The Rampage MC #4: Max and Briony

Chapter 9 (Briony): Not Just Any Man

Copyright © 2024 by GroveltoHEA

This wasn't going to be pretty. Since last night, I'd been fuming mad.

I yanked open the front door of my little house and stepped aside so Darren could enter.

"What the hell was that kiss, Darren?" I demanded the second I slammed the door shut behind him. I'd called him up early this morning and told him to come over as soon as his head cleared from his hangover. It was now six hours later.

"Don't blame it on me! I was really drunk, and I figured why not give you a try. I mean, all the signals you'd been throwing out --"

"What are you even talking about? What signals?"

"You were always asking me over here! All the time! What was I supposed to think?"

Save me from stupid men. 

"Did I ever ask you over here when I was home alone? No! I always asked you over here when Rie was here. Rie, Darren. I was asking you over so maybe the hamsters would start running on the wheel again in your brain, and you might see what was right in front of you! And what was right in front of you was Rie! Maybe you'd think about kissing her!"

"Rie? I don't understand. She's a friend. I don't go around kissing my friends."

Ugh! I couldn't help it and smacked my forehead with my hand. Clearly his hamsters were on strike or a seriously long vacation.

"Well, I think that after the kiss she saw you give me -- without my permission, which I would never have given you had you asked -- you don't have to ever worry about ever kissing her. Rie's given up on you, and I think she's ready to move on and find her own man to kiss now."

"The kiss with you wasn't even good," Darren scoffed, and I laughed at his honesty...and accuracy. He was one hundred percent right. The kiss was beyond bad and wasn't anything even close to meh. It definitely wasn't like Max's kisses that I'd wanted to go on forever when he'd pull me into his arms and his mouth would take control of mine...

"And what do you mean that she's going to find someone else to kiss?" Darren demanded suddenly.  Clearly, one hamster was back on the wheel. Walking. Slowly. Possibly limping from a sprained hamster ankle.

Oh, someone didn't like that thought at all. Put it together, Darren. Why don't you like that idea? Come on, you can do it! Who's a smart boy?

"What I mean, Darren, is that women have patience...up to a point, anyway. We wait for you men to get smart and then, when we get an unmistakable message from you that you're going to remain stupid, we're just done with you. At that point, we just cut our losses and walk away."

"She doesn't care what I do with other girls, Briony. She's my best friend."

Aaannnd the limping hamster just died. "Rie's done with your friendship after seeing you kiss me last night."

"You keep saying that but why in the hell would she care if I kissed you? You're talking in circles but nothing you're saying makes any sense."

"I've already drawn you the diagram, Darren, so I'm sure, if you think really hard, you can figure it out. Go take a ride on your bike and contemplate your life without Rie because I'm pretty sure you've lost your good friend."

When he figured out I wasn't going to say anymore, he stomped out of my house, muttering things about confusing women. Well, right back at you, buddy. Men were pretty damn confusing, too.

I leaned back against the door and sighed, thinking nuns had the right idea.

Later that evening, I was making dinner and Rie was sitting at my kitchen table. I'd had to coax her to come over, hoping I could clarify last night's disastrous kiss. Hoping I wasn't going to lose a friend over Darren's stupidity.