Page 43 of Tangled Desires

I glare. “Oh, fuck you.”

“You already did, sugar.”Well, that’s true.For fuck’s sake. Even the voice in my head is agreeing with him now.

13

She’s So Mean - Matchbox Twenty

Rain - Sleep Token

Iwalk through the front door of Isla and Xavier’s place, juggling a plastic bag of peach-flavoured lollies. Xav’s text was weird, but when your best mate asks you to grab something random for his wife, you just do it. Joe let me clock off early at 4:30, so here I am.

The house is warm, smells like food, and I can hear Callie’s little baby giggles coming from the living room. I head that way and freeze when I hear a conversation that makes me question what the hell is going on.

“It’s a virgin hole; you need to stretch it out,” someone says.The fuck?

“No way this thing’s popping in there. It’s fucking tiny,” another voice adds.

I stop dead in my tracks. No, but what the actual fuck? Rounding the corner, I spot Amelia, Liv, Isla, and Imogen, all sprawled out on the couches, completely absorbed in whatever weird shit they’re talking about. The TV’s playing some baby show, with a woman in a pink headband, while Callie watches from her walker. I clear my throat, and they all turn to look at me, except Imogen, who’s just staring, her jaw practically on the floor.

“Uh… am I interrupting something?”

My eyes drop to what they’re holding, and it all clicks. Crocs. They’re each holding different coloured Crocs, with packs of Jibbitz scattered across the coffee table. I raise an eyebrow, feeling a little betrayed.

“Did you guys get Jibbitz without me?”

Imogen’s head snaps up, eyes wide. “What the fuck? Where did you even come from?”

I give her a blank stare. “The front door?”

Amelia smiles, all innocent. “We didn’t even hear you come in.”

I shrug, trying not to laugh. “Well, that’s because you lot were too busy talking about virgin holes.”

Imogen’s unphased, of course, just rolling her eyes, but Amelia’s face goes bright red. I catch the way she shifts uncomfortably, trying to act like she didn’t just hear what I said. She’s got that sweet, quiet smile, and it makes me think about how perfect she and Brad are together. Always liked Amelia. She keeps him grounded. They’re annoyingly perfect for each other, actually.

“Where was my invite to this little Croc party, anyway?”

Liv jumps in, quick as always. “Do you even own Crocs?”

I gasp, throwing a hand dramatically over my chest. “Do you even know me? I’ve got two pairs.”

She raises an eyebrow, not convinced. “Yeah? For what, working on the ute?”

“Nah, I’ve got a black pairanda red pair that looks like Lightning McQueen. You know, coz I love cars.”

Before I can defend my love for the greatest cartoon race car of all time, Imogen cuts me off. “So, what are you doing here, anyway?”

I shrug. “Xav texted me. Told me to meet him here.”

Isla’s smirking, barely paying attention, while Imogen turns to her, all business. “Do you have any of those lollies? I’ve been craving them all day.”

I blink, realising I’m still holding the bag. I pull out a packet and wave it in front of her face. “I’ve got these.”

Imogen’s jaw drops, eyes glued to the lollies. “Wait… what the fuck? Youboughtthose?”

“Uh, yeah?” I glance between them, confused. “Why?”

She’s up in a second, snatching the packet out of my hand. “I’ve been craving these all damn day. How did you know?”