Page 31 of This Mate Thing

Boris snorts."Age has nothing to do with it, and what's mine is yours.One day, you'll understand how my life is worth nothing without you, and money doesn't mean shit."

Easy to say when you don't have to worry about how to keep a roof over your head.I deliberately ignore everything else he said.

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Chapter 15

Boris

I throw myself on the couch a moment after I've entered my house and grab my phone.

"Are you calling from prison?"

"Yes!"

Zahrah is quiet for a second or two."I don't believe you.It'smean to let me get my hopes up."

"I'm stuck, so I might as well have been in prison."

"Stuck?Like in the pornos?Are you stuck in the dishwasher and want four burly blue-collar guys to come help you out?"

I snort."I'm the burly blue-collar guy in those scenarios, not the one stuck."

"Hmm, too bad."

I roll my eyes."Why?"

"Don't know.I wanted you to be swarmed by burly blue-collar guys."

"I think something is broken in your mind.I don't want burly blue-collar guys, I want Simon, but he thinks I'm insane."

She takes a deep breath."Okay, tell me what's wrong."

I don't know."It's everything.He lost his job today."

"That sucks."

"Yeah, but he refuses to let me help.The more I offer, the more annoyed he gets."

She groans.

"What?"

"You know I love you."

"Yeah."But nothing good ever came after she told me.

"I don't know Simon, obviously, but he's a proud man.He's made it on his own all this time.He lost his sister, became a father to her kid, and he's made it work."

"Yes."

"Now he's in trouble--"

"No, he's not.I'll never let anything bad happen to him."

"Boris, he doesn't know you.You know he's yours, but to him, you're a crazy person from across the street who sauntered into his life mere days ago.No sane person would accept help from a stranger they don't know if they can trust."

I whine as if I'm being skinned alive, which has her groaning again.