40

LINDEN

I’d been blowing off steam in the gym for three hours, but no matter how I tried not to overthink, it was Jasper we were talking about. Sax didn’t look too happy to see me beating up myself for something I had no control over.

“Sex would be a good sub. I mean, for fuck sake, bro. You have a beautiful woman in bed, and here you are, lifting weights and punching a bag in the middle of the night. What’s wrong with you? If I only had someone like Estelle, you wouldn’t see me in the gym.”

“Because you’re a dick. Women are not only good for sex. They are not your sex toys or sex slaves, asshole.”

“Whatever, man. Maybe you need a cuddling or a bonfire date and make some s’mores. When was the last time you took her on a date?”

Guilt settled in my chest. I looked away. “I have more pressing matters, and Estelle understands me.”

“Of course, women sometimes are hard to read. They say they’re fine, but they aren’t. Maybe she’s just trying to be understanding, but deep inside, she also need