I push those grim thoughts out of my brain as I continue toward Jason’s apartment. This isn’t the time to think about that shit. I just want to unwind a bit and celebrate another job well done.
Hopefully, he’ll still be awake. He’s a night owl like me, so even though it’s late, odds are good he hasn’t gone to sleep.
Sure enough, when I finally reach his apartment building, I can see a light emanating from his bedroom window. He’s probably reading or playing video games in bed.
I let myself in with the key he gave me, stepping silently over a couple pairs of shoes that are piled by the door. Jason’s apartment is always a bit messy. It bugs me a bit, but I tell myself to let it go. He’s a busy college student, and he’s got plenty of other things on his mind. Besides, I came here because I didn’t want to face my tiny, almost bare apartment. A little mess is better than that, right?
My apartment is a studio and much smaller than Jason’s place. I could use the cash from my work to get myself a nicer place, but I want to save it. College isn’t cheap, and I don’t know when I might have to cut and run because of my fae heritage. I store all of my cash under a floorboard. Cliché, but it works.
Jason’s apartment definitely feels more lived in than mine. Maybe that’s part of why I spend more time here than at my own place.
Wanting to surprise him, I close the door quietly behind me. I set my bag down in the entryway and then make my way across the living room, reaching for the hem of my shirt as I go. I figure walking into his room topless will only make the surprise even better.
But just as I start to pull my shirt over my head, I pause when a sound draws my attention. The fabric slips from my fingers as I tilt my head to one side, listening.
Oh my God, is he masturbating?
I can hear him moaning the way he gets during sex, and I snort under my breath. I guess I was wrong about him studying or playing video games. He’s clearly found a different way to entertain himself.
Then I hear another noise, higher pitched than the first. A breathy moan filters out from the bedroom, and my eyebrows shoot up to my hairline.
What the fuck?
That second sound definitely wasn’t Jason.
It was a woman.
CHAPTER2
Asick, horrible feeling rises up in my stomach. Even before I storm across the apartment and throw open the bedroom door, I know what I’m going to see.
You know,I think to myself,shit like this is why I don’t trust people.
I didn’t even let Jason in as much as I could have. I told him I wanted to take things kind of slow emotionally, not moving in together yet or anything, and he seemed so understanding about that. I guess now I know why—it’s easier to cheat on your girlfriend when she doesn’t live with you.
As I throw the bedroom door open, the girl on top of Jason screams and nearly falls off the bed, scrambling to cover up.
“Who are you?” she shrieks.
“Shit,” Jason says, which I think rather eloquently sums up the situation.
“Yeah, that sounds about right.” I glare at him. “Tell me, Jason, given that I’ve got a 4.0 GPA, how stupid do you think I am?”
He’s well aware that I’ve got some of the best grades at our school. Work hard, play hard, that’s my motto. I’m not going to get anywhere in life without being the best, whether it’s at burglary, school, or pretending to be a human. I have every intention of hiding from the supernatural world as much as I can for the rest of my life and that means succeeding in the human world, and humans care about GPAs.
The girl with him looks absolutely mortified. “Are you—? Oh god, I’m so sorry.” Now she looks like she might cry. “He told me he was single.”
“Well, he sure is single now.”
Jason scrambles to his feet. “This isn’t what it looks like, babe, come on.”
“Oh? Then what does it look like?”
The girl wisely begins grabbing her clothes and starts frantically getting dressed to leave. Yeah, no way I’d stick around for the couple’s spat if I was in her position. And frankly, while I’m not mad at her, seeing as she didn’t know he was in a relationship, that doesn’t mean I want her to be around for this whole fight.
Because this is gonna be afight.
“It’s…” I feel like I can see the cogs turning in Jason’s brain as he scrambles for some kind of excuse. “You said you wanted to keep things casual!”