Damage Repaired

Chapter 9

"Details, now," Dylan demanded as soon as I walked in the room, grabbing my belongings and tossing them to the side before dragging me to the couch where Ethan was currently sitting.

"Hello to you too," I laughed, making myself comfortable.

"He's been bouncing off the walls since you guys got off the phone," Ethan explained with an eye roll.

It took me about ten minutes to explain what happened in detail, and by the time I finished, Ethan and Dylan's jaws were hanging to the ground.

"Hold the fuck on," Dylan started, getting off the couch to pace around the small living room area. "You fell asleep while he was still..." He trailed off, making me groan in embarrassment.

Ethan chuckled beside me, and I quickly shot him a glare.

"You're focused on that and not the fact that I agreed to be fuck buddies?"

Dylan sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I sent you off to have a one-night stand, and you basically came back married."

I winced at the small word but played it off with laughter. "Our agreement is far from that."

"He made you breakfast, Stazi, breakfast, and that was after he spent the night fucking your brains out, cleaning you up, and cuddling."

I shrugged, not knowing what to tell him. Ezra and I both knew the terms of our agreement, so there was nothing to worry about; it was simply a convenience.

"Some people are just naturally nice, Dylan," I reminded him.

"Point taken," he agreed. "God, I'm so proud of you; I can't believe you actually went through with it."

"Me either," I mumbled truthfully, staring off into space with a small smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

The last thing I expected to do when I got back was entertain the male species again, but for some odd reason, it felt freeing. As if that was exactly what I needed to start my journey of moving on because I was finally doing things on my terms now.

"So, does that mean you're done carpooling with me?" Dylan jolted me out of my thoughts. "Because my baby can sure use a break from the miles you've been having me put on her."

"Fuck you," I tossed a pillow in his direction with a laugh, but he caught it before it hit his face.

"I don't mean to intrude," Ethan began after sitting in silence for the last few minutes. "But, I feel like I'm missing something here like I don't know the full story or something."

Dylan sucked in a deep breath and plopped next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder for comfort, knowing where this conversation was headed. "Don't do it if you're not ready," he told me, a hint of concern in his voice.

I wasn't ready to tell my story, not yet, but that didn't mean I couldn't listen while the story was being told.

"You know everything, so you tell him."

"Stazi, are you sure?" Dylan tightened his grip around me.

My story wasn't a secret, and if Ethan was going to be around the two of us, it would only make sense for him to know and not only understand me better but understand me and Dylan's friendship.

I nodded, giving him the green light squeezing my eyes shut as he told Ethan everything. Once he finished, Ethan pulled me into his arms, giving me the biggest and tightest hug. To lighten the mood, we decided to go out to get ice cream and afterward ended up at a karaoke bar where we spent most of the day belting out our lungs to the music.