Page 48 of War

I kinda did. This monogamy thing was growing on me. Forget the fact that I'd known her less than two weeks.

She raised an eyebrow. “Nice try. But no one expects more here, remember?” She turned back to her monitor.

I frowned. We had agreed to that. This “going back for seconds” thing was messing with my head. Maybe she was right.

The phone rang, and Amantha had to take a call. In the meantime, Joey called me back to help repack some parachutes before the next client.

He acted normal, completely ignoring what he'd walked in to see.

Over the next few days, Amantha and I fell into a routine. I finally retrieved my truck but still spent my nights on her couch. Whenever I wasn't jumping, I was hanging out at her desk and guessing, even on my days off.

I found myself growing more comfortable around her. To the point that, surprisingly, once I even said, “You should just marry me, then your last name wouldn't be in question.”

She laughed at me, but amazingly I was serious.

“If that was a proposal, you need to rethink your strategy,” she teased. “Plus, we have an arrangement. No one expects more.”

My words had slipped out and I hadn't thought about them before I said it, but it did make me wonder: did I want more than “friends with benefits” with Amantha?

Chapter 24

That Thursday night, Neo and I sat at a table at the roller rink, watching people skate as we enjoyed our refreshments. I munched on a Reese's cup as he ate a chili dog.

Amantha was at therapy so I figured Neo, and I could go out while she was busy.

“Have you seen Mona at school?” I asked.

Neo nodded. “Yeah. She said her mom left her dad and now it's only the two of them.” He drank some soda from his straw.

“Is she skating tonight?”

He looked around. “I don't know. She didn't say.”

A broken arm hadn't held Neo back. He still did most activities like normal, including roller skating.

“Are you still into her?”

His eyes widened. “Z!”

I raised my hands apologetically. “Sorry.”

Almost out of nowhere, Mona showed up behind him. Again, she wore her hair up with star gems by her eyes.

“Hi, Neo!” she said.

He swallowed and acted awkward. “Hi, Mona.”

I smiled when I remembered how awkward I was at that age. I nodded hello at Mona.

“Wanna skate with me?” she asked him.

“Uh...”

Fuck yeah, dude. Pointedly, I nodded at Neo.

“Yeah! That'd be great!” he said.

Excellent, kid.