Page 41 of Sleeper: The Palisades Edition

But she’s so fucking pretty.

And this is going to be her first night away from me since she started staying with us.

She washes her hands in the sink, dries them, and comes over to the island counter that I’ve been leaning against while ogling her like some pervert at a bar.

“You should probably start heading out soon.”

“I guess.”

“You going by yourself?”

“No, I’m meeting up with my friend.”

“Oh, good. Which friend?”

“Harley.”

Who the fuck is Harley?“Oh good. Cool. Harley. Sounds like a fun guy.”

“Harley is a girl. She’s the friend I told you about. From college.”

“Even better.”

“Do you want to go with us? Or meet us there?”

Fuck yes, obviously, yes. I want to meet you anywhere. I want to go with you everywhere. Just not anywhere your brother can see us together.

“I can’t think of anyone I can call to babysit on such short notice.”

“Right. So you’re just going to hang out here by yourself?”

“Believe it or not, I’ve gotten pretty good at keeping myself entertained at night. Kind of a necessity when you’re an insomniac.”

“But you aren’t an insomniac anymore.”

“Good point.”Everything is different now that you’re here. Don’t go.

“I don’t have to go. I can see him play some other time.”

Yes. I’ll come to your room. You can sit on my face all night, and I will make you scream into the pillow. I will fuck us both senseless, and then things won’t be weird between us anymore. Or it’ll be even weirder, but it won’t matter because we fucked each other senseless.

“No, you should definitely go. I know how excited he is for you to see him on stage. Seriously, it would mean a lot to him. Don’t worry about me.”

“Okay, well, I’ve got two plus ones, but I’ll text Harley to let her know she can invite Remi.”

Who the fuck is Remi?“Remi. He sounds fun too.”

“Remi is also a girl.”

“Good. Good for her.”

I watch her type out a text. Her thumb hovers over the Send icon as she looks up at me through those long dark eyelashes. “Last chance.”

“Maybe next time. When Margo has the kids.”

She sends the text and slides her phone into her back pocket. “Next time. I’ve never been to The Hotel Café before. Obviously. I’m not sure what to wear. Nico said it’s casual.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely casual. You can just go like that.With maybe a bulky sweater or a puffy jacket over your T-shirt or something.”