Gods & Angels | Sinners of Saint Benedicts duet 1 (dark/bully romance)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Florence and I were lying on my bed on Thursday afternoon, staring at the ceiling.

"How's Marco?" I asked.

"He's Marco," she said.

I nodded. I knew what she meant. Marco was Marco. They'd been hooking up, but that didn't mean that there was anything more between them.

"Do you think he knows about you and Valen?" she asked.

I looked at her in panic. "Why? Has he said something?"

She shrugged. "No. I'm just wondering. He seems..." She paused. "What's the word? Way too observant for his own good."

I sighed and looked back up at the ceiling. "I doubt Valen's the kiss and tell type, but I don't know if Marco's worked it out on his own."

We lay in companionable silence for a bit longer.

"Do you think he'd tell Apollo if he did?" I asked finally.

"I dunno. Marco and I don't exactly...talk," she said suggestively.

I laughed. "Fair."

"I've seen him talk to you a bit. He seems to have taken to you."

I laughed again. "He, for one, appreciates his future goddess."

"As opposed to Valen."

I nodded. "As opposed to Valen."

"What are you going to do about him?"

I sighed. "I think I'm going to have to fuck him out of my system."

Florence rolled to her side to face me. "Seriously?"

I nodded. "I don't want it to be over, but I also don't want to want him anymore. It's...tiring."

"So it has nothing to do with God pulling his finger out?"

I scoffed. "He might have pulled his finger out, but he's still got something else in the Magdalen of the day."

"So? If Apollo gets to fuck around, why can't you?"

"No," I agreed. "I know. I just don't... I want to go back to hating Valen and move on with my life before it becomes more complicated than it needs to be."

"Are you falling for him?" she gasped.

I smiled at her outburst, then went back to serious. "I don't know. Sometimes, I worry I could. Sometimes, I honestly that I hate him. Then I remember and I wonder if I really do anymore."

Florence was quite simply the best friend in the world. Instead of berating me for stupid choices as though I even had a choice, she was just supportive. Instead of asking what I could possibly see in an arsehole like Valen Kincaid, she was just there for me. Instead of reminding me how much we hated him, she just tried to be helpful.

"Okay. So, Operation Khaleesi is back on?"

I knew she was semi-joking, but I'd heard of worse plans.

"You know what?" I asked.

"What?"

"I think it might be."

"Great. How can I help?"

"Remind me how to seduce a guy."

"I don't think you have any problems in that department. Not with Valen."

I laughed. "It would seem not. Only problem is, I told him I was going to hold out as long as possible."

"That sounds delightful," she sassed. "And other than the horrendous vaginal equivalent of blue balls you'll get, how is that a problem?"