I should’ve broken that fucker’s jaw.Iwanted to so bad.Butwhat stopped me was the look onAvery’sface asCasspulled her away.Shewasn’t squeamish or scared.Instead, she was inquisitive.Shewas studying me, waiting to see what kind of manIwas.


    Evenwhen she was out of sight andMorganwas on his feet again, trying to provoke me, allIcould think about wasAverywatching me sumb to past hurts.HurtsI’mhealing from, because of her.I’mtired of fighting the past.Ijust want to focus on the future.


    SoIwalked away.


    Isearched for her everywhere.Ieven had someone go into the women’s restroom and call outAvery’sname, but nothing.Itfinally dawned on me whereCassmight take her—she’s high and horny and has a one-track mind.IthoughtImade it clear thatAveryandIweren’t into that.


    <i ss="calibre2">Orare we?</i>


    WhenIopened the door to the champagne room, allIsaw wasCass, on top of my girl, her tongue down her throat, and her hand onAvery’stit.MaybeIshould be aroused, but at the moment,I’mjust kind of pissed.


    “Whatthe<i ss="calibre2">fuck</i>is going on?”Iask.


    “Whatthe fuck do you think is going on?”Casssnarks back at me. “Watchyour tone,Finn, or you won’t be invited,” she says as she climbs offAveryand proceeds to tinker with the fog machine in the corner of the room.Thisis howCasslikes to fuck.Ina hallucinogenic hippie’s dream.Ihate that damn machine.Itmakes it impossible to see anything.


    “Areyou okay?”IaskAveryand she nods.Outsideof looking startled by my entrance, she seems fine.<i ss="calibre2">Ithink.</i>


    “IsMorganon a stretcher in the back of an ambnce?”Cassasks over her shoulder.InoticeAvery’seyes dart to my knuckles.They’restill red from one good lick on that piece of shit.


    “Securityshowed him out.Ididn’t hit him again.”


    “That’sa shame,”Cassmutters.


    Itake a seat next toAveryand she scooches to her right to make room for me.Iyank her right back into my chest territorially.Kissingthe side of her head,Iask her, “What’reyou doing in here?Areyou seriously trying to hook up withCass?”


    Averychuckles nervously. “Shesaid it’s her birthday tradition, soIfigured—why not?”


    Igrunt in irritation. “It’snot a tradition.Herlibido just goes into hyperdrive on her birthday.”


    “Areyou mad at me?”Averyasks.


    Immediately,Icradle her cheek, pulling her soft green eyes to mine. “Baby, no.Notat all.Ijust figured we’d talk about something like this first.”


    “Itwas a spur-of-the-moment thing,” she mumbles. “Youlike this, though, right?Ordo you not like this with me?”


    I’mat a loss for words because this feels like a trap.


    <i ss="calibre2">No,Idon’t like this with you because you’re mine.AndIdon’t want to share you.Idon’t want anyone else, man or woman, touching you, kissing you, looking at you.Iwant your pleasure toe from me, and me alone.</i>


    Iwant that part ofAveryall to myself, butIpromised herIwouldn’t keep her in the box.NotlikeMasondid.I’msupposed to be helping her learn to be brave and confident, and ask for what she wants.


    “Ionly like it if you do.Sodo<i ss="calibre2">you</i>want to do this?”


    Ourstares are locked asItighten my arm around her, and it seems like we’re both hoping the other will call uncle.Butfor some reason, we don’t, soIdon’t fight it whenAverysays, “Noharm in trying, right?”


    “Okay.”


    Sherubs my cock through my jeans andIput my lips on hers and kiss her sweetly.


    “Mmm,” she says, “much better.”


    “What?”Iask against her lips.


    “Nothing.”Shepulls away to give me a small smile. “Yourlips are starting to feel like home.”


    “Mm,”Imoan.Icouldn’t have said it better myself. “Well,e home then,Queen.”


    Ihook my hand under her thigh and pull her astride myp.Ourhips lock together as she rests her weight on me.Ilove when she does that.It’sthe ultimate trust.Sheused to awkwardly hover over me, embarrassed of her weight.Ittook almost a whole damn summer, but it seems like she’s finally trusting me whenItell herIlove every smooth curve and bump on her body.Shecan get bigger, smaller, or stay exactly the same andIwill be obsessed with every single version of this womanI’vefallen for.


    “Ohgag, you guys are so sweet.Stopit with the sugary talk before you identally make me catch feelings,”Casssays as she joins us on the couch.


    “It’sjust sex,Cass.I’mnot—”


    “Calmdown, lover boy,” she teases. “Ididn’t meanI’dcatch feelings<i ss="calibre2">for you</i>.”Shewinks at me.ThisisCass’sdefault.Sheknows how important it is in these situations for my girlfriend not to feel jealous orpetitive, so we have an unspoken agreement about keeping most of our attention on our<i ss="calibre2">guest</i>.Itworks better that way. “Avery, mayItake this off?”Casstaps the tie behindAvery’sback holding her bra in ce.


    “Um…”


    And<i ss="calibre2">there</i>.Isee it.Iwasn’t imagining it.She’shesitating.There’sa flicker of panic in her eyes. “Baby, you don’t have to—”


    “Yes,”Averysays, looking over her shoulder atCass. “Goahead.”


    Withoutanother word,Casspulls the tie free andAvery’sheavy breasts drop right into my face.<i ss="calibre2">GoodGod.</i>Asit always goes whenI’manywhere near these wless tits,Iget instantly hard.<i ss="calibre2">Fine, if we’re doing this…let’s go.</i>Iengulf one nipple and pinch the other between my fingers.Shesquirms under the pressure but doesn’t recoil, soIpinch harder.Shegroans but leans into my grip.


    “Sucha good girl,”Icoo. “Ilove how you can take that.”


    Shegrinds against me eagerly, like it’s just us two, and we’re up to our usual antics, but the momentCass’shand is on her back, she’s a statue.<i ss="calibre2">Goddammit.</i>IfAverydoesn’t want to do this,<i ss="calibre2">why are we doing this?</i>


    “Finn, it’s not going to work like this.Canyou pull the couch out?”Cassasks.


    Yeah, good idea.MaybeAveryjust needs to lie down.She’llbe morefortable. “Hopup, baby.Thiscouch can gopletely t.”Shedoes asIask, andIpull the sofa from the wall and tten the cushions so we have a bed to lie on.Atthis point, my cock is angry and hard and as much asIwant to pull it out,IneedAveryto set the pace here.


    “Wheredo you want to start, hon?”Cassasks patiently.


    Averycovers her tits with her forearm and manages to shrug. “Idon’t know.Whatdo you guys usually do first?”


    Casswinks at me andIroll my eyes.She’sbeing too yful.It’snot her rtionship that’s on the line right now.It’smine.


    “Doyou wantFinnand me to take the lead?Willthat be easier?”Cassasks.


    Averynods in relief. “Yes, good.I’lljust ease in.”


    “Okay,”Casssays. “Yougot it.”


    Shettens her hand against my chest and rises to her tippy toes to kiss me.Cassis even shorter thanAvery, soIhave to duck down far for her to reach my lips.Instead,Igrab her by the waist and set her feet on top of the sofa so we’re at eye level.<i ss="calibre2">Mucheasier.</i>Eventually, she’s tugging at my belt.Shetraces my length through my jeans with her hand before she unzips me and teases me through my briefs.Sheslips her tongue into my mouth, andIalmost fall back into the familiarfort of our old routine untilIhear something like a wince from behind me.


    “Shit.Ohno,”Casssays, looking over my shoulder.IreleaseCassand spin around to seeAveryin tears with her bra retied around her neck.She’shysterical, covering as much of her face as she can with both hands.She’sbeen watching us, crying, putting herself through the torture of seeing me with another woman.


    “Fuck,”Imumble. “Avery—”


    Sheholds up both her hands to stop me from advancing andIsee her wet cheeks and smeared makeup. “Iam…<i ss="calibre2">so…</i>sorry,” she says,pletely in disarray.She’sgasping for air, trying to control her frenzy.Shepats her chest. “Myfault…it’s my fault.IthoughtIcould…Ijust can’t do this…I’msorry.”


    “Baby—”Ireach for her, but she steps away.<i ss="calibre2">Dammit.</i>She’sgoing to run.Iknow it.


    “I’mso embarrassed,” she murmurs.


    Intandem,Itake a step closer and she takes one back, toward the door.She’slooking at me like she’s scared of me.


    “Avery, please calm down.Comehere.Wecan stop.”


    Shences down to make sure her breasts are fully covered and nces at the door.


    Ihold out my hand. “Juse here, please.”Ifeel likeI’mcoaxing a stray dog out of the street.LikeifImove too fast it’s going to go running straight into traffic.


    Shefinally takes my hand andIbreathe out in relief.


    “Finn, we’re fine.I’msorry.I’llbe okay.”Thenshe rips her hand away. “ButIneed some space.Don’tfollow me.”Shedarts from the room, shutting the door behind her.


    Fallingbackward,Islump onto the edge of the sofa.Casssits down next to me but knows better than to touch me right now.First,Izip up my jeans and refasten my belt, thenIgrowl in frustration into my hands.


    “Fuckthis,”Imumble. “I’mgoing after her.”


    “Finn, she asked you not to,”Casssays. “Justgive her the night, then go talk to her tomorrow.”


    “How’sshe supposed to get home?She’srunning around half-naked, crying.Somethingcould—”


    “<i ss="calibre2">Finn.</i>She’snot drunk and she’s a smart girl.Sheknows how to call for a ride.Ifyou treat her like an idiot right now, she’s going to be even more embarrassed.There’sa fine line between protective and patronizing, okay?Don’tmake this worse.”


    Inod. “Okay.”


    “I’msorry,Ihave no idea what happened.Ikissed her first but then backed off.She’sthe one who wanted to—”


    “Iknow.It’snot your fault.She’sbeen trying to prove all summer that she can handle sex with me.She’strying to be more daring so she fits into this scene.Thiscity.Shethinks that’s whatIwant from her.”


    “Doyou?”


    “Notat all,”Ireply. “Look,Cass, we’re not doing this anymore.YouandIare going to keep our clothes on from now on.”Ilook around the room. “AndI’mnoting here anymore.Grampscan donateRuby’sfor allIcare.Idon’t want anything in my life thates between me andAvery.”<h3 ss="inline-image-container">Avery


    Iburst through the exit doors ofRuby’sand scour the long row of vehicles parked in front of the club.Thereis a fleet of limos waiting to take drunk partygoers home, butI’mlooking for a redEscde—my ride share.


    Bynow my breathing has calmed and my tears have mostly dried.Imade a quick stop into the bathroom to somewhatpose myself.


    <i ss="calibre2">Whatthe fuck wasIthinking?</i>Ipull my phone from my clutch again and check the ride-share app.Ihad to share the ride andI’mthe second passenger to be picked up.Iam not in the mood to drive aroundLasVegaswith a stranger, but it’s all that’s avable right now.I’msureI’mlucky to even have booked a ride.Fromthe looks of it, my driver is stuck at a red light and attempting to make aU-turn, soImake a call to kill the time.


    Sheanswers in a groggy slur.


    “Aves?”


    “Palmer,”Isay through a sniffle.Shehears the strain in my voice and is immediately on high alert.


    “What’swrong?”Fora moment,Ijust breathe and cry into the phone, so she asks again. “Whereare you?It’spast midnight.”


    “Outsideof the birthday party, waiting on a ride.”


    “Where’sFinn?”


    Myheart drops.He’sgoing to be upset thatIran out on him, butI’mso overwhelmed at the moment.Idon’t want him to make it okay.Iknow he will, and right nowIneed to feel the overwhelming magnitude of my decisions.I’vebeen reckless this entire summer, andIneed to recognize that.


    “Iwatched him kiss another woman—”


    Hervoice drops. “Iwill seriously murder a motherfucker—”


    “No,Palmer.Notlike that.Itried to have a threesome andIcouldn’t do it.Wetalked about it.Itwas just…sex.Butwatching him with someone else…”<i ss="calibre2">Ithurt.</i>Itrail off and try to calm my rising hysteria. “IthinkI’malready in love with him.”


    Thisall happened way too fast.Itdidn’t even hurt this bad whenMasondumped me and that was after four years.Yes,Icould’ve toldFinnandCassthatIwas ufortable and that we should stop.Finnwould’ve gantly walked me out of this club, taken me home, held me in bed, and everything would be okay.


    That’sthe problem.


    Finnmakes me feel so secure thatIhaven’t seen the messI’vebeen creating all summer.I’vebeen running from my home, my problems, and getting whisked up into a situation thatIam not equipped to handle.Thisisn’t the lifeIwant and nowI’mwildly attached.I’mprobably going to spend the next four years changing my identity and personality to amodate yet another man…and lose myself all over again.


    “Youtried to have a threesome?”Palmerdoesn’t hide the shock in her voice. “Andyou’re in love?”


    “Imiss you,Palmer.Imiss home.Imiss me.”Thereal version of me who isn’t exhausted from trying to be something she’s not.I’mmundane.I’mvani…AndI’mokay with that.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    “Didyou book your flight?”


    Isuck in a little breath again. “Notyet.I’mgoing to go home right now and pack a few things.I’llget on standby.It’seasier to catch a redeye anyway.Sendme your hotel details.I’llcatch a ride from the airport.”


    “Don’tbe silly.Callme and wake me up.I’llpick you up whenever your flightnds…Aves, it’s going to be okay.I’mhere, babe.Thissummer has been a mess for both of us.We’regoing to go home and pick up the pieces.We’llget through this like we always do—together.”


    Inod into the phone. “Okay,”Iwhisper.


    “Ilove you,Aves.”


    “Iknow, me too.”Lookingup,Isee arge redSUVpulling in front ofRuby’sneon red sign. “Myride is here.I’llsee you tomorrow.”


    Ihang up and asIapproach the vehicle, the driver rolls down the window.Helooks me up and down in my mermaid costume. “Ms.Avery?” he asks.


    Wipingunder my eyes and trying to mop up the fresh batch of tears,Inod. “Yes, that’s me.”


    “Leftside, ma’am,” he responds before rolling the window back up.


    Iwalk to the other side of the car and pull open the door to see my ride-share buddy already seated and buckled.<i ss="calibre2">Holyshit.</i>She’sstartlingly gorgeous.ForgetMaura,Palmer, all these mean girls at the restaurants,Lennox,Cass, and every woman inLasVegaswhose looksI’vesecretly envied.Thiswoman puts them all to shame.Herpetite frame is sheathed in a skin-tight leather minidress.Shelooks like she’s dressed as a sexy character from theMatrix.Andher stick-straight, long ck hair is pulled to the side.Shelooks up at me with her big, light brown eyes asIsettle in my seat and buckle in.


    “Ilove your costume.Mermaidsare<i ss="calibre2">so</i>in.”Evenher voice is melodic.Shemust notice my red eyes because she suddenly cocks her head to the side. “Youokay?”


    “Longnight.”


    “Same,” she says with a small smile.Shecalls out to the driver, “Youcan take her first.I’min no hurry to go home.”


    “Wereyou at the birthday party?”Ihave no idea whyI’mtrying to make conversation at the moment.Maybeas a distraction to avoid more crying.


    “Forabout five minutes.Myexes got into a fight,” she grumbles. “I’vebeen hiding out ever since.”


    <i ss="calibre2">Oh, fuck me.</i>Itdawns on me instantly.I’dhop right out of this vehicle, had it not already pulled into traffic.MaybeIcan still open the door and just tuck and roll.Ofcourse this is how my night would end.Iknow exactly who this is.Thequestion is…


    Doesshe know whoIam?


    Ihold out my hand. “I’mAvery.I’ma friend ofFinn’s.It’snice to meet you.”


    Herears perk up at his name and it’s clear she realizes whatI’msaying.Shetakes my hand, somewhat reluctantly.


    “Niceto meet you.”Herpretty eyes narrow. “I’mNora.”