Chapter 29
Sebastian
The Unreliable Narrator
“So, I’ve been dying to know. I don’t know why I haven’t asked yet. What happened with Michael Thornton?” She dropped back onto the couch, handing me the bowl of popcorn, then took it back once she’d settled in. I turned the TV on and started to peruse my movies.
“You heard Bryce. Heart attack,” I said, reaching for my Red Bull. I sipped it while not taking my eyes off the TV. “Monster, shark, found footage, clowns?” I asked.
“Clowns. Oh, come on, don’t be like this. I already know bits and pieces.” She tossed a piece of buttery goodness at me, and I opened my mouth to catch it. I failed, and when it rolled onto the couch, I plucked it up and ate it.
“Sometimes dead is better,” I muttered, asking her to back off. I picked the remote back up to keep scrolling.
“Not in my movie,” she protested with a loud guffaw.
With an exaggerated eye roll, I set the remote down and turned to face her.
I put my hands up and made a cross with my fingers.
“The power of Christ compels you. Begone, Satan!” A smile slid over my lips, and her expression went from pouty to shocked.
She set the bowl aside and launched herself at me.
We rolled to the floor, laughing as she demanded I spill the details of my first kill.
I playfully pushed her away, but she swung her leg over my body and pushed me onto my back, straddling me. I inhaled deeply as I took her in, biting down on my own lip. What was she doing?
With a devilish grin, she wiggled her ass on my crotch. My cock rose instantly, pressing and straining against my PJs.
“We could use one of your five times, right now, if you tell me what happened,” she teased.
It was tempting. I had to look away from her in my oversized shirt and boxers. It would take nothing to slide them to the side… Evie ran her hands under my shirt, her fingers exploring my muscles. I dropped my head back and closed my eyes, savoring her touch.
Would it be so bad to use one?
“I’ll let you do whatever you want…” she encouraged, grinding harder. Her words bolted me out of my hypnotic state. I sat up abruptly and pushed her away.
“First of all, that’s not how free use works. It’s when I want you and how I want you. I don’t need your permission to do what you’ve already consented to.” My cock relaxed, now that I was irritated. I tugged my shirt back down and stood. “Now, are we watching a movie or what?”
I plopped down onto the couch and grabbed the popcorn, silently cursing myself.
We’d had sex once since she’d come back, and she hadn’t stopped me when I’d licked her pussy during the chemistry test. But we hadn’t really spoken about either of those moments.
They’d happened, and then, it was as if they hadn’t the moment we were done.
This was the first time she’d even mentioned fucking, and I’d said no.
She rolled her eyes and climbed back onto the couch with me, reaching over and grabbing a handful of popcorn. She nodded at the TV.
“Killer Klowns From Outer Space, please.”
Oh, so now she wants to watch the movie. Two can play at that game.
I started the movie, and as the iconic opening song blared through my surround sound speakers, I turned to look at her.
“I’ll tell you what happened if you tell me some stuff about you.”
“Like what?” she asked, knitting her brows.
“I want to know about the in-between. What happened during the five years we didn’t talk?”
“You already know that. I finished high school and started my influencer career. Which, by the way, the studio made an offer for my channel. I’m tempted to take it.”
“Stop changing the subject,” I said. “What about your love life?”
She shut her mouth and pursed her lips. “Fine. I’ll talk, but we take turns.”
“You go first.”
The dogs suddenly remembered we were here and came barreling in, running straight to Evie and shoving me to the edge of the couch.
“Oh, come on, Precious!” I swatted his large backside playfully as he stuck his tail in my face. He sat down and snuggled in with Evie. We stared at each other from across the couch, and she smiled.
All complaints slipped from my mind.
I’d do anything for that curve of her lips.
“They just wanted to catch family movie night.” She laughed.
Family movie night?
She turned to watch the movie, and for a bit, we forgot all about Thornton—and all the men she fucked that I didn’t want to know about but, as a glutton for punishment, eventually needed to hear about.
“Did he really die from a heart attack?” she asked as Mike and Debbie ran from the alien circus tent and toward the police station.
I pulled my eyes from the screen. “He did. How long did you wait before you started dating again?” I shot back quickly.
I thought the rapidness of my reply surprised her. She pursed her lips. “I didn’t date until I was out of high school, so…about two years. You?”
“Dating isn’t something I’ve ever really done,” I answered truthfully.
“What do you mean?” She laughed dryly. “I’ve seen tons of photos of you with people.”
“Sex. I wouldn’t consider any of them my exes or anything.”
She grew quiet and returned to the movie.
“Glenn and Bryce said he’d taken too many erection pills? Is that part true?”
I pursed my lips. I didn’t particularly like to remember that day. He was a real bastard, and I had no regrets, but he’d made me feel so low, I still hated him for it.
“Yes, but not voluntarily. I tossed a handful of Viagra into his drink. Too many, and your body goes into shock. Who was he?”
“Who was who?”
“The man you dated after me. Did you guys sleep together?”
“What makes you think it was a man?”
I raised my eyebrows. “Are you...”
I was openly bisexual—had been for years.
I’d never thought to ask Evie about her sexual preferences in a partner.
That stuff never interested me. Sexuality was a spectrum; we were all on it somewhere.
She shrugged and motioned for me to hand her the popcorn.
I had to raise it over the dogs and stretch to pass it.
“I tried dating women, but it wasn’t for me.”
“Okay, so stop avoiding the question. Who was he, and did you guys sleep together?”
Her jaw tensed. She didn’t want to tell me.
“His name is Trenton. He’s a programmer at Western Michigan.”
“Trenton?”
“He’s super nice, but it wasn’t a love connection. Just fun.” She shrugged, then returned to the movie.
I begrudgingly turned to the screen and watched the killer klowns from outer space terrorize Crescent Cove. I couldn’t focus and enjoy the movie, though.
How many people had she had fun with? I knew it didn’t matter. I’d slept with so many men and women I’d lost count. But the thought of Evie dating, touching, or loving another man was making me spiral.
“Glenn said he’d been having an affair when he was found, but Bryce said it was a sex worker. Do you know anything about that?” she asked.
I snickered.
Yes.
“That’s not exactly unheard of in this town,” I said.
“Which one?”
“Either.”
“But you said you were there.”
I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. She was dancing around the question. “Just ask me.”
She squinted and then relaxed. “Do you do sex work?”
“That’s literally my job. Or have you forgotten about Simon Says Six—”
“Six Six,” she added.
“Six Six, already?”
“No, not that kind of sex work. Like…”
My patience was wearing thin. This was a tennis match, both of us going hard, back and forth at each other.
“I was not paid to be there,” I finally told her. Well, not in cash anyway. I’d made sure he signed a contract before mixing his drink.
“So, it was a love affair.”
I choked and began to laugh. “Love affair is bold. I’d say more of an…agreement. I had something he wanted, and he had something I wanted. No money was ever exchanged. If he was having a love affair, it wasn’t with me.”
“What was the thing you wanted?”
“Simon Says Six: Six Six green-lit. That’s a few questions. Shouldn’t I get one now?” I asked. As if they understood me, Cujo and Precious lifted their heads and shot me looks. I glared right back at them. Cujo gave me a low growl, and Evie stroked his coat until he snuggled back into her.
“Okay, but ask something less which ex of yours do I murder first, yeah?”
“Have you loved any of them?” A pit formed in my stomach, making me uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to hear the answer.
Her smile fell, and her eyes glossed over.
“Love isn’t really in the cards for me.”
“Why not?”
She sighed deeply. “Why let someone fall for you and grow attached if you’re just… Did he know it was you who dosed him?” she asked.
“He did. I was looking dead in his eyes as his heart stopped. I told him I’d done it for Lita. He knew, in the end, that karma had finally caught up with him.”
My words settled around us, grounding us back to earth. I reached for her hand and squeezed.
“Thank you,” she whispered, and I simply nodded.
The movie continued, and we didn’t speak until it was almost over. It was as if we both had so much to ask still and so much we were holding back. She didn’t want to tell me about her past, and I didn’t want to tell her about mine.
After the movie, I took the popcorn to the kitchen and dumped the leftovers in the trash. Spinning back, I locked eyes with Evie and jumped. She’d startled me.
“I just don’t want anyone to hurt or grieve for me when I’m gone,” she blurted.
Pain and heartache slowly tugged at my chest. I shook my head and tossed the bowl into the sink. Leaning my back against the counter, I crossed my arms and shook my head.
“I think you’re too late for that, Final Girl. I grieve every time.”