by L. P. Maxa
I jumped to my feet when I heard the door open, clasping my hands behind my back. “You’re home.”
He winced at my loudly spoken words, his palm going to his forehead. “Stop shouting, weirdo, I have a headache from hell.” He went directly into his kitchen, opening the cabinet where he kept the ibuprofen. I was familiar with the medicine cabinet because I typically woke up with a hangover when I stayed here. We liked to have a good time.
I poured him a glass of orange juice, handing it over with trepidation. I wasn’t sure how pissed he was at me, and I found that I didn’t like the thought of Bleu being anything less than happy or exasperated in my presence. He was pretty much the only other person in my life, besides Evie, who I cared about. Like, actually cared a lot about.
“Where did this come from? My fridge was empty except for ketchup.” He took his pills, swallowing all of the juice to wash them down.
“I ordered groceries this morning.”
“You ordered me guilt groceries?” Bleu moved past me and made his way into his bedroom, pulling his shirt over his head. He tossed it in the direction of the hamper that stayed outside the bathroom door, but missed. “Where are all my clothes?”
“I washed them.” I smiled tightly. “And I cleaned your apartment and signed you up for this beer of the month club online.” The last gesture had been a peace offering for both him and Nicky because I knew they’d share.
“Mayk.” Bleu shook his head, his hands on his trim hips. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
I couldn’t help but stare at his body. It was inked and ripped and really pretty spectacular. Bleu was a catch, and one day some lucky bitch was going to notice. And then where would I be? Bored out of my mind, and lonely to boot.
“I ran my mouth, Evie got hurt, and you went to jail.” I threw my arms wide. “I needed to do this, and so much more.” I stepped into his body, wrapping my arms around his middle, enjoying the feel of his skin way more than I had any right to. “I’m so sorry.”
“You did run your mouth.” He hugged me back and rested his chin on the top of head. “And you are a pain in the fucking ass.” He sighed, dropping his hands and turning for the bathroom. “But that dude needed to be put in his place, and I’m a big boy. I hit him, that was my choice, no one else’s.”
The shower came on, the sound filling the otherwise empty apartment. “I’m still sorry.”
“I know.” He unbuttoned his pants and I spun around, giving him some privacy while he undressed. He had no shame in his game, and he’d have stripped down whether I was gawking or not.
I’d seen Bleu’s dick before…well, I’d seen the head before. We’d been drunk and I’d been curious about the apadravya piercing he was always rambling about. It looked interesting to say the least. Part of me wanted to try it out, see what all the hype was about. I’d done some research on it, and it sounded like a hella good time. But that was a line we couldn’t cross; there would be nothing but conflict and confusion on the other side. I was terrible at relationships and Bleu was one person I wasn’t okay with losing.
“You sticking around?”
I sat on the toilet lid once he stepped under the spray and closed the curtain. “Unless you want to kick me out.” I totally deserved it, but I was suddenly exhausted from my cleaning rampage. I wanted to crawl into bed with Bleu and sleep until dinner.
After a few minutes, the water shut off and I held his towel up, closing my eyes tightly as he stepped out. “You can stay.”
“Thank you.” I stood, averting my gaze from his nakedness, and went to Bleu’s dresser. I pulled out my favorite sleep clothes, a pair of striped white and navy boxer briefs and a faded Revival Ink t-shirt.
We partied together a lot, and at the end of a long night, the last thing I wanted to do was deal with my sorority sisters or drive all the way across town to my studio. That was why I stayed with Bleu all the time. That was my story, and I was going to fucking stick to it like glue.
“I get to be small spoon though and I get to control the remote for the next decade.”
I snorted. “What dude ever wants to be small spoon?”
“When I’m big spoon, my dick is always poking you in the ass.” He shrugged, sliding on basketball shorts under his towel before tossing it back toward the bathroom. “It makes me feel bad.”
His dick did spend a lot of time poking me in the ass. Was it odd that the only one of us who minded was Bleu? I nodded, hand held out in front of me. “I agree to your terms.”
He snorted, taking my hand and dragging me onto the bed. “Like you had a choice?” He switched off the lamp on his nightstand and held his arm out wide. “Come on, it’s cold.”
It wasn’t cold, I’d turned the heater up to make sure his apartment would be nice and cozy when he got home. “You’re such a pussy.” But I snuggled up next to him anyway, my head on his chest while he flipped through the channels to find something for us to watch while we fell asleep.
I didn’t mind that he wanted to watch boring documentaries and be the little spoon. Life with Bleu was fun, and I honestly felt lonely on the nights when I was by myself. He filled up my brain. It was hard to put into words. The only way I could seem to describe it was that he made my life feel…full. But I refused to look at things too closely, which was my usual mode of operation.
Evie, Bleu, and Nicky had quickly become my family. The family I chose. The family who let me be me and didn’t make me feel like I needed to apologize for it. I wasn’t blind. I knew I was the black sheep of the Miles genetics pool. My parents were successful people, and all my cousins were pre-med and pre-law. I was the only artist, the only one who marched to the beat of a different drum. It’s not that they didn’t love me…it was more that they didn’t quite know what to do with me.
Hooking up with Bleu, no matter how hot and amazing it would no doubt be, would mess up our little ecosystem. And I refused to screw up the good thing we all had going here. Evie was healthy and happy, and Nicky treated her the way every girl deserved to be treated. Bleu had their backs, and he had mine. All of which was evident even more after last night.
For the first time in my life, I was starting to feel content. I wasn’t searching for anything. I had it all right in front of me.
And that was a feeling I wasn’t giving up.
Chapter Five
Bleu
“Community service? Are you serious? What am I, a chick with a DWI?” I was pacing outside of my courtroom, hands on my hips and my jaw clenched. “I’m sorry, I’m not complaining. Not really.”
Although Thad and his father had fought for harsher punishment, I’d come away with six months’ probation and forty hours of community service. Miller had come through, he really had. He’d talked to the judge, given me the number of a great lawyer, and stood up next to me throughout it all.
“Community service isn’t that bad. Think of it as making a difference in the world.” Nicky shrugged. “Besides, when’s the last time you did anything other than work or drink your lunch with Maykin?”
I stopped pacing and turned to face him, eyebrow cocked. “Oh right, because you’re such a pillar. When’s the last time your dick left Evie long enough to do anything good for the world?”
Miller snorted and then covered his mouth to hide his laughter. “You got off easy, Bleu, and you know it.”
I held my hand out to him. “I did, and I owe you, man.”
“You mean that?” Miller shook my hand back, his giant mitt with hairy knuckles swallowing mine.
“Yeah, I do.” I nodded. “I know that you went to bat for me and I really appreciate it.”
“In that case, how about you let me pick where you do your community service hours?” He crossed his massive arms over his barrel chest.
“Uh, okay, I guess.” I really hoped he didn’t make me pick up trash on the highway like I was part of some chain gang.
If I had to do community service, maybe I could get some cool, like, punk kid outreach
hours. I could see it now. I would help the wayward youth of the nation through art and insightful conversations. Then the kids I helped would grow up to be famous, they’d thank me during their Grammy acceptance speech, citing that meeting me was the moment they turned their life around. I would be changing lives, and in turn, the world.
“I’ve got to go pick up Evie from her therapy appointment, you good here?” Nicky glanced at his watch, backing away.
I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll get Mayk to come get me.” I held my hand up, high-fiving him. “We’re still on for lunch though?”
“We’ll meet you there.” He turned and started jogging down the hall to get his girl. Evie had been in therapy for a few months now, and it seemed like it was really helping. She had the pill addiction to heal from, but then piled on top of that was the attack from her ex. It was good that she had someone to talk to through that whole ordeal.
The media had been a little intense during the short trial, but lucky it’d died down over the last few weeks. Plus, she’d grown her hair out and let more of her natural color come through. She looked different than she used to, happier and healthier, and that helped keep people from noticing her.
I pulled out my phone, hoping I hadn’t been lying to Nicky and that Maykin could really come pick me up.
Bleu: Can you come grab me from the courthouse in about thirty minutes?
Maykin: Sure, how’d it go Shawshank?
Bleu: You’re so funny.
Maykin: Yes, I know.
Bleu: Got forty hours of community service, plus six months probation.
Maykin: I’ll try not to run my mouth for the next six months.
Bleu: That would be appreciated, thank you.
Maykin: What’s your community service?
Bleu: Waiting to hear, my buddy Miller is picking. I hope it’s youth outreach.
Maykin: Youth outreach? You want to be part of an afterschool special, Full House?
Bleu: Hells yeah. I could change lives! Then these kids would grow up and talk about me in their Grammy acceptance speeches.
Maykin: Well, dream big.
***
“Dog shit?” I looked down at the paper in my hand and then back up to my ex-buddy Miller. “Are you fucking kidding me, man? You have me spending forty hours shoveling dog shit?” Why the holy hell did I think it would be an okay idea for him to pick where I completed my community service hours?
“It’s not only shoveling dog shit. You’ll also get to walk the dogs, bathe them, feed them, and clean their kennels. Pretty much whatever they ask you to do.”
I nodded, lips pursed. “Is this because I called Fredrick ugly the other night?”
“Yep.” Miller clapped his big hand on my shoulder, chuckling as he walked away.
Fucking fantastic. That’s what happened when you insulted a man’s dead dog. I deserved it, I did. I was to start spending all my free time at the SPCA. I left the station, sliding my shades into place against the bright fall sun, which was doing nothing to warm up the blustery day.
I liked dogs. I liked Nicky’s dog Ollie. I hung out with her all the time. I didn’t mind taking her on walks, and it was fun to throw the ball for her at the dog park. I certainly wasn’t thrilled about shoveling dog shit, but I guess it was a small price to pay. Besides, chicks dug dudes with puppies. Maybe I could be in charge of playing with puppies. I could take a handful of them to the park and grab some digits, finally get fucking laid.
Always look for a way to turn lemons into a cocktail garnish.
I opened Maykin’s car door when she pulled up to the curb. I slid inside and immediately warmed my hands against the vents. “It’s freezing.”
“For fuck’s sake, you had to walk a total of twenty steps in the cold. What is wrong with you? Do you have a circulatory problem? Low iron? Vaginitis?”
“You’re so damn rude.” I laid my body flat against the dash as Maykin drove away from the curb, absorbing as much heat as possible from her posh BMW. “You don’t like being cold either. You’re the reason I usually carry two damn jackets.” She was a jacket thief. Although today she was wearing this mustard-colored oversize cropped sweater thing with my favorite jeans. They were her tightest jeans and they made her ass look like a juicy peach. “You’re buying me sushi, right?”
“Only because you had court today and I’m feeling slightly guilty about it.” She took a left at the light, heading toward my favorite sushi place in Dallas.
Maykin had been kissing my ass for the past two weeks. She was my own personal Uber, even though I had my own car. She kept my fridge stocked and had stayed true to her promise to let me control the remote when she slept over. Which was more often than not these days. And man, my dick was constantly hard. He refused to get the fucking memo that we were not going to be banging the gorgeous redhead. No matter how many times I tried to explain it to him, he was still up early every morning poking her in the ass and begging to be let in. Yet, she still wanted to be small spoon, so what was I supposed to do? Duct tape him to my thigh? I don’t think so.
“So, what’d ya get? Is it the youth outreach of your dreams?”
I sighed, shaking my head sadly. “Animal shelter.”
“Oh, well that’s cool.”
I turned to her, frowning. “You got no jokes? No wisecracks comin’ from that smart mouth of yours?” Smart pouty plump mouth. I closed my eyes so I would stop staring at the lips in question. Fuck, I needed to get laid.
“No.” She shrugged, both her hands staying on the wheel. “I think it’s great.”
“Who are you?” Maykin usually had a remark. She was sarcastic always. Which I loved—well, most of the time. “Are you sick?”
“No.” She laughed and shoved me playfully. “I have a soft spot for animals, I guess. Maybe I’ll come visit you and snuggle all the puppies.”
See? Hot chicks were super into puppies. Now if I could get Maykin out of my bed long enough to get someone else in it? I’d be golden.
“Nicky and Evie are already here.” Maykin took a right, whipping into a parking spot faster than necessary before slamming on the brakes. “They have a table in the back, near a giant heater so you don’t complain the whole damn time we’re eating.”
I did need a heater, but it wasn’t my fault. Restaurants were always so damn chilly. “Do you really know me that well, my dear? Is this love?”
“Everyone knows you that well.” She shoved my forehead away when I went in like I was going to kiss her. “And love is a relative term for what this is.” She got out of the car, not waiting for me or my reply. Not that I had one. I wholeheartedly agreed with her assessment. Love was relative, most of the time in my opinion.
The hostess recognized that we were the other half of the foursome and quickly seated us at a table with Nicky and Evie. His arm was on the back of her chair and his mouth was at her ear. And she was blushing. “You two are going to make me too sick to eat.”
They broke apart and Nick sent me a humorless smile. “There’s our favorite criminal. How did it go with Miller?”
“You are looking at the newest volunteer at the animal shelter.” I nodded, taking a sip of the water already waiting on our table. “That’s right, folks, nothing but puppy cuddles as far as the eye can see.”
“And dog shit.” Evie grinned brightly, not passing up an opportunity to give me a hard time.
I sighed, pouting out my lower lip. “And dog shit, and dog walks, and doggie kibble. All things dog.”
Nicky let out a chuckle. “Let me guess, Miller’s punishment for talking about his beloved Fredrick?”
I pointed at him. “You are correct, and karma is a cruel, flea-ridden bitch.”
“I still feel terrible about what happened.” Maykin wrapped her arm around mine, resting her head on my shoulder. She did this a lot. She was a very hands-on friend. Not that it was a punishment or anything, she was fucking hot as hell and like I said before, she smelled fantastic.
“For the last time, Midg
e, it wasn’t your fault.” I ruffled the top of her head, causing her to sit up and smooth her silky strands back into place. “Well, it wasn’t entirely your fault.” When her eyes cut to mine, I winked and sent her a beaming smile.
Nicky gestured between us. “You should make it up to him.”
“I’ve been trying like hell to make it up to him for the last two weeks. I keep his fridge stocked. I’ve cleaned his apartment and done his laundry. I drive him around and buy him his favorite sushi all the time.” She tossed her hands in the air, indicating our surroundings. “My Visa bill is going to look like all I do is buy beer and eat Asian food.”
“What about making it up to us?” Nicky cocked an eyebrow, gesturing between himself and Evie, his eyes calculating. Why was he giving Maykin a hard time? He adored her, even if they bickered like brother and sister. She was family.
“To you? Why?” Maykin reached out and squeezed Evie’s hand. “I mean, Evie? Sure, after what that guy said about her, I’ll buy her mani/pedis until the cows come home.”
Nicky shrugged, leaning back in his chair. “I’m losing my best artist. Bleu is going to have to cut back on his hours at the shop in order to get this community service done and we are busier than we’ve ever been.”
Now that wasn’t a lie. We were already short-staffed and I was going to have to miss some hours at the shop if I was ever going to get these hours taken care of. We were in the middle of interviewing several new artists, but it was a long process. We needed to see their work, and that meant convincing clients to give them a chance.
