“And what doeshewant?” Bryan asked.
“Oh, he says he wants to get back together. He’s just pissing me off.”
“And do you?” Bryan asked.
I rolled to my feet and reached for my panties.
“No.”
“Good,” Bryan said, a little too quickly. “Fuck that guy. He’s just a dumb meathead.”
Bryan had never liked Jesse, but I felt a little prickle of irritation.
“You and I are casual,” I reminded him coldly. “No strings attached.”
“I know,” Bryan said, “I just would hate for you to get hurt again.”
When I only stared at him, he added with a rueful grin, “OK, and maybe I have a selfish motivation, too. Because you’re the best lay I’ve ever had, fucking hands down. You’re so sexy.”
“Hm,” I said.
But I didn’t return the compliment.
As he drove me home, I had to admit why I was feeling so restless still.
At first, I had thought Jesse contacting me was just drunk texting or something impulsive.
He always had been cocky and impulsive. But today it almost seemed like hemeantit.
What did that mean?
Nothing, right?
It changed nothing.
Maybe Jesse would finallygive upand let me go back to my life.
But when Bryan dropped me off back at home, there was a tent at the bottom of our stairs and as I moved closer the front unzipped and Jesse emerged, a sleeping bag under one arm.
“What are you doingnow?” I yelped at him.
“Just doing anything I can to show you I’ve changed,” he said. “That I’m committed to this relationship.”
“We don’t have a relationship,” I reminded him as he sprinkled de-icer on our front steps.
“I want to be here for you,” Jesse insisted, turning around so my heart twisted inside me. “There’s severe weather projected for the next few weeks.”
Just then he caught sight of Bryan walking behind me.
“What’shedoing here?” Jesse asked darkly.
Bryan stepped next to me, putting an arm casually around my shoulders.
“What does it matter to you?”
“I want to get back with her,” Jesse retorted.
“My relationship with Bryan is none of your business,” I put in firmly.
