Page 13 of By Rude Strength

Cass frowned, eyeing the glass.

LA defiantly took a big gulp and promptly choked.

It still looked like rum, but…

No way.

LA glared at the glass and then at Cass. “Did you turn my booze into chocolate milk?”

“Uh.” Cass hummed. “No.”

“Then why does it taste like fucking chocolate milk?”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I lied. I totally did.” Cass grinned sheepishly. “You just seem a little tiny bit pent up right now and alcohol is not going to make you feel better.”

“Istronglydisagree.” LA scowled. “I’ve had a horrible day, I’m inpain, and oh yeah, there’s amonsterin my house who wants me to justify my relationship—”

“Former relationship.”

“What is your problem, huh?”

“You waved somehugered flags.” Cass wiggled his paw and an actual red flag appeared in it, waving in the air though there was no breeze. “I really am here to help you and I would not be doing a good job if I didn’t point them out to you.”

“What red flags? What are you talking about?”

“Him knowing your schedule and blatantly ignoring it? I understand that he has certain emotional needs, but you’ve been meeting those at the expense of your own.” Cass made the flag vanish as he crossed his arms. “And this isn’t a onetime thing. It’s a clearly established pattern of emotional abuse. He’s doing these things on purpose not only to make you prove that he’s the most vital thing in your life but also to emphasize that the things you want don’t matter.”

LA tensed. “What?”

“When was the last time you even saw your friends?”

“Uh…” LA swallowed hard, saying quickly, “I don’t know. But I mean hey, they’re busy too. They got jobs and lives and—”

“How long before they stop asking you to hang out?” Cass asked, almost so quietly LA was still talking before he realized Cass had started speaking. “Or have they already stopped trying?”

LA’s jaw opened and closed.

His chest hurt, his eyes burned, and he wanted to scream and fight but he knew Cass was right. He hadn’t heard from any of his friends in weeks. Honestly, it had probably been even longer than that. He’d blown them off time and time again because of Gavin and he’d been so wrapped in keeping his relationship together that he hadn’t even noticed they weren’t speaking to him.

Not until this very moment.

Cass perched on the arm of the couch and he smiled sadly. “I’m sorry.”

“For what? There’s nothing to be sorry for.” LA gritted his teeth. “It’s fine! Plenty of friends go a while without talking to each other. It’s not a big deal. And once I get shit fixed with Gavin, I’ll tell him I need time to see my friends.”

“Or else what?”

“Or else… I won’t take him back.”

“But you’re the one who wants to get back with him, not—”

“It’s gonna work!” LA nodded firmly. “Sure, we fight, we have our little tiffs, but Gavin always comes back. We always work things out.”

“Define work things out.”

LA frowned. “I tell him what I want, he tells me what he wants, and—”

“You just do whatever he wants to get him back, don’t you?”