Page 24 of Golden

Lame as fuck. But as it sends, I exhale in relief. At least I’ve broken the ice. He has my number now.Oh, fuck!

Me: This is Sol btw

Great. Fucking great. I wonder what Wes would say if he knew I’d texted him while covered in the results of an orgasm fueled entirely by the thought of him.

Pulling off my shirt, I use it to wipe myself clean before throwing it into my hamper. As it falls in, my phone rings, and I almost pull a muscle I sit up so fast. It’s not Wes, though.

“Zak,” I say through an exhale as I collapse back onto my bed.

“Happy Thanksgiving, bro!”

I smile. “You enjoying yourself?”

“As much as I can. All six nieces are here, and I swear they think I’m some sort of jungle gym.”

My grin widens at the thought of Zak covered in small children. “Is that why you’re calling me? Are you hiding right now?”

He laughs. “No. I’m calling to see whether you’ve grown the balls to message Wes yet.”

It’s my turn to laugh. “You must be psychic. I literally just did.”

“Did he respond?”

“I don’t fucking know because I’m talking to you.”

Zak snorts. “How are you feeling about everything?”

I push my hand through my hair as I consider my answer. Zak came and found me after he spotted Wes leaving the party, but we didn’t get time to talk because we found Alex passed out, face down, on the stairs. I don’t think I was ready to talk, either. Not even the next morning.

“I’m okay,” I say carefully. “Is it a bit weird that I asked him to help with Jacey’s fundraiser and then threw myself at him?”

“You didn’t throw yourself at him.”

“How do you know? You weren’t there.”

Zak sighs. “I just know. And it’s only weird if you make it weird. At least the fundraiser gives you an excuse to see him again.”

“True.”

Silence hangs between us for a moment before Zak asks, “Do you think it’s gonna get serious? Like, are you going to have a boyfriend?”

“What the fuck kind of question is that?” I snort. “Are you going to ask Jaime to marry you?”

“Fuck off.”

“Exactly. Come on, man. We kissed once. I don’t even know what happens next.”

“Well—”

“Not like that,” I cut him off. I’m about to change the subject when several squeals sound in the background, followed by Zak’s defeated groan.

“Shit,” he mutters.

“Oh my god.” I laugh as I sit up. “You were actually hiding, weren’t you? You’re in a fucking cupboard right now, aren’t you?”

“Under the stairs,” he grumbles.

My shoulders shake with laughter as he swears again, and the line goes dead. Not for the first time, I find myself thankful for my relatively small family.

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