8. Sunday

EIGHT

"Asshole," my friend Luca scoffs as he rolls his dark eyes. "I swear all of you are sluts for the worst types of men." He shakes his head and continues to paint my toes while I sit in my living room with Janie, Ren, Luca, Stevie, and Indy. Wade is at school, and today's the rare day that we're all available to hang out, eat, day drink, and bitch. It's also Indy's first time meeting the group besides Ren. With Atlas and Ash being so close, Indy and Ren have hung out before.

Stevie hands me a beer before sitting on the couch. "Well, you don't have to worry about me, Luca, my ass is forever single." Luca scoffs.

"That's because your psychotic-ass grandmother tries to stab anyone that comes near you. She almost took off my nipple the day I met her!" I nearly spit out my beer and shake my head.

Stevie sighs, knowing we're all very aware of how protective her Baka is. "She's just a firm believer that if you have a penis, you must work for the devil."

"She's not wrong," I mutter, earning a pinch from Luca.

"I'm sorry Ash hurt your feelings." Indy's soft voice gets my attention, though I'm not sure she meant for me to hear her. "He means well, but with his panic disorder, he turns into such a butthole sometimes. It makes me so angry." I give her a smile.

"Nah, I'm tough. It'll take a lot more than Ash using his big boy voice to upset me." That's a lie. When he snapped at me in the hospital last week, it hurt. And it irritates the ever-loving shit out of me that he was able to pull that emotion out of me. So here I am with hurt feelings, but Indy doesn't need to know about that. I know Ash didn't mean anything by it. Our conversation was very sensitive, and I can't say I wouldn't have acted the same way if the roles were reversed.

"I don't know what he said exactly," Indy smiles sweetly. "Just know he's all bark, no bite."

"Sucks for him," Janie says while lying her feet on Ren's lap. "Because Sunday is allbark and bite." I laugh sarcastically at my redheaded friend before flipping her off.

"So, Stevie," Janie says after taking a swig of beer. "Babe, I love you and will support any choice you want to make, but just know, if you don't come and be my piercer, you're dead to me." Stevie groans when Janie tosses a green folder onto my coffee table. Ren chuckles as she picks the folder up and looks over the paperwork. Ren is our group"s unofficial, non-practicing lawyer. She went to law school and practiced for a while, but last year, she followed her dreams and became an audiobook narrator.

"I love how you think I'd fuck her over," Janie scoffs at Ren before pushing her with her foot.

"You know it"s a habit." Ren rolls her brown eyes before dropping the papers and sitting back.

"I mean," Stevie says softly as she worries on her bottom lip. Poor Stevie has been getting hounded by Janie for months to become the shop's new piercer due to her experience and expertise from running a shop before she moved here, but she's been hesitant about taking the leap. "I do miss it sometimes, and I was good, but… Janie, I just don't think it's something I want to do forever, and I don't deal well with working for men."

"What men?" Janie asks, and we all burst out laughing.

"Janie!" I snort as I sip my beer. "How about the four massive apes you're constantly wrangling?" Janie taps her beer to her mouth in thought.

"Yeah, I gotta ask again, what men? Those are four giant babies." She sighs longingly. "It's why I can never have kids. I'm damned to take care of dumb, dumber, dumbest, and stupid for all eternity." She instantly snaps back to Stevie and gives the nervous girl her biggest smile.

"But you wouldn't be working for any men. The guys have no say on the piercing side. You will be in your own part of the shop, and I will get you a female helper with the jewelry and stuff. Maybe Ash will let Indy out of her tower one day, and she can help."

Indy chokes on the water she"s drinking and looks around nervously. "Yeah, probably not a good chance there."

"What's with that?" Janie asks while removing her socks so Luca can start painting her toes. "I'm not expecting perfection. I know my tremors are a pain." Luca tsks while waving her concerns off. Janie suffers from a condition that makes her body shake constantly. Some days are worse than others. It depends on her anxiety or stress. Today seems like a higher-stress day because the poor thing is having a hell of a time relaxing.

Indy shifts uncomfortably. "I have some medical conditions, and Ash is protective of me. Prefers to treat me as though I'm glass."

"Epilepsy," I state, pointing to myself and taking a drink.

"Essential Tremors," Janie smirks while holding out her trembling hands.

"Type one diabetes." Ren shrugs as she points to her sensor, poking out from under her sleeve.

"Uterine fibroids and endometriosis," Stevie says after a minute, and we all look at her. Stevie has never once mentioned that she might have an illness. She shrugs as if sensing our confusion. "I'm more of a ‘handle it on my own' type."

"Wow," Indy chuckles lightly. "It's like women with disabilities support group." I snicker, and Janie laughs heartily.

"Yeah, but we don't call them disabilities. More like extra spices."

"So, what's your spice?" I ask Indy, who blushes.

"MS," she whispers, and we all fall silent. MS–Multiple Sclerosis is one of the big boys. Not that any one person can say they have it worse than the other. Any one of us can have an issue that the others couldn't relate to due to our disability. But MS is one of those diseases you hear about, and your heart plummets.

I clear my throat, not wanting her to feel like we're going to give her special treatment. After all, she probably gets it from Ash and everyone else all the time. "Damn girl, awfully big disease for such a tiny lady." She gives me a slight chuckle.

"Yeah, well, go big or go home, right? But seriously, I'd love to work at Hel's, Janie. I've been trying to get Ash to let me apply for months since he made me quit my job, but he just keeps saying no."

"Where did you work before?" Stevie asks while feeding Luca a nacho while he continues his work on Janie.

"I was a nurse at the Children's hospital and a part-time princess." She beams, and I blink in confusion.

"A… what?" I laugh lightly.

"A princess? I was starting up a nonprofit called the Crown Project. It's where I would dress up and go to the hospital and have parties for the kids there. I remember dressing up one year for Halloween, and the kids were so excited. I just like making them feel special." Holy shit… she's like an actual honest good person. And, of course, she has a disease that is taking everything from her.

Janie clears her throat. "You wanna work at Hel's with Stevie? You got the job. I will handle your brother, and if there are days that you"re flaring up too bad to come in, it's no problem. Similarly, if there are things you will need to better accommodate you, let me know." Janie turns her gaze to the quiet turquoise-haired girl. "Same goes for you, Stevie, and this doesn't have to be a permanent gig. If something comes along that you want to do, you know I'll never guilt you into staying. Now, are you two my new piercing crew?"

There's a small pause during which Stevie looks at Indy, and they seem to share a private discussion in their minds. Stevie looks back at Janie and smiles, causing her cheek piercings to move. "Looks like you got yourself a piercer."

"Yes!" Janie throws her fist in the air in triumph. "We are getting wasted!"

Wade shakeshis head in disappointment when I groan and try to shove his dumb chicken off my ass. He got home about ten minutes ago and found me cuddling the girls on the floor. All of us passed out, and Alice had chosen to claim my ass as her pillow.

"Get Alice off," I whine, shoving the bird again, only to have her hiss at me. "I will deep fry and eat you, bitch."

"Wade, did you find Ind—what the fuck?" I bolt up, causing Alice Cooper to squawk and scamper away. Ash stands in my doorway, his eyes wide. I watch as he looks from me to Alice, pecking at the leftover chips lying in Janie's hair, to his sister passed out around my legs.

"It's not what it looks like." I start out trying to defuse the situation.

Ash raises a brow and crosses his sexy, thick, tattooed arms over that massive chest.

I might still be a little drunk.

"Really?" he asks, looking around, and I start to wonder where Luca got to. "Because it looks like you and your friends got shit-faced, brought my baby sister into it, and… let a crow loose in your apartment?" I see the look of confusion on his face as he stares at Alice.

"Okay," I say, my voice raspy. "It's sort of what it looks like."

"Is that your crow?" he asks slowly.

"Alice is mine." Wade sighs as he scoops up his bird. "And she's a hen," he mutters while taking her to the coop we have set up.

"Ash, I'm sorry. We were celebrating and…" I trail off as I try to stand but stumble. Ash grabs my arms to steady me. I place my hands on his chest for balance, and my eyes stare up at his. I feel his rapidly pounding heart. Why's it beating so fast? It can't be because of me. It's probably because he's mad.

"Is she alright?" Ash asks as he steps back, putting a noticeable amount of distance between us. I look down at Indy and nod.

"Yeah, she's kind of a lightweight. I think she had a shot and a half a beer." Ash chuckles as he walks over and easily lifts the raven-haired girl into his arms.

"Yeah, she's not supposed to drink at all with her medication," he mumbles as Indy groans.

"So, are you alive?" Wade deadpans as he walks back into the room. I roll my eyes at him.

"I don't need your attitude. I got a little intoxicated while you're at school for the first time in months, geez."

"I'm just saying, Mom, I'm at that very impressionable age and this..." He sighs dramatically while gesturing to the mess of food, booze, and women on the floor. "Well, this could very much be what leads me down a certain path."

"I'm going to get out of your hair," Ash laughs at my squabble with my son. He gives me a slight nod. "Night, Wade. Have a good evening, sunshine."

I smile weakly, "You too, charming." The door closes behind Ash, and Wade gags.

"You too, charming," he mocks and makes a kissy face.

"I will end you," I warn as I throw a pillow at him. "Now help me wake these assholes up."

I pinchthe bridge of my nose as I close my laptop. The dance studio I planned on buying once I moved to Alabama was purchased and subsequently demolished. Now, there's no building in the area I had been planning to move to and no others in my price range. I rub my temples and let out a breath while trying to figure out how to adapt to this. After all, that's what I do. We could go to the Midwest. Prices aren't as low there, but still better than here and I won't have to get an extra job. Plus, I won't be close to my parents or Wade's sperm donor.

"Fuck." I take a sharp intake of air as the overwhelming sense of dread fills my body at the thought of that man and him forcing himself on me. My phone vibrates, and I'm thankful for the distraction. It's nearly midnight, so the only person who could be texting me is Janie. But when I look at my phone, I see that it's very much notJanie.

Charming: Hey sunshine

Charming: What does a house wear?

I read and re-read the text. What does a house wear? Is he high?

Me: I don't know, charming, what does a house wear?

Charming: Address

This fucking man is an idiot. I snort and laugh loudly at the sheer corniness before sending him a gif of a girl smacking her head with her hand.

Charming: I know you laughed

Me: Oh? And how would you know that?

His response is two taps on the wall. My heart catches in my throat. Holy shit, the walls are thatthin? Wait...

Oh. My. God.

Memories of my orgasm while crying his name come to mind. My cheeks flame hot, and I could cry from the embarrassment.

Charming: Yep, so keep that in mind when you're entertaining your gentleman callers.

Me: Yeah, thanks.

I lay in my bed, wanting to die. The shift causes the headboard to hit the wall, and my phone dings again.

Charming: Oh? Am I interrupting something already?

Me: Shut up! I moved. Jesus. Why are you home texting me? Have you gone through every woman in the city?

Charming: State, actually. I'm cycling back through.

Me: Good night.

Charming: Wait!

Me: Ash, I would like to not have a conversation right now.

Charming: Is it because you would rather be doing something... more physical?

I smack the wall with my hand and hear a very faint, muffled laugh from his side before my phone starts ringing. Looking down at it, I see it's Ash video calling me.

"Answer!" His muffled voice calls from the other side of the wall. Groaning, I accept the call and prop the video on my pillow so I can lie on my side.

"What?" I whine as Ash looks over me silently.

"Why are you so red?" He asks and I huff, looking away. "Eyes on me, sunshine." He states firmly, and I slowly peek at him.

"You know why," I mutter, my face feeling hotter. A faint smile graces Ash's lips as he lays down and props his phone up like mine.

"I do," he admits softly. "You want me to tell you it's not a big deal? Because I will, but I know from experience it doesn't help." I let out a light laugh.

"Yeah, well, you win. I'm sorry."

"It's not a matter of winning, sunshine. I didn't tap on your wall to embarrass you." My eyes meet his, and I see the sincerity in them.

"Then why did you?"

"Because I missed you and wanted you to know I'm here. You know, in case you ever miss me." My heart flutters and I have to pull away from the eye contact.

"I-I should go. I have a busy day tomorrow," I state. Ash nods, choosing not to fight me.

"Alright, sunshine. You have sweet dreams." His voice is so soft and warm that it causes a lump to form in my throat.

"Uh huh, you too. Night, charming." When the call ends, I set my phone on the charger before curling into the blanket and closing my eyes. I don't know what it is, but knowing that Ash is right there on the other side of this wall makes me feel better. Safer.

My eyes shoot open. Safer? Since when did I need anyone to make me feel safer? I stare at my charging phone and groan. This isn't going to end well.