Page 34 of Good For Me

“Hmm.”

“Stop doing that,” I demand and she holds up her hands.

“I don’t want to piss you off.”

I snort. “Since when has that ever stopped you?”

She flashes me a quick grin. “Fine. I’ll say this—we all go through phases where we don’t have our shit together. Sometimes we need something to snap us out of it. For you, that was something scary. Your grandpa getting sick in high school is the thing that made you start taking your life more seriously. But even before that happened, even when you were partying too much and getting into trouble, you were still a good person.”

A good person whose actions directly contributed to sending the only parent figure who ever gave a damn about me to the hospital with a massive heart attack. Real stellar character I had.

“You were loyal,” she says, counting off her reasons on her fingers. “You were a great friend. You loved the people in your life. You were funny and fun to be around.”

“What’s your point, Brie?”

“My point is that River might not have his life figured out yet, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good person. That doesn’t mean he’s not worth spending time with. Maybe the thing he needs to start getting serious just hasn’t happened yet.”

“And I’m supposed to, what? Try to date him and just cross my fingers he’ll get there?”

She rolls her eyes. “Jesus, no one said you had to marry the guy. But dating—or even just sleeping with—someone you’re attracted to is not going to ruin your life. You need some fun, Jas. I’ve been telling you this for ages.”

“It is your favorite lecture,” I say drily.

“So then the question is,” she presses on, ignoring me. “Is whether or not you like this guy. If it was just sex, fine. I still think you should try to have a whole lot more of that with him. But if you enjoyed your time with him? If he helped you relax and have fun for once? I think you need to think really seriously about how you could fit that into your plans.”

I rub my forehead, suddenly overwhelmed. It had all seemed so simple last night, when I told him it would only be the one time. But Brie has this way of getting past all my bullshit, of telling me exactly what I need to hear, whether I want to or not.

“If I promise to think about it can we stop talking about this now?” I ask. “Because what I could really use is some Netflix and another pitcher or two of those margaritas.”

My best friend grins at me. “One condition.”

I sigh, already knowing what’s coming. “What?”

“I need one juicy detail about sex with River Ransome.”

“Brie.”

“Come on! I’m never going to sleep with a guy that hot, you have to give me something.”

“You’re engaged, you hoe!”

She waves her hands dismissively. “Chris is the love of my life, blah blah blah, I’m insanely attracted to him. That doesn’t mean I’m fucking blind, Jas. And River is like, next level hot.”

I snort out a laugh. “Girl you havenoidea.”

She groans, and then leaps across the couch and tackles me, forcing me face first into the cushion then sitting on my back so I can’t move. This is a move she perfected back in junior high to get what she wanted but she’s a hell of a lot heavier now.

“Details!” she demands, digging her knees in.

“Fine,” I gasp. “Get the hell off so I can breathe!”

“You better not hold out on me,” she warns. “I will take you down again just as easily.”

I manage to get free from her and shove her back over to her side of the couch. I straighten my hair and look her straight in the eye. “We had sex four times.”

She gapes at me. “In one night?”

I nod, fighting a laugh at her expression. “He kept waking me up.”