Chapter 41

The contents of the package twisted my insides with an all too familiar jealousy.

Somehow, I managed to tamp it down. At the end of a meeting, I had even managed to work up the courage to speak to her with a smile.

"It's all good, Miss Johnson. We're all adults here. I understand you have needs."

I thought it was what a normal person would say.

Puberty had probably taken a toll and a half on me. She did not recognize me at all.

It barely stung, I swear.

Later that day, I got her coffee the way she liked it—with half a shot of espresso. I even complimented the earrings I knew she bought recently.

I figured I cheered her up. After all, she smiled at me.

That smile had obliterated me instantaneously.

Perhaps that was why I got careless, dropping my act too fast. She picked up on my intentions and began to keep a distance from me.

I was distraught, but there was nothing I could do about it. I had to respect what she wanted.

An opportunity came in the form of her housemate moving