Instant Connection

35

I sigh, "Well, that was a bust." I hoist myself up onto one of the barstools, and rest my arms on the cool countertop.

"I gotta go to bed, guys. Gotta go meet up with Charlie in Florida." Jakes says, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge and excusing himself.

"Meet up with her? She stayed in Florida?" I ask.

"Yeah, something about being too tired to fly back or something." He shrugs, walking off.

"That don't sound like Charlie." Johnny comments, turning to me.

"No, it does not." I rub my temple.

"You ever get the feeling that you know only a quarter of what's going on around here?" he asks.

"I'm lucky to have a quarter." I try to joke.

Johnny walks around the counter, closer to me, "Let's go to bed." he gestures to the staircase with his head.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." I nod. 

Johnny wraps his arm around her waist and the two go adjourn to her room for the evening. 

The next morning, Paige and Paul were downstairs in the kitchen preparing some breakfast as Paige vented about how Toros is getting impatient about her next sleeping with him.

"It's not like I can say I have a migraine." She shrugs, taking a pause from cutting up her fruit.

"Let me guess, Toros?" Johnny asks, jumping down from the steps into the kitchen.

"Yeah." Briggs says, turning his back to fill up his mug of coffee. Johnny is quick to snatch his piece of toast, "And so am I."

Johnny smirks, filling up his own mug with a large smirk on his face.

"If I don't give him what he wants soon, he's going to cut me loose." Paige explains.

"Toros?" Stella asks, walking downstairs.

"Yeah." She nods. "And with Briggs's cover blown, we don't have a way into the Sarkissians now."

"You know, I'm gonna just address the elephant in the room here. You could just sleep with the dude." Johnny shrugs.

"Wow. Thanks, Johnny." Paige says, popping a strawberry into her mouth.

"I'm serious. I've slept with perps before." He pops up on the kitchen counter. "It's great."

"Yeah. This we know. You are a man-whore." Briggs says, now having a new piece of toast. "But, Johnny, she is not gonna sleep with Toros. He's crazy."

"Yeah. And also... I don't want to."

"Have you used the obvious excuse yet?" Stella chimes in, leaning against the counter.

"My period? No, but he's crazy, I didn't know if he would really care." Paige tells her, pouring a glass of orange juice.

"He called you a whore over a little hickey, I'm sure his misogynistic brain will think it's gross." Stella shrugs.

Briggs phone begins to ring and he steps to the side to answer it, his back facing the three other housemates.

"Hey, Mike. What's up?.... Mike? Hello?"

"Is this Odin Rossi?" Lara, the meth addict who was holding Mike and Vin hostage, asks.

"As a matter of fact, yes, this is Odin Rossi." Briggs answers, causing the housemates to look at him.

"We got something of yours– some– some things. Two guys and a silver-container thing." She explains.