Page 32 of Please Don’t Go (The Midnight Strike #1)

DANIEL

“Are you sure you didn’t elope?” Kai questions.

“We promise we won’t judge you,” Gray adds.

“Are you dying of jealousy, Gray?” Angel taunts him, smirking when he rolls his eyes.

Gray flips him off. “Shut up.”

“So did you elope?” Kai asks for what seems like the millionth time.

“Is she pregnant?” Gray asks.

That makes me stop packing and look up at my roommates who have decided to take every inch of space in my room.

After practice today, I told them I’m moving out and where I’m moving to. The moment I said Josie’s name, they started throwing questions left and right and haven’t stopped. And they all happen to be the same questions. Except the pregnancy one; that one is new.

“We’d have to have sex for that, and we haven’t and we’re not.” Because we’re friends and I’m not going to ruin that even though I’ve been dreaming of it.

“That didn’t stop Mary from getting pregnant.” Gray shrugs, and for a moment, we all look at him and instead of saying anything, we all shake our heads.

“It’s true!” Our heads whip to the voice coming from the door. Pen is grinning from ear to ear, her eyes wide and glittery. “You are moving.”

I glance at Angel, but he shakes his head. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t say anything.”

Gray looks every which way except for my direction.

“You couldn’t have waited until I was out?”

“Hey! Why couldn’t I know?” she snaps, coming further into my room.

I continue packing, ignoring her and all their probing eyes.

“So…is she pregnant?” Pen throws out as she tries to find space on the floor to sit.

“Jesus Christ, what is it with you guys and that question? We’re friends. Can’t friends live together?”

They all laugh like I’ve said the funniest thing in the world. I don’t usually glare, but I find myself doing that. Particularly at my sister who has no business being here.

JOSEFINE

“We’re just friends,” I tell Vi.

She texted me and asked me to come over to her place. Pen would’ve come but she said she had things to take care of and that she’d come later. Which works out because I’m not sure I’d be able to talk about her brother in front of her.

“Just friends…” She sets the platter of sushi in the middle of the table, along with the other things she ordered. “With benefits?”

I wasn’t going to tell her about Daniel moving in, but she started pleading and asking for crumbs. I’ve never had friends, at least stable ones, and Vi feels stable. I don’t usually like to open up to anyone, not that I do it to begin with, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to talk to her.

Now I’m regretting it.

I balk at her. “No, where do you get benefits from just friends ?”

She gives me a cunning smile. “Come on, fess up. It’s just us. You can talk about Daniel all you want. Pen isn’t here to gag or beg us not to.”

Using my chopsticks, I grab a roll and dip it in the soy sauce. “There’s nothing to fess up. We’re just friends.”

She huffs an exasperated breath and gives me a thumbs down. “You gotta give me something, Josie. Something, anything. You guys are going to live together for the rest of the semester. He’s literally moving in with you. Like how does one do that?”

“You pack your things and get out.”

“You know what I mean. He has bills and stuff to pay.”

“I’m not making him pay because it’s not necessary, but he is going to cook. And Gray, do you remember him?”

She hums with pleasure. “Yeah, there’s no forgetting him…that mustache and his little Southern accent.”

“He’s going to pay whatever Daniel was paying. Apparently, he has the money or whatever, I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”

He texted me earlier today after his practice. He said he talked to the guys and just as expected, they took it well. We haven’t talked any more because he’s busy packing and I want to give him space.

Last night was a lot. My emotions were all over the place and they still are. I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing by letting him move in. It’s not because I don’t want him to, but after I went off on him yesterday, I realized how much I care about him and that scares me.

Vi tucks her legs under her butt after she’s done filling up her plate. She squares her shoulders like she’s getting ready for business. “Just answer this: do you want to fuck him?”

“Uh, no.”

“Ah! You hesitated.”

“I didn’t hesitate. I was chewing.”

“Bullshit.”

DANIEL

“Bullshit,” Kai calls out.

“I suggest you all get help because your way of thinking is so unhealthy.” I finish placing the last of my vinyls in a box then tape it up.

“You want to talk about unhealthy? You’re moving in with a girl you’ve only known for a month, yet your ex-girlfriend asked you to move in with her and you said no,” Angel counters, dead set on making a point just like everyone else has.

Except for Noah—he’s been quiet, and I really appreciate that.

“That’s not unhealthy,” Noah says. I’m pleasantly surprised that he’s sticking up for me.

“Thanks No?—”

“It’s delusional. I’m adding more money. No way they don’t end up together before the end of the semester.”

I spoke too soon. “Noah, shut up. Matter of fact, everyone shut up and get out. If you’re not going to help, you have no use for me here.” I set the box on the floor and grab another empty one. “Wait, are you guys still on with the bet? I told you to stop that.”

“Bet?” Pen’s gaze bounces over the guys. “What bet? I want to be part of it.”

I grumble. “Pen, why are you even here?”

“So how much are we talking?” She ignores me.

“I’m moving in with her because you’re all getting on my nerves.”

“You know, if I were you, I’d also be living with her. You guys should see her house. It’s so fucking nice,” Angel says.

“Wait, how do you know what it looks like?” Kai looks between Angel and me.

“We helped change her tire and we followed her back home,” he supplies.

“If you’re not going to be useful, get out,” I repeat.

“Are you just going to pretend like you didn’t hear Angel’s question?” Kai instigates, smiling innocently at me. “You guys eloped, didn’t you?”

“ Váyanse a la verga .” I wave my middle finger at all of them and continue packing my cassette tapes.

Kai places a palm on his chest, shocked and appalled written all over his face. “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

“Danny, I’m going to tell Mom.” I roll my eyes and ignore her but she’s like a fly, dead set on being annoying. “Anyway, if she’s your friend, why do you have?—”

“Shut. Up,” I grit.

“Have what?” Gray asks and that makes them all look a little too excited.

“Nothing,” I mutter.

JOSEFINE

“I think he’s hot, but that’s it.”

We’ve been going on about Daniel for forty minutes now. She won’t drop it and I’m on the verge of leaving.

“Okay, let’s play a scenario.”

“No.”

“Just hear me out, okay?” She doesn’t wait for me to reply before she’s giving me a play-by-play of her scenario.

“I have for the past forty minutes, Vienna,” I grumble.

“You’re so cute. My little ray of sunshine,” she coos, grazing her index finger under my chin.

I blankly stare at her. “I’m not little. You’re literally a year younger than me.”

“I’m taller than you,” she smugly states.

She’s not wrong; she’s six feet tall to be exact.

“Your AC stops working and the only working fan in your house happens to be in his room. It’s an inferno in your house because the temperatures have spiked and?—”

“That would never happen.”

“It’s just a hypothetical.”

“You didn’t say that before.”

“Well now I am. Hypothetically speaking, let’s say that your AC stops working?—”

“Vi, what is it with you and sex? Can’t two people of the opposite sex live together platonically?” I take a sip of my drink, hoping I’m not giving away how warm my cheeks feel.

“It can happen, but you guys have known each other for what? A month? And now he’s moving in? Yeah, I don’t buy the we’re just friends platonic bullshit.”

DANIEL

“You know, friends with benefits is a thing,” Gray starts.

JOSEFINE

“It was made for people like you and Danny,” Vi supplies, mischief thick in her voice.

DANIEL

“I swear if you guys don’t stop talking about it, I’m going no contact,” I warn because they have been talking about this for almost two hours. This is getting ridiculous.

JOSEFINE

“I’m going to walk out if you don’t stop because this is getting ridiculous,” I threaten because she keeps going on and on about the hypotheticals. “He’d have to be remotely interested in me for any of your scenarios to happen and he’s not.”

She sits up, the glass of wine in her hand close to sloshing out. “What do you mean he’s not interested? I find that hard to believe. Have you seen yourself? You’re gorgeous, Josie.”

I almost smile at that but take a sip of my own glass as last night’s events play in my head.

I don’t like sharing about myself, but the alcohol forces the words out.

I tell her about our exes, the video that was accidentally sent to us, about him punching Bryson, about Monday night and how I sat on him and took a picture to send to his ex.

How he practically ran to his room and wouldn’t look at me.

I don’t tell her about why things played out the way they did last night, but I do tell her about him calling me a friend.

“Wait.” She takes a long drink before she speaks. “Why would he punch Bryson in the face that bad and then let you send her a picture of you on his lap? That doesn’t scream he’s still in love with her.”

“I don’t know and I didn’t ask because I was returning the favor. What he does is none of my business.”

“What do you mean you were returning the favor?” Her Cheshire grin freaks me out.

“He might have helped me slash Bryson’s tires.”

“Stop.” She coos, softly swats my arm. “That’s so freaking cute. You can’t tell me he’s not?—”

“No,” I immediately cut in. “I know you believe in…” I try to find the word, but I struggle to think of the correct one to describe what I want to say.

“Love?” she giggles.

“Right, that. Love…I know you believe in it, but I don’t.”