7. Tom Cobalt #2
She’s almost seventeen and a blabbermouth. I curate my life with her because she will tell all the other young girls in our extended family every single detail, and my teenage cousins don’t need to know about my abysmal dating life.
Ben reaches for his blue stainless-steel water bottle. “So is he averse to relationships or is it something else?”
“It could be something else. I just know he wants to keep it casual, and what we have has been purely physical.” I pry the metal tab off my can.
“It’s not like I know him that well. But I started wanting to know him.
” I stretch over and toss the chunk of metal in the trash.
“I think I wanted him to be interested in me on that level too, but it’s not looking likely, dude.
He’s shown no signs of intrigue in anything other than my dick.
Which I can’t blame him—I am a great lay. ”
Ben laughs. After he swallows a swig of water, he nods over to me. “You know what happens after nuclear winter though?”
I do know. But I want him to tell me. So I fake a guess. “Spring?”
“No,” he says. “Heat. Intense, raging heat. With a destroyed ozone, the sun would have killer ultraviolet rays. It’s more like a nuclear summer.” He motions to me with the water. “Maybe your situation with RJ could thaw out. Turn molten.”
“Sex with RJ is hot,” I mutter in thought.
“See.” Ben smiles and extends an arm at me. “So text him.”
I squint. “You do know I’m best friends with the mastermind of ploys, and I see what this is, Ben Pirrip. You’re just feeling guilty because you’re kicking me out of the room to bang the demon.”
“Harriet,” he corrects.
Just like that, the door opens, and in walks the five-foot-one, scowling, butter-blonde nuisance. Her chopped bangs hide her angry brows. She shuts the door very gently with her back. Careful not to bang it.
“You summoned her,” I grimace.
Harriet grimaces back at me.
Ben is thrilled to see his girlfriend. “Fisher,” he greets. His eyes glitter as his warm smile expands, and I know, I know, I’m not the love of his life (not trying to be), but fuck I wish I got him to smile like the whole world went green.
“Harry,” I capture her attention and extend a hand. For my brother. I can play nice.
“Thomas.” She only touches the tips of my fingers. Like she thinks I put shaving cream in my palm or something. Honestly…missed opportunity.
“Please. Welcome.” I stretch out my arm and wave around. “Inject the room with your sunny disposition. We were missing your effervescent spirit.”
Harriet looks like she might castrate me. “I bet the only thing you ever miss is the sound of your own voice.”
“I’m sure you miss it more than me. How many times have you listened to ‘Get Lost’ this week?” I name one of my old songs from my EP. Her nose crinkles. My smile spreads. Harry, here, is my biggest fan masquerading as my biggest hater. She can’t fool me.
“Whatever, dude,” she says. “I’m not here to argue with you.” She flings her backpack on the floor.
She’s lucky I’m only holding a dessert-plate-sized grudge toward her when I should be holding a cornucopia-sized one.
She’s the reason I’m in this position with my band.
If she’d just taken my offer to be The Carraways’ new drummer, I wouldn’t have to deal with Phoenix. Instead, she chose to stay pre-med at MVU to become a doctor. Commendable for her. Shitty for me.
Ben clasps her wrist and pulls her on the bed.
Her red plaid pants are so low-rise, I see her black thong sticking out. Why, God, are you doing this to me? I’m not even religious, but someone is out to get me. I grab my guitar. “Later, Ben Pirrip,” I say. “Suck a dick, Avril Lavigne knockoff.”
“Tom,” Ben growls.
“I meant your dick,” I say fast.
Harriet flips me off. “Get bent, MCR wannabe.”
I motion to Ben. “See, she started it.”
“She finished it,” Ben says with a growing laugh.
I smile back at him, and I think he knows I’d never intentionally cause harm to his girlfriend. Harry can handle being teased.
Right before I go, I ask him, “What coursework did you have?”
“Ecology paper,” Ben says, watching Harriet reach over for her science textbooks and a stuffed animal lion they named Son of Ben. His frat made him carry the lion around as a pledge initiation thing. He ditched Kappa Phi Delta but kept the stuffed animal. Good call.
“Ecology,” I repeat so I won’t forget.
I’m at the door when he says, “Tom.” Worried blue eyes stare back at me. “Just promise you aren’t avoiding RJ because of me.”
Harriet casts a glance at me, then over to Ben. She has a highlighter cap between her teeth, and something tells me Ben has already shared his concerns with her. She’s unsurprised, just cautious of my response. Like I hold the pin to a grenade.
I am very used to blowing shit up, but I’m not trying to hurt them. I can’t hurt them. Harriet, too. She might bug me, but she means everything to Ben, and therefore, she means too much to me.
“I promise.”
Thank fuck he doesn’t ask me to promise in French.
Silence is too loud as I walk through the hall. I’m a second from telling our stereo system to play Jimmy Eat World when I enter the dark living room, but I stop short, seeing I’m not alone.