Beside

1 - temptation

"Jellybean, what's wrong?"

"Just tired, Fox. And my chest feels funny."

"Like butterflies again?"

"Yeah, like... I can't breathe."

"Okay you should sit. Sit! Okay, I'll tell you a story while we wait for it to be better."

"Fine. Make it a funny one."

ᖴO᙭

When you're fresh off the cuff of the worst breakup of all time, this is the last thing you want to come home to.

A blowjob. In the kitchen.

These horny motherfuckers have no decorum. The minute I see Noah casually leaning against the fridge, dark hair messy, bronze skin tinted red, I know Camila is hiding behind the counter.

I throw my keys into the glass bowl by the door and drop my gym bag to the floor.

"Fox," Noah says, clearing his throat. His hands are clasped over his tented grey sweats. "You're...back."

"Boxing was great, thanks for asking. Where's your girlfriend? Hey, Sport!" I call out, kicking off my shoes. "I've got a case of Kick energy drinks with your name on it!"

Camila Delgado's wide eyes pop up from behind the counter, dark curls bouncing, her tan skin flushed. "Where?"

Noah groans, dragging a hand over his face.

I stalk over to the corkboard by the fridge, the one we hung up after a night of too many beers and not enough common sense. "What does number four say?"

Cam shuffles over, sweatpants dragging, her baggy black shirt hanging off one shoulder. She squints up at the list. "When it's your boyfriend's birthday, you suck his—"

"You filthy illiterate!" I yell, stabbing a finger at the rule. "No sex in shared spaces!"

Cam gestures at Noah like she's got a defense. "It's his birthday. And you were supposed to stay at the boxing ring for another hour."

"The kitchen is sacred ground. What happened to standards?"

She hops up on the counter, smirking as she smooths out her shirt. Noah peels himself off the fridge, his sheepish grin wide enough to hide behind. He moves in, wraps his arms around her like a lovesick puppy, lips already aiming for her neck as she giggles.

I shove a finger down my throat. "You get to clean the bathrooms this week. Penance for your dirty dirty sins."

Cam laughs as Noah buries his face in her mess of curls like he could disappear into her.

There's that part of me, that small part that twinges in my chest whenever I see them, but I shove it down like I always do. Don't care. Won't care. Can't afford it.

I clap my hands. "Noah, go get ready. Cam, your ass stays here. It's boy's night."

Noah mumbles something that sounds like "Happy birthday to me," before heading up the spiral stairs to change.

"Where's my Kick?" Cam asks, rubbing her hands together.

"It was a ploy, Sport."

She pouts, bottom lip sticking out. "I know."

She leans back against the kitchen island, arms behind her, legs kicking. "Don't drown your sorrows with another round of hookups tonight. It's Noah's birthday."