before answering, “Awful. I can’t say I’m surprised about my parents’ fight. They’ve been arguing for a while.”
The coffee has finished brewing, so to keep me from going too deep into my grief, I focus on pouring Troy and me some. I know he’s a caffeine addict like me.
“I’m really sorry, Charlie,” he says, and I know he means it wholeheartedly.
“Thanks.”
He understands better than anyone. His parents divorced, so I can imagine there was a lot of fighting as well before they finally called it quits. I hate to think my parents are going in that direction, but if there’s no saving their marriage, then it’s better for everyone if they go their separate ways.
I prepare our drinks, putting enough hazelnut creamer in mine that you could call it dessert and not coffee. Troy drinks his with just a splash of milk.
I offer him a mug. “Here.”
He takes a whiff of the coffee, making a humming sound. “Thank you, babe.”
We don’t speak for a while, getting lost in our drinks and thoughts.
Troy is the one who breaks the silence first. “Do you know what you’re going to do today?”
“No clue. I have to keep Ben distracted.”
“Come to the game with me. It’ll be fun.”
“It’s too late to get tickets.”
Troy gives me a droll stare. “Charlie, I’m on the team. I have season tickets for family. They’re pretty good seats.”
I’m not a sports person, but I’m sure going to a game would be fun, even if Ben and I don’t know much about football. “All right. What time does the game start?”
“At two. We have time to do other stuff, like find me a troll costume.”
I give him a small smile. “Oh yeah. We have to do that. I totally forgot about it.”
“If I don’t have a costume, then I can’t participate. Works for me.” He shrugs.
Narrowing my eyes, I reply, “I’ll get you a costume. Don’t worry. And it’s too late now. I’ve already signed you up.”
He sets his mug on the counter and approaches me, caging me in against the fridge. His right arm is sling free, and he circles it around my waist while he cups my cheek with his left hand. “Fine. Now I want to make your knees go weak and set your body ablaze.”
Good on his word, he kisses me hard, plunging his tongue into my mouth in a deliciously possessive way. I reach for his biceps, needing the support since he has turned my legs into jelly. The temperature in the kitchen goes up, creating a little inferno where clothes aren’t mandatory. He parts my legs with his muscled thigh, creating a crazy good friction between them. His erection presses against my belly, and I want to free his cock and wrap my mouth around his girth, bet be damned.
I’m about to beg Troy to take me right here on the kitchen counter when a throat clearing douses the fire faster than having an ice bucket poured over my head. Troy jumps back, covering his crotch with both hands. He doesn’t turn, just pretends to look for something on the shelf above the counter.
“Ben, you’re up,” I state the obvious.
“Yeah. The smell of coffee was like a beacon to me.”
“Would you like a cup?” I ask, pretending my face isn’t burning up.
I should have known better than to make out with Troy out in the open when Ben could walk in on us anytime.
“Sure, I’ll have some.” He pulls up a stool and then leans his elbows on the counter. “What’s for breakfast? I’m starving.”
I give him a cup of coffee, then go investigate our food situation. Peering inside the fridge tells me what I already guessed—we’re low on food. “We have eggs, but we’re out of bread.”
“Do you have any cereal?” he asks.
“No, I finished the last box yesterday,” Troy replies. “Let’s go out for breakfast. My treat.”
“Oh, we could go to Zuko’s Diner,” I suggest.
Troy cuts me a glance, and I don’t understand his peculiar look until I remember what happened in front of the restaurant. The splash that ignited our feud. It feels like eons ago.
“It’ll be good to reminisce,” I add.
“For the record, I felt awful immediately after I did that.”
“It’s okay, Troy. I’m not mad about it anymore. And I have my share of regrettable acts when it comes to you.”
His eyebrows scrunch together. “I hope not recent acts.”
My lady parts clench, reminding me of those past performances. I glance at Ben, but he doesn’t seem to be following