Free Sharing Space (The Complete Series) by Nina Perez

using the paper towel.
     
    “What are you doing?”
     
    “Look, it’s harmless.”
     
    “It’s nasty. You’re nasty. What are you doing?”
     
    With a grin on his face Patrick continued to advance toward me with the spider wiggling in his hand. I turned and ran towards my room. Patrick gave chase, laughing the whole way and, in spite of myself, I found I’d begun to laugh, too. I made it to my room and slammed the door seconds before Patrick. 
     
    “Stop being such a girl!” he yelled from the other side of the door.
     
    “Stop being so nasty!” I yelled back. 
     
    “Just come out and look at it. It’s probably more afraid of you than you are of it.”
     
    “I don’t care if it’s peeing its little spider pants all down your hand. You need to stop playing and throw it away.” I heard Patrick chuckle as he made his way back down the hallway leading to the living room.  “And wash your hands!” I called after him. His response was more laughter.
     
    I set the beer on my dresser and searched for something more comfortable to wear. The hot shower I’d been anticipating had been upgraded to an hour-long soak in the tub.  Just as I was about to open the door Patrick knocked on it.
     
    “Chloe, come on out.”
     
    “Is it gone?”
     
    “Yes.”
     
    “I don’t believe you. I swear, if you’re lying…”
     
    My laughing response was cut off with Patrick’s next words.
     
    “Someone’s here to see you. It’s Lawrence.”
     
    I entered the living room to find Lawrence seated in the armchair that had previously held my purse and keys. They were now on the coffee table. I don’t know what infuriated me more: the fact that he’d shown up unannounced and had the audacity to get comfortable as if things were the same as before his betrayal, or the way he was watching Patrick with open hostility as he retrieved his laptop. 
     
    I stood in Lawrence’s line of vision and stared at him while addressing Patrick, who’d begun to unplug his computer. “Patrick, you don’t need to leave. You live here. Besides, this won’t take long.” I crossed my arms across my chest and gave Lawrence the most evil look I could muster.
     
    “I don’t mind. Really. Give me a shout when you’re done.”
     
    Sneering in Patrick’s direction Lawrence said, “It might be a while, bro.”
     
    Patrick gave Lawrence an appraising look that clearly determined he didn’t like what he saw. He shook his head and started to leave the room without his laptop. “I’ll be back in five minutes,” he called over his shoulder.
     
    Props for Patrick.
     
    Lawrence blew out a breath and stood to face me. “You need to check your boy.”
     
    “His name is Patrick and he lives here. How dare you just show up without calling and try to play him like that?”
     
    “Chloe, I’ve been calling and you won’t talk to me. What else was I suppose to do?”
     
    “How about take the hint and leave me alone? Or better yet, how about not cheating on me to begin with?”
     
    “So what, you just going to forget everything we had for almost a year without giving me a chance to explain and say I’m sorry?”
     
    I stared at him, wondering where he found the nerve. He was standing before me looking as fine as he always did in a cream linen suit. The suit hung perfectly from his rock-solid frame and the color worked against his dark complexion. He was pleading with me with almond-shaped eyes. His head was shaved completely, which was a new look from the last time I saw him. Images from that time came flooding back, assaulting me. I could have kicked myself for weakening for even a moment.
     
    “Were you thinking about everything we had when you were screwing that chick?”
     
    “Chloe, that was my ex. We ran into each other at a dinner party a few weeks ago. Remember, I asked you to go with me to the thing for Jay Z, but you couldn’t and—”
     
    “So this is my fault?”
     
    “No, no, I’m just trying to