I nod even though she can’t see me.
“Well, I get that. I was with Tyler first, I guess you could say, but we were never exclusive. Still, it was a bit strange to have been with Tyler and then kiss Shane and Corey, and the last guy of the four who I slept with had been Brett. I mean, he and I really butt heads from the start.”
“Enemies at the beginning, huh?”
“You could say that,” she says with a laugh.
“Enemies to lovers.” I sigh. “There’s something wrong with me. I know there is. I shouldn’t… Rob should be enough.”
“You already said that. It seems to me that you’re maybe using Rob to try to fill a hole in your life.”
I grimace and shake my head. “No. Not at all. I wouldn’t say that.”
“No? I could be wrong, but… Maybe you aren’t looking for love, or maybe love isn’t what you need.”
“I need so much.”
“Like what?” Erika asks softly.
“A hug for starters.”
“If I were closer, I would. Do you need me to come there?”
“No!” I’m touched by her offer, but there’s no way in the world that I would allow her to do that.
"Are you sure? I could fly in, see you for a few hours, and come back."
“I know you’re made of money now, but no.” I shake my head and spy a bench on the side of the library. No one is sitting there, so I start to head on over.
“I am not made of money!”
“Not made of money, maybe, but you’re full of cum.”
“Girl, you’re nasty!” Erika laughs. “Are you gonna tell me what else is going on?”
I blink a few times. How the hell can she tell that there's something else? I mean, it's not like she can see my facial expressions or read my body language.
“What makes you think there’s something else?” I ask as I sit on the bench.
“Well… would it make it better or worse for you to talk to me about Ace and Gabe more? And the other one… Zac, right? What about him?”
Zac Stryker. I close my eyes, and I immediately conjure an image of him in my mind with his auburn hair and brown eyes. I think he has some baggage of his own, and he definitely keeps people at bay, just like Gabe does, only I know Gabe’s history and not Zac’s. Not yet at least.
“Are you still there, Katie?” Erika asks.
“I’m here. Sorry. So… what do you want to know?”
“Anything. Everything. If you would prefer to talk about Rob instead, go for it.”
“Did I tell you about Allie yet?”
“No. Is she your new best friend? The one who hooked you up with booze?”
“No, that’s Robyn. Okay, so you know how the guys are all in a motorcycle club, right? Allie’s in it too. She’s a Grim Reaper.”
“What is it with clubs and reapers?”
“I don’t know, but it’s a bit… awkward, to say the least.”