Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 58003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Jude, one of the new guys who’d moved in last month, sat in a corner of one of the sofas doing something on his phone, his dark curly head bending low and the glow of the screen lighting up his angular features. Shawn wondered what he was doing—probably hooking up on Grindr or something.
That twist of discomfort flared in his gut again. He knew he shouldn’t care. It was none of his business, but the idea that Jude might be planning some hook-up with some random guy lodged in his consciousness like a stone in a shoe. Maybe it was just because Shawn was single again and would have to get back to hooking up if he wanted any action. The idea of being back on Tinder wasn’t as appealing as it should be.
Shawn turned his attention to the other sickeningly happy couple in the room. Ewan wasn’t technically one of Shawn’s housemates. He lived next door, but he might as well have moved in for the amount of time he spent there with Dev. Ewan had his arm around Dev, and as Shawn watched, he turned his ginger head and murmured something in Dev’s ear. Dev turned to look at him and they exchanged a soft smile. Then Dev pressed a kiss to Ewan’s lips, which lingered long enough to make Shawn uncomfortable.
Irrational anger bubbled up, spilling out of his mouth before he could hold the words back. “For fuck’s sake. Can’t you save that for your room?”
Dev pulled away quickly, his cheeks flaming. “Sorry,” he muttered.
Ewan glared at Shawn. “What’s your problem?”
Shawn shrugged and glared back. “I just don’t need to see it, that’s all.”
“Well, the television’s over there, so stop fucking looking at us if you don’t like it. It was just a kiss. It’s not like we’re blowing each other on the sofa or anything. Jesus.”
“Ugh. And thank you for that mental image.” Shawn did a mock shudder.
“Whoa, Shawn. What the hell’s wrong with you tonight?”
Jez’s voice cut through Shawn’s drunken, angry haze, and he realised that all eyes in the room were on him. He caught Jude’s gaze, curious and assessing, and flushed at the unwanted attention.
“You should be used to it by now,” Jez continued. “You’ve lived with me and Mac long enough. And I’ve totally caught you groping Beth on the sofa before. You don’t get a free pass for living room shenanigans just because you’re the only straight couple in the house since Dani moved out.”
That was the spark that ignited Shawn’s anger past the point of no return. “Yeah? Well, maybe I’m just tired of being surrounded by all the gay in here. I never signed up for this when we moved in together.” He stood, sloshing beer out of his nearly full bottle and onto the carpet. “I don’t have to like it.”
“Feel free to find somewhere else to live, then.”
Even Jez, who was rarely moved to anger, sounded pissed now.
“Yeah. Maybe I will.” Shawn stormed to the door, careful not to ruin his exit by walking into the coffee table again. “Oh, and for your information? Me and Beth split up today, so we won’t be the token straight couple any more.”
He slammed the door behind him and stomped up the stairs to his room on the first floor. He slammed that door too, but it didn’t make him feel any better. After throwing himself down on the bed, he clutched his pillow and let harsh sobs of fury burst out of him until the red mist receded and shame and guilt crept in to fill the place where his anger had been.
CHAPTER TWO
“What the hell was that about?” Jude asked as the door crashed shut behind Shawn.
He didn’t know Shawn that well yet, and this was a side of him he hadn’t seen before. Shawn always seemed like a decent enough bloke if you could ignore his toxic masculinity and competitiveness. He was a terrible loser at video games, but apart from that was usually pretty chilled.
“Just ignore him. He’s a dick when he’s drunk,” Jez said.
“Yeah.” Mac, his boyfriend, agreed. “But that was worse than he’s been in ages. I thought he’d got used to our PDAs by now.”
Jez shrugged. “I suppose if he’s just split up with Beth, it touched a nerve. Maybe it’s more about him feeling unhappy than about us being two guys.”
“Didn’t sound like it,” Ewan said shortly. “He’s a homophobic twat. I don’t know why you guys put up with him.”
“What are we going to do, throw him out?” Jez shrugged. “He pays rent. Maybe he’d be happier if he found somewhere else, though. He’s been pretty subdued since Mike moved out. I think he misses him.”
“Oh.” Ewan raised his eyebrows meaningfully. “You reckon?”
“Not like that,” Jez said. “Well… I don’t think so anyway. They were best mates since our first year. Mike was his wingman.”