Page 67 of Phoenix

Beside him, Jule chuckled.

Arms crossed over his chest, Titan grunted and stared at the television. “This screen is huge and you have a million channels. We’re all going to come here to watch shit from now on.”

“Good.” Jule took the beer from Tor and finished it. “Once the floor’s done, we’ll get more furniture. Didn’t make sense to do it now when we’d have to move it around, so we just got the critical stuff.”

“A huge ass TV and a giant couch?” Titan said sarcastically.

“And a mattress. That was the top priority,” Jule said.

“Want another beer?” Tor asked him, laughing.

Jule nodded.

He squeezed Jule’s knee and stood. “Tan?”

“Yeah, Sure.” Titan got up. “Actually, I’ll get them. Be good to stretch my legs.”

Tor sat back down and propped his feet on the boxes they were using as a temporary coffee table, left ankle over right. Then he put his hand back on Jule’s knee.

They quietly watched the game until Titan returned, stood directly in front of them, and handed them each a beer. Jule tilted to the side, trying to see around him. Tor took the bottles, opened them, and handed him one.

“Thanks,” Jule said.

“Does it hurt?” Titan asked, looking at him.

Tor turned to Jule and arched his eyebrows.

“Only if you’re really lucky,” Jule said. “Sit down, man, you’re blocking the game.”

Tor laughed. “He’s kidding.”

“I’m really not.”

Titan sat.

“It doesn’t have to hurt at all, and even if you’re into that kind of thing”—Tor nudged Jule—“it’s still not that kind pain.”

“The fuck does that mean?” Titan asked.

“It’s sort of like how your muscles can ache after a workout,” Jule said, still watching the game. “You know, the good kind of pain.”

“No, I don’t know.”

“Bummer for you.” Jule drank his beer.

“You always seemed to like it when Tor got on you,” he said to Jule.

“I do and why were you watching us fuck?”

“I wasn’t watching. You assholes used to bang any chance you got. There’s one bathroom in the house and Tor had you bent over every surface of it. You think none of us ever walked in? And if you thought you were discreet in the bedroom, you’rewrong. We were all, what, like five feet from each other in there? A blanket is not an invisibility shield.”

“In that case, you shouldn’t need to ask all these questions. We’ve already educated you,” Jule said.

“What’s up, man?” Tor asked. “Is there a chick you’re into who wants to get it from the back?”

“Not exactly.”

“You thinking of getting with a dude?” Jule asked.