Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 129881 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 649(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129881 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 649(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
I try to give him an inch of room by walking partly in the grass, but he grabs my elbow and tugs me back over where I was. Our arms brush continuously.
“Not really,” I say.
“You need one.”
I look over at him. “I need a hobby?”
“Hell yeah. Having nothing but time on your hands isn’t a good thing. Not for us. You need to occupy yourself.”
“Oh.” I scratch at the back of my head. “Shit. Got any suggestions?”
“What about painting?”
“I’m not artistic at all.”
“So?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think I’d be into it.”
“Baking?” he suggests.
“Like cookies and shit?”
“Yeah. Like cookies and shit.”
“I’ve never baked anything in my life.”
“But you could.” He smiles at me. I can barely see it, it’s so dark out. “Try it. See if it’s your thing. If it isn’t, we’ll just find something else.”
“Okay.”
I guess I’m taking up baking.
“Jake the baker. Baking with Jake.” Felix laughs at himself. “Oh yeah. This is totally going to work out for you. I can feel it.”
I watch as he looks straight ahead. I think he’s still smiling.
And I’m a little bummed I can’t see it.
DOES THIS APRON MAKE MY DICK LOOK FAT?
JAKE
BY THE TIME I find a gas station with decent looking flowers and make it back to my brother’s house, it’s nearing midnight. And I can’t say I’m surprised when I find CJ waiting up for me. Honestly, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t.
“It’s late,” he says.
Worried. Always worried.
“I know.” I close the front door as softly as I can when I see Riley asleep in CJ’s arms. They’re sprawled out on the couch.
I stand there awkwardly holding a stuffed fox and a bouquet of roses. I have no clue what to do with them.
CJ’s laugh is low, and he drops his head to whisper in Riley’s ear and shifts her off his chest as she wakes. Her smile is so damn bright when she notices me.
“Aw, Jake. You got me flowers?”
“Yeah. And a fox,” I say. “For the baby. I thought it was cute.”
“It’s so cute. Oh, my gosh.” She takes the flowers from me first, bringing them up to her nose to inhale. “Thank you. I never get flowers anymore.”
I slowly look over at CJ.
“What,” he grunts. “I thought you said to stop getting you flowers.”
“I never said that.”
“You said they were expensive, and we should be saving up…”
“You were getting me flowers twice a week. That is expensive.” She shrugs, crushing the fox against her chest. “But like, occasional flowers aren’t expensive. I’d never say no to that.”
“Yeah, bro. She’d never say no to occasional flowers.”
He glowers at me.
I can’t help but grin.
“Thanks again, Jake. This was so sweet of you.” Riley stands on her toes and kisses me on the cheek.
“Yeah. No problem.”
CJ steps up beside me and roughly messes up my hair as Riley moves into the kitchen. “Thanks for making me look bad. Fucker.”
“Anytime.” I chuckle when he shoves me.
“You good?” he asks.
I nod. “Found a meeting I liked. I’ll be going back.”
“No shit? That’s great.”
“Got a sponsor too.”
Oh, the smile on his face right now.
CJ pulls me into a crushing hug, telling me, “That’s good. That’s so good, Jake.” And for the first time in three weeks, I don’t feel like a complete fucking failure.
I put up a struggle against his hold, my eyes stinging.
“You’re getting soft already and this kid isn’t even here yet.”
“There ain’t nothing about me that’s soft, brother.” His arms flex and hold on tighter.
“Gross.”
We agree to talk more about it tomorrow after Riley urges CJ to bed and yawns through her “good night” to me.
I follow them down the hallway and stop off in the bathroom, taking a piss and brushing my teeth, and then I’m closing the bedroom door behind me and stripping down to my boxers after emptying my pockets.
I palm my phone as I sit on the edge of the bed.
There are a few messages from Felix sent five minutes ago and the one he sent himself from my phone while we were at the diner.
I take my phone off silent, and then I read.
this is felix
hello :)
just checking in
did u know fruit stickers are edible? how crazy is that
the fda regulated the glue. so u can eat them
that’s so weird. I mean I’m hungry all the time but I’m never eating a fucking fruit sticker
I chuckle as I stretch out, head on the pillow and phone above me.
that is weird
thanks for checking in
He’s typing before I finish, which means there’s a good chance he was waiting up and making sure he heard from me tonight. I suppose that’s what a sponsor is supposed to do. Still, I appreciate it.
wanna go to a meeting with me tmr
yeah when?
2
same place?
no but it’s a good one. they usually have these bomb cupcakes
because that’s what matters
:)
send me the info and I’ll be there