Page 60 of Let the Light Shine Through

“Might as well be.” His laugh holds zero humor. “He’s just as oblivious.”

I take another step in their direction, happy to show my roommate just how oblivious I am, but Gia shoves away from him, pointing in his face. “Lay a finger on her and I’ll run your dick through the meat grinder at Al’s.”

Her? Wait, hold up. Now that, I will admit, has me scratching my head.

“What’s going on?” my voice booms when Gia’s a few feet away, eyes downcast.

Both she and Fletcher jump, but look at each other instead of me. What the hell did I just break up?

“Who were you guys talking about?”

“Annalise—”

“Annalise is set for the night. Right, Fletcher?”

I’ve never been more grateful for lack of lighting than I am right now. That’s who they’re talking about? But, why can’t Fletcher touch her?

Gia waits until my roommate nods, then skirts around me, shaking her head.

With a scowl Fletcher probably can’t see, I turn on my heel, following Gia. Luckily, she takes the staircase up to my room and doesn’t try to flee. I’d still chase her ass, but I’m glad I don’t have to.

“Do you like my roommate?” I ask before my door’s even closed all the way.

Keeping her back to me, she says, “Johnny’s dope,” distractedly as her hand trails over a bare spot on the wall that used to hold posters.

“Stop fucking with me, Gia.”

She spins around with fire in her eyes but silence on her tongue. Those eyes move though, from me to around me. Above me, beside me, everywhere. This is the first time she’s seeing my room after I removed my old life from it.

“Fletcher. Do you like Fetcher or not?”

“Fletcher’s tolerable on a normal day.”

“And what about today?”

“Today he can fry ice.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you’ve been away from New York for too long.” She scoffs, no longer looking anywhere near me as she stares down at the oak flooring.

Taking her in, I realize she’s shoeless. Actually, both her shoes and socks are missing. When did she take them off?

“Where are your shoes? And your socks?”

I was only half-joking about finding the knee-highs sexy. They make Gia Gia.

“Ask Annalise,” she says a little too easily. Earlier, Gia visibly reacted when I said that girl’s name aloud, but now she’s using it… What? To throw in my face? Does she really find Annalise a threat? The girl whose laugh sounds like a fox’s ear-piercing bark in the dead of night?

Annalise tried everything she could to get me to notice her, but with Gia on her way, there was just no hope for her. The only reason I talked to Annalise was to get back at Gia for saying that shit to Fletcher about disappearing after tonight.

But none of that explains the thing downstairs with Fletcher.

“Annalise? The girl Fletcher can’t sleep with? Why is that again?”

“Because she’s off-limits right now.”

“Because she flirted with me earlier? Because I lied and said I’d be interested in a threesome with her?”