be sore tomorrow, and this will help.”
He’s wearing a pair of black mesh shorts tonight, the band of his underwear or boxers or boxer briefs peeking out just barely, making me wonder what kind he wears before I can refocus my thoughts on watching a movie. He turns around, his shoulders on full display. I’ve never thought of myself as a shoulder-girl. I mean, they’re shoulders, and though working in physical therapy has taught me that the joints are actually quite amazing, I’ve never thought of them as being sexy. But Arlo’s broad shoulders are sculpted with muscles, his tattoos wrapping over the right side and continuing over his shoulder blade. It’s all so perfect—like a statue versus real skin and bone—that I nearly miss the crescent-shaped scar on his side. “What happened?” I ask.
Arlo looks at me, eyebrows raised as he reaches to grab the remote.
“The scar on your side.”
“It’s nothing.”
“My little scar looks like a mosquito bite comparatively.”
“That’s because you’re tiny.” I’m not.
“Seriously, though.”
“The guys who came at Theo were mad. They came prepared, and there were four of them. I’m lucky this is all I have to show for it.”
My heart thrums, creating a nervous energy I struggle to label for several seconds as it festers in my stomach like a gut-reaction does. Vengefulness. I feel vengeful toward these absolute strangers for leaving this mark on his skin, for nearly taking his future, and in the most selfish way possible, I also feel grateful because it’s allowed us to meet.
Arlo leans against my headboard, his chest bare. I sit next to him, my bicep dwarfed beside his. He shifts, his arm settling flush against mine, so the length of my arm touches him. I smell his cologne and soap. It’s better than freshly washed laundry.
Juliet jumps onto the bed, walking the thin line between us, her tail straight up, and her eyes on me like she knows my intentions and thoughts. I wonder if that could be true when I’m not even sure what I’m thinking at this point.
32
Arlo
Rose grins at me as I step out to the kitchen to make coffee while Liv showers. “Are you guys really going to stick to this ‘friendship’ title? I mean, you’re sleeping in the same bed. You spend time together almost every day. Clearly, there’s something.”
I shake the sleep from my thoughts and yawn.
“Don’t play coy with me. I’m the inventor of coy. You like her.”
“We’re friends.”
“Who sleep together.”
“Trust me. We’re not sleeping together.”
“Is that disappointment in your tone?”
“Don’t make things weird. I like Liv, and hanging around her has been good for me not just because of my bad luck but also because she’s just…”
Rose nods. “I know. I get it. Liv isn’t about the bullshit. So many people want to talk and laugh about shit that means nothing, and she doesn’t. Liv is all about substance. You feel seen and heard with her, and it’s a good feeling and also kind of terrifying.” She grabs two cups, filling them both with coffee. “I met Liv in our junior year of high school, and she was like the greatest anomaly for me. She had no interest in parties or boys or making friends. She just kept her head down. I was all about parties and boys and becoming prom queen … I didn’t even know her. Then, we got in trouble, her for being late and me for talking out of turn, and we had to help organize this empty classroom. We didn’t talk at all for the first week, and then the hotel where we were supposed to hold our prom had a fire, and we got tasked to find a new location, and something clicked, and from that day forward, she was a part of my life. She helped me get through my mom’s diagnosis and my parents getting divorced and my mom passing away—she was there through all the ugly shit.”
“She seems pretty fond of you, too.”
Rose grins. “We’re sisters in the truest sense, which is why I’m breaking all the rules and telling you that she likes you.”
I turn around and take a sip of my coffee so that she’ll continue.
“She doesn’t want to because Olivia hates change more than anything else, but I can tell.”
“What about Matt?”
Rose scoffs. “Have you been paying attention? He calls her like once a month and texts her whenever he wants to ensure she’s still thinking about him. But she and Matt haven’t been together in a long