Chapter 1
Zee
The sagging futon creaks beneath us, springs protesting with every movement. His hands travel down my arms, his mouth hot against my neck. I crane my head to the left side, squinting as I try to read the subtitles of the period drama flickering on the massive TV screen, which is probably the most expensive thing in this entire apartment. The man above me is blocking half my view, his shoulder cutting right through the crucial dialogue.
Empty beer bottles crowd the coffee table, catching the dim blue light from the screen. The room smells like old pizza and that generic cologne guys buy at the drugstore. A poster of some artist I don’t recognize hangs crookedly on the wall.
The screen is too dark for me to grasp what’s happening.
Whose genius idea was it to reduce the brightness? With my terrible eyesight, I can barely make out the shapes moving across the screen, let alone read the tiny white text.
“You’re so sexy,” the guy murmurs against my collarbone, his kisses traveling lower.
I sigh, partly in relief. At least now I don’t have to squint.
“You like this, baby?” He nibbles at the curve of my shoulder.
I nod absently, my eyes still glued to the screen.
There is literally no way Pauline would accept George’s proposal after his scandal. The man literally slept with her older sister, got her pregnant, and refused to claim the child as his.
What absolute scum.
“Yes, George, I will be your wife!”
I shriek so loud that the guy jerks his head up, startled.
“Zee? Are you alright?”
I push him aside and maybe a bit too forcefully because he tumbles onto the floor with a thud.
Oops.
I scoot closer to the TV, waving my hand dismissively. “Shh. I can’t believe this girl, after all that...”
I fumble for the remote and crank up the volume, desperate to hear Pauline’s audacity in full volume.
George’s voice fills the small apartment, “I will also make you the happiest woman. As for your sister, perhaps we can send her to the countryside. I hear your great uncle is in need of a wife. Perhaps she can bear his.....”
The screen goes black.
My reflection stares back at me. My blouse half-unbuttoned, exposing my favorite black bralette that makes my girls lookfantastic, if I do say so myself. My box braids are a chaotic mess, and my lipstick is smeared halfway to my cheek.
I look like a mess, a hot mess non-the-less.
“What the hell?”
“Zee, we need to talk.”
The guy is standing now, holding the remote, looking somewhere between hurt and furious.
I turn to face him properly, giving him my attention for the first time tonight.
“Maybe after the episode ends?”
He runs his fingers through his short brown hair, a vein pulsing in his forehead.
“I feel like you only come here to watch that stupid show.”
I make a face. Surely no one disrespectsPolite Societylike that.
And what if I don’t have money for a Netflix account and my hookup’s roommate does? What’s a girl supposed to do? I say never look away when opportunity presents itself.
“You never even make time for me!” His voice rises. “We never go on dates like a normal couple. We don’t hold hands, we don’t...”
“Wait.” I hold up a finger. “We’re dating?”
I genuinely can’t help but ask. Sure, we hook up a few times a month, but I never knew I was someone’sgirlfriend. I shiver at the thought.
“Un-fucking-believable.”
He tosses my keys onto the coffee table and they land with a sharp clatter. “Just get out of my house.”
I stand, smoothing down my palms with as much dignity as I can muster.
“Well, it was fun, Jack.”
“It’sLake, Zee.” His voice cracks slightly, his eyes watering. “Christ, you didn’t even know my name.”
He turns and walks to his bedroom, the door closing with a definitive click. A moment later, I hear the shower running.
I gather my things slowly, guilt prickling at the edges of my conscience.
Lake. Yeah, I knew that.
Two syllables each.
See? Jack and Lake are very very similar. Most people confuse the two.
And let’s be real for a minute, Imeantto say Lake. It was just a slip of the tongue.
I glance at his closed door, debating whether to apologize or leave it as it is. I choose the latter and let myself out, pulling the door shut quietly behind me.
