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Finally, Philippe walked over to ht ere in the clear, Vik strode toward us and started talking “I’ll be by later to pick up the shit I left at your place last night, kiska” My stare was blank and re at Philippe “You could gather it up before I get there You aze darkened “Or your bed, where I slept”

My face dipped I should have known he’d go there, especially with the er side of ned to be a slap to Philippe’s face And froht have met their mark

Score one point to Vik

“I tend to leave stuff on the nightstand” Vik’s voice turned lethal He looked the other , “You know Easy to reach”

Wow Just

“I thought you teren’t together any between us with clear confusion

“We aren’t,” I said, not very convincingly

And at the very same time, Vik smirked “When has that ever stopped us? Don’t be so naïve, buddy”

I should have been mad

Why wasn’t I?

Maybe because jealousy on Vik felt like the highest of compliments

A silence followed, and the longer it went on, the space around us changed, grew thicker, sucking the positive right out of the atmosphere But I refused to let it show

Philippe’s eyes fell to me, and a forced smile stretched my lips “Shall we?”

Aup to do” I spared a glance at Vik “I want to hear everything”

Philippe didn’t “Then you shall”

“How refreshing,” I said, then turned my head to look the man with the bruised face and busted eyebrow dead in the eye as I unlocked my car and opened the door “A man without secrets”

Partway into the trivial conversation that lunch usually offered, we lapsed into a short silence

It was nice Comfortable And that here it ended

Philippe was my friend

I never put too much stock in h the silence and queried gently, “I never stood a chance, did I?”