“And I don’t give a shit about this girl either. She’s just an easy paycheck.”

“Sure she is,” he grumbles. “Don’t come crying to me when you break her and she walks away.”

I grunt, avoiding giving him the satisfaction of admitting he’s right.

They always leave.

* * * *

I have an armful of groceries, so I don’t bother knocking on Elizabeth’s door. I know she doesn’t lock it anyway. I really should tell her how stupid that is, doorman or not. She lives in a nice neighborhood, but those are usually the ones that get robbed. She’s too trusting. She obviously hasn’t been sucker punched by life yet.

“Hey,” I announce my arrival as I make my way to the kitchen and put the groceries away. Devin’s voice echoes in the back of my head.

You love fixing the broken ones. You let them get attached.

This is different. The food is for me, not for her. Five thousand dollars is burning a hole in my pocket. I’ve never had that much money in my life. So, I bought all the nice stuff I never have the money for. I don’t have to scrimp on the meat, fancy spices or fresh produce. And if I keep this stuff at my place, my douchebag roommates will eat it all.

It’s not romantic. It’s practical.

Here I can make dinner without having to share. Except with Elizabeth, but she’s tiny. How much is she really going to eat anyway?

“Whatcha up to, Goose?”

She’s sitting at her computer with her back to me, but I can hear her talking to someone.

“He’s here. I gotta go. Yes, that’s him,” she says into some sort of headset. She’s dwarfed in the giant office chair that looks more like a racecar seat. I bet it cost more than my entire truck. She’s video chatting with someone. My curiosity is piqued when I realize she must be talking about me.

“No, that’s not happening… Because it’s weird! That’s disgusting. Grow up…that is none of your business!” I can only hear one side of the conversation. She sounds playful but irritated. It’s a combination I’m already intimately familiar with. I can’t help but snoop. I sneak up behind her, keeping an eye on her screen.

I bend down beside her, grazing her soft neck as I pull back her headphones and brush my lips against her ear. “Who you chatting with, Goose?” I put my other hand above her knee and tickle the inside of her naked thigh with my long fingers.

She almost jumps out of her chair. I can’t help but smile. While she composes herself, I unplug her headset. On her screen is a young, petite woman. She’s got thick-rimmed glasses, a nose ring and fire-engine-red hair. Something tells me this girl doesn’t take shit from anyone.

“Fuck me sideways, Lizbit, he’s hot. The guys you pick are usually such goob troopers.” The woman’s voice rings out through the computer speakers.