Page 61 of Sinister Red
Which is why I slip off my boots, hang up my coat, and start hunting for a cheetah who is probably fine because my gut is telling me that Marbles is either full of shit himself and trying to get me at his place for a specific reason, or he pays zero attention to what Mortimer does when he takes him outside and onlythinkshis beloved big cat hasn’t shit in three days.
My money is on both.
“Let’s see…” I sigh as I peek into the living room, then the dining room and kitchen just to make sure Morty isn’t roaming free. Their bedroom is at the end of the hall, the first door on the right is the first of two extra bedrooms, or the jello room, as it seems, then the linen closet. The guest bathroom is just after that and the only door on the left is the other guest room with its own attached bathroom, so I’m not really sure why Marbles saidfirst door on the left.
Then again, thisisMarbles I’m talking about. Clean freak or not, he could think this place is Wonderland and the doors shift around and change size all the time.
I giggle a little, then scold myself.
Marbles isn’tthatkind of crazy.
He’s extreme and chaotic, unfocused and gross, and all over the map. He’s a little too ballsy and more than illogical, definitely has no filter, but he isn’t delusional or clinically insane, justvery eccentric,as my bestie likes to say. And Marbles is actually a really good guy. One of the best men I know actually, and I’m very happy they’re together.
Will I ever tell either of them that? Not without several drinks in me first, but that’s for two very specific reasons.
One being the fact that I get a kick out of Marbles reactions tomyreactions when he does something that seems so out of left field it’ll make me cringe or lose my shit. It never does, even if I might end up a little mortified or scarred, but the way Marbles reacts to that is what makes me laugh and I don’t want it to change.
The second reason I won’t ever say how glad I am that they’ve been together about eight years now?
The second reason is sitting on the edge of the goddamn bed in thefirst bedroom on the leftwhen I push open the door, wearing nothing but a pair of gray sweatpants and grunting around the scowl he’s shooting my way while trying to reach his back.
The second reason is Sam North, and I’m face to face with more of him than I’d care to see, now or ever, for the second time in three days.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
I scowl right back at him. “Looking for a constipated cheetah, but I have a feeling you’re the asshole I’m actually here to see.”
“Mortimer is fine. I just took him out and he shit enough for two of him.” Sam winces as he twists, that porcelain skin dotted with freckles pulling tight across muscles bigger than I realized before. “No need for you to be here at all, so why don’t you get the fuck out.”
I’m not sure what Sam is trying to do, what exactly it is he’s trying to reach, but I’m not going to do this with him again. What happened at the funeral home was enough to have me crying myself to sleep that night, and I am not about to shed anymore tears over this man, in love with him still or not.
“No problem.” I spin around and slam the door, pull my phone from my pocket and immediately dial Marbles. Who does not fucking answer.
I call him again as I get to the door, keep calling while I shove my feet back into my boots and grab the knob, but it doesn’t budge.
Fucking alarm system.
I understand the need for it, and I’m glad Marbles has it, but my god, the amount of codes needed to get in and out of this place is ridiculous, and it’s a real pain in the ass when you’re trying to get out of here in a hurry.
So, I punch in the code I just used to get in, wait for the panel to light up green, but it doesn’t.
With a frustrated sigh, I enter the numbers again, but the panel turns red, then blinks a few times as an error message pops up.Two failed attempts. One more remaining.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me right now.” I punch in the only code I know for this place, wait, then almost scream when the keypad blinks then stays a bright red. And just when I’m about to lose my shit completely, my phone vibrates in my hand.
MARBLES:Looks like you’re stuck, Sofie girl. Hash out your shit while you’re there. You’ll both feel better for it.
“That son of a bitch,”I grumble as I turn and stomp my way back to the guest room. “I can’t believe it. I cannot fucking believe he would…” I throw open the bedroom door. “What the fuck is the code to get out of here?”
Sam looks up at me, his scowl still in place, but instead of saying anything, he just gets to his bare feet—painfully, by the looks of it—grabs his cane, and pushes past me as he lumbers through the apartment.
My eyes sting and my nose burns as Sam’s scent, the same scent of leather and tobacco and something that is entirely him, floods my senses, and I have to lean against the doorframe for a beat in order to steel myself against the familiarity of it. I have to take a minute to remind myself that the two of us will never be anything more than history, that the man I love showed me who he truly is three times now and allowing my feelings or memories to dictate anything when he’s around will only lead to more hurt than I can bear.
When I finally walk out of the bedroom, I see Sam pacing at the end of the hall, his phone to his ear andpissed offrolling off his shoulders in waves.
“You’re a fucking asshole, man. A goddamn asshole who needs to stay out of other people’s business.”
Ah.He must have gotten through to Marbles.
