“Derick, you let me lose all day! I sent you the link for the lingerie. We had a deal—loser pays!” his friend chimed in.
He switched to a shopping app, magnifying the image. “This lingerie looks nice. I wonder how it would look on you. Kinda want to…” He didn’t finish the thought, abruptly shutting off his phone and looking at me with annoyance. “Geez, can you not sneak around? You scared the life out of me!”
I turned away, retreating to my room. After a long shower, I emerged, steam swirling around me. To my surprise, Derick was sitting on the edge of the bed with a hairdryer in hand.
“Did your parents leave?” Derick asked, his voice slow. “I rushed home as soon as I finished work. Can’t believe I still missed them,” he said, attempting to sound apologetic, but I didn’t buy a word.
I had told him my parents’ bus left at two, hoping he would come to see them off. He claimed he was busy, but his gaming account had been online since noon. He had left me hanging for weeks, only showing up after my parents were gone. When I didn’t respond, his frustration mounted.