Page 17 of Cuffed By Love

“Tinks, what the hell…” He continues to wheeze.

“Shh, don’t what the hell me. I can still smell…” My stomach groans, and I shudder. Devin smiles and grabs my face and squeezes till my lips pucker up, and he looks into my eyes.

“We just took our relationship to the next level, Tinks. How long do you reckon till you have to take a dump?” I peer up at him, my eyes growing wider at the realisation that it was a possibility. Oh no, no, no, no. I pull my face out of his grasp.

“Like hell.” I pivot and march over to my father’s office like a woman on a mission dragging Devin along with me. I see Maddie, his assistant, watching us as we walk to the door at her desk. “Is he alone?” I ask, and she nods and stands to speak, but I ignore her and open the door waltzing into his office without so much as a knock.

“Mira?” My dad utters when I walk over to his desk, and he looks up at me questioningly.

“Daddy, will you please take these handcuffs off now?” I request. My father leans back in his chair and looks over at Devin and then at me.

“Mimi, I already told you those cuffs would remain on those wrists until you two learn to get along. Have you worked out your issues?”

“Yes,”

“No.” We say at the same time, and I look over at Devin. I give him a death glare which he responds to with an impassive shrug.

“Daddy,” I turn my attention back to my father and give him my best pleading look. “I can not spend another minute bound to him. This is ridiculous—Devin and I are both adults. Will you please just let us deal with this our way.”

“And what way is that Tinks?” Devin questions, his brows drawn together. I look up at him again and exhale slowly to keep the annoyance from my voice.

“Devin, you’re not helping.” I hiss through clenched teeth, and he sighs and lifts his gaze heavenward. “Do you honestly think us being handcuffed and forced into spending time together is going to make us work better together?”

“I don’t know, but we did manage to get through quite a bit this afternoon, did we not?” I rub my forehead and shake my head.

“Devin, I haven’t seen you in ten years and in the space of ten hours, I had to pee in front of you, watch you take a dump, and you had to watch me hurling my guts out. Does this honestly sound like something good to you?” I question, looking at both Devin and my father.

“If you weren’t so stubborn and talked to me, this wouldn’t be an issue, would it?” Devin retorts, scowling at me, his chiselled face now stern.

“Oh, you know what, fine. You want to stay handcuffed together, then that’s fine by me.” I reply stubbornly, and he shrugs.

“Great.”

“Great!” We glare at one another heatedly until I hear my father sigh, and I turn to look at him.

“Growing up, we couldn’t pry you two kids apart. Where Tinks was, Dev was always right by her side. What happened between the two of you to drive such a wedge into your friendship?” My father asks, looking between us. My eyes find Dev’s, and I can see as clear as day that he’s thinking the same thing I am. That very moment we fucked up our friendship with no way of ever turning back.

“Nothing.” I force myself to say and divert my gaze from his to my father. “Nothing happened. We just grew up and apart. That’s all.” I can feel Devin’s eyes burning a hole into the back of my head. I can’t get into that whole mess again. That pandora’s box full of unresolved feelings and issues will remain tightly closed forever.

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