Page 170 of Trust Me

As soon as I flicked on the living room light, I knew something was off. It had been a week, which meant the place should’ve felt at rest. Dead. Peaceful.

Oli looked around, his brow tight. His reaction was enough to confirm my own suspicions.

“Stay here,” I said.

Instead of doing that, he followed me further into the apartment. “I can take care of myself, Broku.”

“Fine.”

He pointed two fingers at the bathroom, then at himself. I nodded and headed for the bedroom. We opened the doors at the same time, and when I heard him mutter something, I almost backtracked, but I saw someone sit up in the bed.

“What the hell?” I said as I switched the light on.

Remi rubbed his eyes while he yawned. He moved slowly, like he wasn’t in a rush. Even though he was in our home. In our bed.

“Rem,” Oli sighed from the bathroom doorway. There was a soft edge to his voice, much different from the way I wanted to react. Throwing him out was at the top of the list.

“I forgot you were getting back today,” Remi explained casually.

“No, you didn’t.”

A smile formed on his face. “Prove it.”

“Why are you here?” I asked.

“What happened?” Oli added, moving closer to the bed.

It was probably the jet lag, but I wanted to bitch about that compassionate tone he was using. I was tired and had been looking forward to dropping into that bed without a care in the world. I wasn’t even going to shower. Now, I had to change the sheets, and that was after we got this guy out of here.

“My place is . . .” Remi paused and thought for a second. “Not ideal right now.”

“Maintenance emergency?” I guessed sarcastically.

“Yeah, totally. Big flood, shit everywhere. Smells like a sewer.”

I snorted and looked around the room. It seemed to be in one piece. There were no new messes aside from a cup on the nightstand and a pair of shoes on the floor.

“Spill,” Oli demanded. When Remi looked away from him, Oli pulled his keys out of his pocket. “Alright, I’ll check it out myself.”

Remi growled and dropped onto his back. “It’s Cole.”

Oli was spinning his keys around his finger, but he froze when Remi said the name. I saw the gears turning as he considered something in his head. After a minute, he set his jaw and nodded.

“I’m done with this fucking guy.” Oli tried to pass me, but I blocked the doorway. When he turned to walk through the bathroom, I wrapped an arm around his waist, feeling the way his entire body was vibrating.

“Wait,” I said. “What’s even going on?”

“Assuming it’s like the other times, that piece of human garbage is hanging around. But—” He turned, setting his gaze on Remi, who refused to look at him. “That means you invited him again. What the hell are you thinking, Rem?”

“It was supposed to be one night,” he muttered.

“It’s never one night! And then you end up with your face—” Oli stopped, drawing in a deep breath. “Why? Seriously, why?”

“I’m goddamn stupid, that’s why!” Remi shouted. A second later, his shoulders slumped. “It’s just . . . I see you two together, and I think—Oh, never mind.’”

Oli deflated, and I could see that this was much bigger than my desire for sleep.

My eyes rose to the ceiling. “It’s not safe at your place?”