Read Online Constructing Us (New Adult Romance) by C.J. Lake - Free Book Online Page A

to the room.
    “And this is Matt and Dan,” Tragan told her, introducing his other friends.  “Hey, wanna play?” he asked her, acting on impulse, even though this game was too violent for Andy’s tastes.
    She smiled again, but weakly.  “Um, I don’t think so, but thanks.”
    “Are you okay?” Tragan blurted, concerned, surprising himself and earning a side-eye from his friends. 
    “I don’t feel well.  It’s nothing,” she insisted.  “Just a headache.”
    “That sucks,” Bardo threw in.
    “I’m going to go to bed.”
    “Do you want us to leave?”  Tragan ignored the what-the-fuck look he was getting from Pellican.
    “No, no--you’re not bothering me.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”  Without another word she walked to her bedroom, clicked the door shut. 
    It only took a few seconds for Tragan to set down his beer and stand up.  “All right,” he said, gesturing for his friends to do the same, “let’s go.”
    “Go?” Bardo questioned , even though he stood up to follow.  “Where?”
    “We’ll go to Matt’s,” Tragan said.  “Is that cool?”
    “Sure, okay,” Matt said at the same time that Pellican said, “No.”  Tragan glared at Pellican, who went on, “Tray, why do we have to leave?  We’re right in the middle of a game!”
    “ You heard. Andy’s got a headache.”
    “So what ?  That’s my problem now?”
    “So let’s just go, so we’re not keeping her up.”
    “ But she just said we weren’t bothering her,” Pellican argued.  “And, you know, we’re in the middle here.”
    “Well, Matt’s not,” Bardo pointed out.  “He’s dead.”
    “Yeah, thanks ,” Matt remarked, coming to his feet.  “Last time I checked, your man was cowering behind some barrels.”
    “It’s called: waiting for the gunfire to stop,” Bardo explained as though it should be obvious, then pointed to the other guys in an educational way.  “See, now that’s a strategy.” 
    Meanwhile, although Tragan felt impatient, he wanted to appear casual.  “What the hell’s the big deal, all right?  Let’s just go to Matt’s.”
    Reluctantly , Pellican filed out behind his friends, but not before complaining again.  “What, just because she’s got a headache we have to leave?  If this were a guy, you wouldn’t give a shit about his headache.”
    “It’s got nothing to do with that,” Tragan snapped. 
    “Ri ght,” Pellican muttered, glowering as he grabbed his hoodie off the back of the couch.  “Just like you made us put our beer on coasters.  I suppose she’s got nothing to do with that either?”  Tragan didn’t bother answering that, because Pellican was sort of right about the coasters.  When Tragan had found them waiting in a neat stack on the coffee table yesterday, he figured: if Andy had bothered to buy them, he should at least try to use them.
    Impatiently now, he looked over his shoulder to make sure Andy’s door was still closed.  Then he dropped his voice.  “Look.  She’s sick, okay?  She’s got…a condition.”
    At that, Pellican froze, appearing suddenly dumbstruck.  “Sick?” he began, flustered.  “With what?”
    Dismissively, Tragan whispered, “I don’t know, some shit, whatever.  The point is, if she doesn’t feel well, let’s just go to Matt’s.”  He wasn’t about to get into more details, but he did want his friend to shut up and get over his bullshit.
    It seemed to work.  Uncomfortably, Pellican swallowed.  “Fine, I didn’t know that,” he said defensively.  “You know, I didn’t realize she was sick or whatever.  I was just saying, you know, I was about to do a strategic maneuver.”    
    Matt barked a laugh at that.  “C’mon, I thought we already established: your strategy is crap.”
    “Hey now-- don’t hate on a man’s ‘thumb pressure,’” Bardo joked, as he, Pellican, and Matt followed Tragan out the door.
    ~
    Tragan awoke at three a.m.  Too many beers.  Half asleep, he went to take