IOU

by Kristy Marie

The sun rises, and I’m wide awake. Not from the most refreshing sleep ever but from being up two-thirds of the night praying every noise wasn’t the next Ted Bundy coming to offer me his back seat. Or truck. Wait. He was the one who took them on dates first, right? That might not have been too bad. At least then I could have squeezed a shower and food out of him before he killed me.

“I thought you had a friend you could call!” An angry man growls through the closed window. Bostic.

I roll down the window, mindful of my breath. “I did,” I say, grinning at a freshly shaven face. “Her name is Jane Honda. She offered me her back seat in exchange for filling her tank up with gas—a real giver, she is.”

Maybe he’s like a guardian angel. I saw this show once about this clumsy girl who kept avoiding death because her guardian angel stepped in and saved her time after time. Or wait, was that Final Destination where she kept avoiding death? Ugh. Now I can’t remember.

Women should never lose sight of their hopes and dreams. They should be individuals that are amplified by their mates—she

My fire-savior is my very own

Thor—protector of my Universe. I’m legit living a Disney movie. I have a genie and an Avenger.

"Look closely. Do you see two shits or a fuck anywhere in my eyes?"

"I'll scream," she threatens. "You already screamed, but be my guest and do it one more time for the people who haven't seen your ass cheeks yet."

I know I shouldn’t have kept following both of them on social media, but sometimes I do crazy things I’m not proud of, okay? I trusted them both, and their betrayal ran deeper than I thought. Sure, Maverick convinced me to delete a few pictures, but it didn’t delete the love I had buried behind my smile.

“Some people are meant to burn, and others are meant to rise from their ashes.”

Some people are meant to burn, and others are meant to rise from their ashes.

And that’s what I adore about her. She is who she is. Take her or leave her—she conforms to no one. Not even me.

Let’s be honest, I’m a mess fresh off the breakup boat. I’m not key banging material.

Right. His hands are full, which is totally his fault. He said to get whatever I wanted at the store. What I wanted was ice cream and dick with a side of mac and cheese. So here we are.

Tucker had it wrong. She was never his. She’s always been mine; she just didn’t know it yet.

Could I be in love with Maverick? I think so. I mean, surely you don’t feel this way about a rebound.

Does one normally want to ease their rebound’s blanket down just to gaze at the penis that made you come harder than you ever thought possible? Does a rebound make you crazy with worry with every erratic beat of his heart?

My mama always said you know you love a man when you don’t want to poison his food.

“I won’t let anyone come between us,” he murmurs, moving the hair off my neck and placing a soft kiss against my heated skin. “It’s not about staking a claim, but about protecting a future.”

I finally had a man—or a really amazing friend—we haven’t labeled it yet—who gives me extreme orgasms and never minds sleeping with a stuffed sea lion in his bed.

“I love you, okay? Is that what you want to goddamn hear? I’ve been in love with you since you called me out on the beer.”