His lips trail down my neck, sending shivers all over.
"I love looking at you," he breathes, brushing the hair off my shoulders. "Will you let me look at you?"
My heart hammers, a wild thing seeking his. "Yes."
So he does. And I feel it. For a long...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
........................................ NOAH
The apartment door clicks shut behind us.
Jed flicks a light on and throws his jacket on a stool, heading to the fridge for old, cold pizza, disappearing to his room with a dismissive wave. He doesn't know the depth of what happened. I'm not sure I want him to.
Fox paces into the living room.
He sits on the couch, knee bouncing. He gets up, stalks to the kitchen, turns around, then finally looks at me. "It's in our fucking rental agreement. No pets. No birds, cats, bunnies, dogs."
Fox wants to help, to throw money at something and fix it.
He runs a hand through his hair then pulls off his jacket, throwing it to the floor. "Some fucking mother, she's got."
The reminder heats my neck. I don't bother saying that his mother was no better. He knows.
Fox's frustration fills the apartment, a dark cloud expanding from the centre of his chest.
I understand. I wish I could tear away Cam's pain with my bare hands. I'd give anything to see her smile without a shadow in her eyes. Watching Cam hurt and not being able to do anything about it is personal in a way that scrapes at my insides, leaving me raw.
"She just wants her fucking dog," Fox says. He's gripping his hair like he might be able to pull solutions from his scalp. "What the fuck is its name? Jack? Chuck? Charlie, right?"
Fox slumps against the counter. His chest heaves as if he's run miles. "Fucking parents. Fuck."
Among us three—Jed, Fox and myself—I count myself lucky. I grew up admiring my mother, and respecting my father. I was loved. I still am.
Fox has two siblings, a younger sister, Gwen, and an older brother, Faro. They weren't so lucky.
Jed, too, missed out. His relationship with his father just...wasn't. The man fucked off the second Jed was mere cells in a womb. His mother did the best she could. But sometimes the best doesn't cut it.
"She just wants her fucking dog," Fox mutters again, more to himself, now.
It's not about the dog. We know this. It's about safety, comfort, a home.
Fox picks up his jacket from the floor, pointing it at me. "If you fucking hurt her, Noah..."
I stare at my best friend, waiting. Soon, he realizes that he doesn't have to say this. He realizes I'm not like his dad, and neither is he. We are better men.
Fox lowers his hand, breathing tight through his nose. "I'm going to bed. If Maddie calls, I'm sleeping."
Then he's gone, leaving me alone in the living room, surrounded by all of our shadows.
