Don’t tell me this is a recurring thing and I’ve been sleeping in Jimmy’s jizz for days.
She shrugs. “It was just twice.”
“Twice?”
Yep, that’ll do it.
I’m out of here.
I don’t speak after that.
I just pack. I spend twenty minutes turning the room over to make sure I don’t forget anything. Neither Grace nor her boy toy say a word, snickering as I shove most of my belongings in a suitcase. I only stop once the suitcase is brimming with stuff. I’ll have to come back to get the rest later. I slam the door on my way out, dragging my suitcase down the hallway with a growing pit in my stomach.
What do I do now?
I see no other option than to text Aveena.
Dia:I know I said you should talk to Xavier first, but could I pleaseeee crash at your place tonight? I just walked in on Grace giving head to some loser IN MY BED and I’m desperate.
Thankfully, her response comes right away.
Aveena:You know I got you. Key is under the doormat and I made your bed in the guest room just in case.
I could cry in appreciation.
Is this girl psychic?
Dia:How did you know?
Aveena: Just a hunch ;)
Dia:Thank youuu. You’re the best.
I skim over her previous messages and realize what her first text implies.
Dia: Wait, I’m guessing you’re not home if I need a key?
She confirms my suspicions a moment later.
Aveena: Nope.I’m having dinner with my sister while she’s in town. Finishing up right now. I’ll be home soon.
Aveena: Oh, and be quiet on your way in. Xavier might already be sleeping.
Dia: Will do.
* * *
My eyelids are as heavy as my suitcase when I lug my things up the final flight of stairs leading to my temporary home. The hallway light is dimmed, and I have to activate my phone’s flashlight to find the key under the mat. The door creaks open moments later, and I drink in the barely lit apartment I’ve visited many times before.
I just love Xavier and Aveena’s place. It has an open-floor plan, big windows, and a newly renovated kitchen. Xavier and Aveena haven’t lived here long—a few months at most—and the place isn’t decorated yet, making it a little bland, but that doesn’t mean it’s cold. On the contrary. It’s bathed in sunlight during the day, thanks to the large sliding doors in the living room.
Most of Xavier and Aveena’s money went to furnishing the bedrooms and kitchen, which is why there’s not much furniture in the living room except for a flat-screen TV mounted to the wall and a lamp. If I remember correctly, Vee said they were getting their couch delivered next week.
The door to the master bedroom is shut, and I gather that Aveena was right about Xavier being asleep. Careful not to make a sound, I tiptoe toward the guest bedroom at the end of the hall. The room is pitch-black when I walk in, and I let out a breath of relief at the smell of… nothing. That’s right, it smells like nothing—no dirty clothes, no week-old food, no sweaty socks—and I couldn’t be more grateful.
I can feel the exhaustion creeping in as I close the door and drop my suitcase on the floor. I don’t even bother changing clothes before plopping down onto my bed and slipping under the blanket. My eyes immediately close, my body begging for sleep. At first, everything is perfect. The room is quiet, the bed comfortable, and the sheets smell fresh. But then, I smell something else.
Something… familiar?