Thrive (Addicted, #4)(72)

Daisy breathes heavily and says straight out, “I just thought that if they got bored, then they’d probably want to have sex.”

Lo coughs hoarsely, and I walk over to pat his back. He takes a large sip of his soda before he says, “Please, don’t talk about my sex life, Daisy.”

She sighs and sets her forehead on Ryke’s leg in frustration. He still towers above her. “I was just trying to be helpful.”

“You’re not fucking helping,” Ryke says rudely, though his hand is on her head, closer physically than I’ve seen them before. Their friendship has made a few extra strides it seems. Hopefully not too far.

“Hey,” I pipe in. “She is too helping. If I didn’t have my Nerf gun, I probably would have jumped Lo. Sex crisis averted.”

Ryke steps away from Daisy and turns on me. “If you’re having problems controlling yourself, maybe you shouldn’t be locked in a room with your boyfriend.” He points at the toy gun on the bed. “But this is your fucking solution? Really?”

“Looks more fun than doggy style,” Daisy chimes in with a lopsided smile.

“No,” Ryke says one word to refute that.

I’d have to agree with him. Nerf guns are not as fun as doggy style.

Lo pinches the bridge of his nose and then rises from the desk. “Okay.” He grabs the Nerf gun off the bed and shoves it in Ryke’s chest. “Take the gun. Take Daisy.” He clasps Daisy’s wrist, pulls her to her feet and hands her the skateboard. Then he rejoins me in the middle of the room. “We’re going to be protesting in private.”

Ryke doesn’t look happy.

“Told you,” Daisy says under her breath, “I tried to keep them from—”

Ryke swiftly draws her to his chest and covers her mouth with his hand. I can tell she’s smiling underneath his palm.

“You’ll really come out if Scott apologizes?” he asks.

“Yep,” Lo says.

“I’ll have him in here within the hour,” Ryke proclaims, a promise attached to the words. “This shit ends tonight.” He releases Daisy, his eyes drifting along her features. “I don’t know what kind of doggy style you’re doing, but it’s wrong.” He pats her head before exiting.

Lo shouts back, “Inappropriate, bro!”

Daisy watches Ryke leave before she sidles next to me and nudges my hip. “Sorry.”

I shake my head and give her a side hug. “You’ve been a valiant soldier. The best.”

When she smiles, it’s bright and beautiful, and I wonder how I spent so many years avoiding a relationship with her. Daisy is one of the most soulful people to be around, and maybe if I opened up a little sooner, I’d have felt this joy from the start.





{ 33 }

0 years : 09 months

May





LILY CALLOWAY


I rest my back against a shelf with an array of pill bottles for sale, trying not to engrain this mental image in my brain. Lo and Ryke, side-by-side, staring at a huge wall of condoms. Scott apologized after Ryke physically pushed him in our room. His “I’m sorry” wasn’t very sincere, but we both were ready to move on. I just never thought that I’d be here. On our way home from lunch, the three of us made a pit stop at a local drug store to pick up the love gloves.

It’s funny—before Lo, condoms were my staple. Now I hate them.

How things change.

“Why do you have to wear condoms?” I ask Lo for the third time.

He hasn’t answered me yet. They’ve been making fun of the Magnum XL glow-in-the-dark condoms for the past minute, not because of the size though. I would partake in the jokes if I wasn’t so confused.

“I understand why Ryke has to wear them,” I continue like they’re listening. “What if one of his conquests claims to have a Ryke baby? That’s a scary thought, right?”

Ryke spins around to face me. Finally! “Can you not call the girls I sleep with conquests? You make it seem like my goal in life is to fuck women, and they’re not trophies to me.”

“Sure, can you ask Lo why he has to wear condoms?” I reply.

Ryke gives me a look like are you really fucking serious? “It’s called protection from an unplanned pregnancy.”

“I’m on birth control,” I whisper-hiss, lowering my voice as people pass our aisle. They don’t notice who we are though, or if they do, they don’t care. Ryke and Lo chose an out-of-the-way drug store instead of one in town. To accommodate me and my paranoia. It was nice of them.

“Lil, it’s just for a little while,” Lo says, grabbing a box off the rack. He’s been getting badgered by my sister and his brother about being more careful. They’re worried that with the reality show stress and hamming it up for the cameras (aka excessive teasing), we’re going to have a mistake.

“Wearing them doesn’t feel as good.” I pause. “For either party involved.” And then I point my finger at Ryke. “Don’t deny it.”

He raises his hands. “I wasn’t going to, but some things are worth sacrificing, Calloway.”

Fine. “So how many boxes are you going to buy? Three? Five?” He needs like eleven. His one-night stands can almost compete with past-me.