, her, already. We need a sound guru, and you need to get over yourself and shag her silly.”
“Shut the fuck up, Xane.”
“Make me.”
“No, you’ll enjoy it too much.”
“Then you’ll just have to put up with me.”
“Go fuck your boyfriend.”
“Can’t, he’s banging at the moment. Rock band. Drummer. Recording. Remember.”
“I fucking hate you.”
“You love me.”
“Ow! Yeah. Dammit. Yeah, I do. Totally.”
“There. Now fucking invite her.”
“No. I can’t. I’m not ready.” He truly wasn’t. Wouldn’t be for a long time yet, if ever. Texting was difficult enough, especially when things strayed, as they’d just done, into territory that definitely didn’t fall into anyone’s definition ofwe’re just friends. “I’m not ready to see her.”
“Liar, you’re desperate to see her.”
Spook sighed. He was, and he wasn’t.
“You can’t hold her at arm’s length forever, Spook. For one thing, it’s not fair. And it’s not like you don’t know what she wants,” —Xane snatched the phone from his hand— “especially when she spells it out so explicitly.”
“So, I’m a prick. Yeah, got it. Doesn’t change a thing. I’m barely holding it together, the last thing I need is additional pressure.”
