Free More Than Friends by Jess Dee

expression on her face. The same expression she adopted when she spoke about Brian or Keith. The one that told him she didn’t care about him one way or the other.
    If he had to tie the woman to her bed and make her listen to every last word he had to say, he would. There wasn’t a freaking chance she was throwing her cut-you-out-my-life bullshit at him and getting away with it.
    She’d screwed with his head enough. Blown his world apart with her confessions and her body and her fucking feelings, and then put it back together all wrong, and he wouldn’t stand for her crap for one more second.
    If she could mess with his head, he could mess with hers.
    And mess with it he would.
    He threw the door open and marched inside, slamming it closed behind him.
    Much to his surprise, Lucy stood right there, holding a box.
    “Ah, good. You’re here.” Her face was blank, her tone impassive. “That’ll save me a trip to the post office tomorrow.” She shoved the box at him, leaving him with no choice but to take it. “This is yours. It’s full of all the gear you’ve left here over time. A couple of T-shirts, one jumper, your sunnies, a book that I never thought you’d read but definitely isn’t mine, some pens from your office and a couple of other odds and ends. There’s your chocolate too. Thanks for it, but no thanks.” She wrinkled her nose. “Okay, maybe I’ll keep the chocolate after all.” She snatched back the bars. “The rest is yours. So, thanks for stopping by to collect it. And I’ll see you around. Or…not.”
    He grimaced and planted his feet firmly on the floor. “I’m not going anywhere. Not leaving here until you and me have had a chance to talk, so forget about the box, forget about my gear, shut up for a minute and start listening to me.”
    “I think we’ve said quite enough, don’t you?”
    “No, babe, I don’t think I’ve said nearly enough. You’ve had your say, several times, now it’s my chance to have mine.”
    “Look, it’s nice of you to drop in, really, but it’s time to leave. So thanks for coming and goodbye.” She waved at him.
    Damn, he hated the dull lifelessness in her voice, the lack of interest in her face. “Pretending I don’t exist isn’t going to work. Not with me. Never with m-”
    “Wait.” Lucy threw a cautionary finger up into the air, looking startled. “Hush. Did you hear that?”
    “Hear what?”
    “That noise.”
    “What noise?” He’d heard nothing other than her lackluster dismissal.
    “Shh. Listen.” She cocked her head to the side.
    He listened intently and still heard nothing.
    Lucy slapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh, God, I don’t believe it.” She raced to the door, yanked it open and stared out, gasping.
    Alarmed, Seb followed her, stepping in front of her to protect her from whatever might be out there.
    There was nothing.
    Two hands landed on the small of his back and pushed, hard.
    Caught off guard, he stumbled forward, dropping the box.
    “Goodbye, Sebastian,” Lucy said. “Have a nice life.” She shut the door behind him, leaving him gaping at the mess, stunned that she’d pulled one over on him.
    It took a minute, but finally he grinned, filled with a ridiculous sense of pride. Damn, she was good. Brilliant, really. He’d never have thought her capable of such treachery, and yet here he stood on the wrong side of her door, outfoxed by her brilliance. She’d asked him to leave, and when he hadn’t, she’d simply manipulated circumstances to get him out of her place.
    He had to use that maneuver in one of his adverts.
    Taking a minute to refill the box with his stuff, he set it against the wall, reached once again for his keys and unlocked her door.
    Lucy sat on her couch in front of the TV, an unwrapped chocolate bar in hand and her mouth full. She took her time chewing and didn’t bother swiveling around to look at him. Her gaze remained on the telly.
    “You’re back?” she asked dispassionately.
    “I’m