Emery [bxb]

93

I almost die getting my dick tattoo, but Emery holds my hand and eventually the pain fades. I lean over and kiss the back of his neck, snapping a picture as I do so. Love you forever, Em 😘, I caption my Valentine's Day post. People are commenting along the lines of, your girlfriend's gonna leave you bro, but I ignore it as always.

So I'm miffed when Em tells me that Aly has taken offence to the Instagram posts and wants me to take them down.

"What?! It's been a million years, Em! Now she has a problem with it?!"

"We're, um, we're dating now..."

"You're back together?"

"Yeah. She called and apologized and then I apologized and..."

"Fuck her! Who gives a damn? All we need is each other!"

"You're selfish and inconsiderate, Brandon. All you need is yourself."

He's the selfish one. We have been friends our whole lives. And he's gonna let a girl come between us?!

I half-expect Em not to show up at our trail the next morning, but he does.

"Em," I begin to apologize, but he places his hand over my mouth. My eyes widen.

We run in silence and then walk together to cool off.

"Poor girl. Give her a few months and she'll know everything about kitten bottle-feeling and intubation." It's my way of saying I'm okay with it, I'm happy for him, and I care. I start reciting the kittens' names by memory. "Bambi, Smittens, Beans, Picklet, Mochi, Squiggles, Scribbles, Tickles, Pickles, Puddles..."

Emery smiles hesitantly over at me and I beam back, pulling him into a sweaty hug.