"Do you mean Loren?" Monroe asked, a furrowed look on his face.
"Lo-ren. I like it," he slurred, his eyes closed. "I think she told me that, but I'm an asshole. Besides, she's kitten to me. She's got those claws, but you still want to snuggle her close," he stammered out, his breathing evening out as he fell back into a deep sleep.
My face flamed at the description, causing Monroe to grin softly. We were able to bandage all the reopened cuts as Surly started to snore. We both collapsed onto the opposing smaller couch, panting a little at having to lift him from the ground. Surly was a heavy man with all those muscles. I couldn't help the lingering way my eyes trailed over his abs that were on display.
"Do you want to watch some TV?" Monroe asked a while later, both having been lost in our thoughts or perhaps, in my situation, transfixed by the sexy man candy. Surly was much easier to salivate over when he was unconscious.
"Uh, sure."
Monroe turned on the television, but it didn't take too long before I passed out, finding myself wrapped in his arms.
* * *
Low voices wokeme the following day as I tried to recall where I was. A vague recollection of the night before floated through my mind, and I remembered falling asleep at Monroe's. I was now lying on the couch alone, a blanket over me. Voices on the other couch became more apparent as I woke up and heard what they were saying. When I heard my name, it piqued my attention, and I eavesdropped, despite knowing I shouldn't.
"I'm surprised she's here. I didn't think she liked me," a rough voice that had to be Surly's rasped out.
"I wonder what gave you that impression. Surely, it wasn't your winning personality," Monroe teased him. "She's my neighbor, Wells. I asked her to come over to watch Levi when you called. She didn't even know it was about you," he admitted. "We've kind of… I don't know what you call it, but I like her."
Monroe's words warmed my heart, and I found myself smiling. Now, I really felt guilty for listening in, but I still didn't stop.
"Did she tell you we kissed the other day?"
Anger rolled up in me, and I was about to jump off this couch and slap the douchecanoe when Monroe's words stopped me.
"How… was it?'
Okay, I hadn't expected that answer. The rage left me when I took in the conversational tones and familiarity between them. There hadn't been any jealousy in Monroe's words, and while I thought Surly had been trying to throw my reputation under the bus, it seemed he was only sharing with his friend.
"Hot," he admitted. "Until I fucked it up like I typically do. I spouted off something assholery once, and she kicked me in the balls." They both laughed, and the sound was pleasant.
"You say something dickish?" Monroe asked sarcastically. "Though, I'd like to see you getting a swift kick to the groin."
"Haha, jackass," he deadpanned before his voice softened. "Thanks for coming and getting me. I know I said it last night, but I feel I need to readdress it this morning as well when I'm not out of my mind in pain."
"You don't have to thank me, Wells. You know I'm always here for you, no matter what."
"I know you say that, Roe," he sighed, "but after how I left things last time, I didn't know if I could trust it."
Surly’s voice was soft, and I could hear the emotion. It was a foreign sound coming from him. Feeling guilty like I was an emotional voyeur, I started to make noise and move around, mimicking how I assumed waking up looked. Stretching my arms over my head, I slowly blinked my eyes open.
"Oh, hey. Good morning," I dramatically yawned.
The smirk on Monroe's face told me I might not be as sly as I believed. Surly was avoiding looking at me, though.
"Good morning, Lo."
"I'm sorry I fell asleep on you so soon. That couldn't have been comfortable." I cringed.
"It was fine. I was able to move to the bedroom after the show and get some sleep. I need to go wake Levi now, so," he looked between us both, unsure what to do. Eventually, he made a decision and got up, "I'll, uh, be back."
After Monroe left, the silence intensified, becoming awkward as I looked around the room at everything but the man on the couch. I was surprised when Surly broke the silence, pulling my attention back to him. His chest was still on display, the bruising easier to distinguish in the daylight. His eye was still swollen shut, the swelling decreasing some.
"Thank you… for last night. I didn't deserve your kindness."
"You're welcome," I answered, surprised by his honesty. "You're right, you didn't deserve it, but I'm not one to hold grudges. If you'd have taken the time to get to know anything about me, you'd know that."
I watched as his jaw ticked, and I realized how confrontational I'd ended it on. Surly pulled all the frustration out of me, though. Trying to be better, I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind, “Um, your face has seen better days."