Free No Interest in Love by Cassie Mae

told him we were good walking.
    But even knowing that dude was a creeper, I’m regretting the decision now.
    “I feel naked.” Shay shivers and pulls her arms into my long sleeves. She crosses them under the fabric near her chest.
    “You’re not. I’d have noticed.”
    She rolls her eyes. “I mean, I feel naked without my phone, my purse, my wallet. I feel like I should be carrying
something
.”
    “You can have this,” I say, sliding my carry-on up a bit.
    She gives me one of those “I’m refusing to smile” smiles and shakes her head. “Don’t you feel weird without your phone?”
    I shrug. “A little.” I miss being able to push a button to distract me from hellish situations such as this, but no way am I telling her that now. Not after our pact or whatever. “But I’m not as attached to it as you are.”
    “I’m worried. What if they move up the screen test? Or Carletta calls again? I never confirmed anything; they might think I’m a total flake. What if they call my agency? Julie will have to tell them that I have the company credit ca—”
    “Shit, will you
relax
?” I check behind us for headlights. “If you’re this bad metaphorically naked, I’d hate to see you when you’re actually naked.”
    “Bull. Like you’d
hate
to see any girl naked.” She pauses for a second, biting her bottom lip before adding, “Even me.”
    My pace slows and the corner of my mouth starts curling upward. She catches the unexpected grin on my previously grumpy face before she shuts her eyes and shakes her head.
    “Don’t picture it.”
    “I didn’t say anything.”
    “You didn’t have to.”
    We get about another fourth of a mile before headlights beam bright up ahead.
    “I got this one,” Shay says, pushing her arms through the overlarge sleeves.
    “But it’s my turn,” I say, but she’s already fluffing her hair, straightening her back, and marching out into the road. I stand back, since letting her try is probably the quickest way to get a ride. “I’ve got a better shot with the truckers. You should let me have them,” Shay said when I tried to wave down a semi about an hour ago. But here we are, still walking along an abandoned side road somewhere between LA and Vegas.
    The giant Walmart truck zooms by, the driver completely ignoring Shay’s Korean obscenities. I get another roundhouse kick in my gut because it’s the most unattractive thing…that I’m finding
unbelievably
attractive. Must be the dry spell.
    “Well, he was going the wrong way anyway,” she says, sticking her arms back in the sleeves and trudging back to me.
    “I think a ride anywhere would be nice right about now.”
    “We’re not arguing, remember.”
    “You’re right,” I say like a jackass, but I don’t give a shit. “I’d much rather walk another five miles in the right direction than take a lift to anywhere with a phone.”
    Her lips purse and she keeps her eyes straight ahead. “That’s the spirit.”
    She lengthens her stride, and I let her take the lead. My feet are starting to ache, and it’s mostly from the dampness of my socks. I imagine my toes are looking well above the age of eighty right about now. Maybe I should’ve stood under the hand dryer.
    Dammit, it’s not like I’m
normally
such a whiny son of a bitch, but (a) I haven’t eaten anything since that coffee this morning, if that even counts (right now I’m the definition of
hangry
), (b) I haven’t slept all that much in the past twenty-four hours, and (c)
I need some action
. I remember once overhearing Liz talking to her best friend, Theresa, right before she tied the knot with Landon. “Guys are easy to please,” she said. “They just need sleep, sex, and food, and they’re good to go.” I sort of laughed at her reasoning, but now I’m thinking that girl is one hell of a smart woman.
    “So how long has it been?” Shay says, and I furrow my brow at her. Have I gone delirious and spoken out loud?
    “Um, huh?”
    She drops