think this was a beautiful breakthrough, Blakely. Thanks for sharing your higher self’s journey with me.” She then had the fucking audacity to bow with her hands clasped at her chest in a prayer pose. “I’ll see you Saturday for our next session. Your task for the week is to tell me what job you actually want. If you come back with nothing to say, don’t bother coming back to work at all. See you then!”
I grabbed the shirt and stood up. I was going to kill Decker for getting me this job. I already knew that he definitely couldn’t be trusted, but this solidified that. I didn’t need a damn life coach. I just needed cash. I needed out of Lance’s loft. I needed…
Maybe I didn’t know what I needed anymore. Whatever it was, I doubted I would find it here.
5
Blakely
When I got home after my eight hour shift, I was a sweaty mess, my tight, white tank stuck to my body like a second skin and showing off a good portion of my stomach. Work was a beating. Monica trained me well, but the second the dinner rush arrived, I was on my own.
For the most part, it was a fast-paced but easy job. Only a handful of customers leered. I quickly realized that the tank top was less for show and more to keep cool. The barbecue pits outside were hot as hell, and after my fourth trip to get food, I found myself hiding in the walk-in freezer with a few of the other servers for a ten minute break.
Lance texted me two hours ago, telling me to call him when I got off so he could walk me home, but I pretended not to see it. I was still mad at Decker for setting me up with his fucking life coach, and I didn’t trust myself not to tell Lance that his best friend was an asshole. It wouldn’t be worth it, and besides, something told me Lance already knew.
When I opened the door, I was surprised to see Lance and Decker sitting shirtless in the living room and screaming at the television, Xbox controls in their hands. They didn’t notice me at first, so I took a casual opportunity to stare at Decker. His sweatpants hung low on his hips, showing off a delicious set of six pack abs and tanned skin. I almost had to remind myself that I was pissed at him.
“You’re home!” Lance yelled in greeting while holding his controller up. He was hitting every damn button on the thing. My brother didn’t dare pull his eyes from the screen, too engrossed in whatever game they were playing. It looked like the typical guys’ night. A couple of empty beer bottles and snacks littered the coffee table, and I saw an empty pizza box in the kitchen. It was the messiest this place had ever been.
I learned really quickly that Lance and Decker were chronically tidy. Not a single dish was ever left in the sink. Not an article of clothing left on the floor. Seeing them now, in their natural element, had me wondering if they kept things clean because they wanted me to feel comfortable. If I was ever okay with mentioning how fucked up my prior living situation had been, I’d let them know that they had nothing to worry about. I couldn’t tell you how many times I found used condom wrappers on the floor at the old trailer.
“Video game night?” I asked. “Should I leave?” For some reason, this felt like I was encroaching on a ritual of sorts.
“No, we’re almost done!” Lance yelled before blowing up a car on the video game. He did a quick fist pump to the ceiling before attacking his controller again, never once tearing his eyes from the screen. I laughed.
Unlike Lance, Decker glanced at me with disinterest, then quickly did a double take. His mouth dropped open in shock when he saw what I was wearing. It’s like I could feel his heady gaze, trailing up and down my body. It was hot. It was wrong. His distraction led to his demise though. Lance killed him in whatever shooting game they were playing, making my brother scream and dance in his spot on the couch while Decker cursed.
“What the fuck are you wearing?” Decker asked as Lance reached forward to grab his beer on the coffee table and take a swig.