Contract Marriage: I Will Never Love You

Sarah

I let the phone drop into my lap and lean back in the chair, looking up at the sky.

Matthew will have to live with me being friends Josh. He will probably be fine. Probably. Maybe.

I sigh and stand up, stretching my back. I should warn Rebecca that Hurricane Josh is about to make landfall.

"Josh is coming over," I announce.

Rebecca looks up from where she’s crouched by the baseboard, paintbrush in hand. The room is already half-transformed, the color brightening the space in a way that makes my chest feel full.

Rebecca’s eyebrows shoot up. "Josh? As in Josh, who Matthew practically grows hives thinking about?"

I shrug, trying for casual. "He called while I was on the balcony. He was in the neighborhood."

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ ɴo(v)elFɪre.ɴet

"I see." Rebecca sets down her brush and sits back on her heels. "Does Matthew know?"

"I didn’t go out of my way and told him." I pick at a loose thread on my shirt. "I don’t need his permission for friends to visit."

Rebecca shrugs. "I guess he will live. And I am here so it’s not like you are alone with him."