Chad heard June's giggle well before the front door swung open and her silhouette shimmied into the lounge. "Maybe Chad's not home yet," she was saying to someone walking in after her.

Chad shot up, roused into action, an action that gave June quite a fright. Such a fright in fact that she let out a shrill scream before turning on the lights.

"Jesus, Chad. What are you doing in the dark?" She closed the door behind her guest. Chad recognised the barista from the café, the one who had leered at June's mile-long legs.

His eyes darted from June to her 'friend' and back to June again.

"What are you doing sitting in the dark?" she asked again, stepping closer. He could smell the scent of coffee wafting off her. "You okay?" She stepped closer still, eyeing the kitchen and the many bags still sitting on the floor, untouched.

"I was making us dinner," he spoke and his voice cracked husky for this was the first he'd spoken since calling Terry.

"I'm eating out with the guys from work." She eyed the groceries with a guilty look. "We thought we'd grab drinks and food at a pub. Get to know each other a bit."

Chad eyed her friend again, his shoulder slouching involuntarily.

"You can come with us if you like?" she added quickly. "I mean you have to eat too and I'm sure it'd be fine with Ben."

"Ben?"

"Our manager," his uninvited guest volunteered. "He's meeting us at the pub."

June nodded. "I accidentally spilled coffee all over myself today. Lin gave me a lift home so I can change."

"I don't know." Chad hesitated. He wanted to go because he didn't quite trust Lin or this boss of theirs, Ben, but he didn't want to be a pesky tagalong either, the unwelcomed third, or fourth wheel in this case.

"What's wrong?" June stepped closer, eyeing him studiously.

He shook his head and smiled. "Just work stuff, you know. Nothing you need to worry about." He turned to Lin and saw the man agree with a nod.

"Well, you're welcome to join us," she repeated, finally heading for the stairs.

Chad glanced at the kitchen, at the cold oven, and then to Lin. "I am hungry."

"It's settled then. Get ready and we can go." She smiled sweetly from the steps. Chad could tell she was being courteous, and he should have declined, ordered home delivery and spent some time with his friend and ally, Bridget. It was June's first time out with work folks and he should let her have the night to herself without sticking his twiggy neck in the middle. But he also didn't want to be home alone tonight.

"I'm already ready." He stepped into the light of the lounge proper and sure enough he was still in his polo and Chino from the day.

"Great! Give me a few." She ran up the stairs and the boys awkwardly stared at each other with half crooked smiles.

"She's a lovely girl," Lin said nervously and Chad suddenly felt like a chaperone, or worse, her brother. Her protective brother tagging along because mummy asked him to. This is what the friend zone feels like. I'm officially in the friend zone if I go tonight.

'You want to stay home and worry about what Cassie might do to June instead? All night?' Jo's cynically sweet voice mocked him next, and Chad pursed his lips and swayed on his heels. Lin had no idea what was going on in his head, which was good.

"Yeah, she is." Chad reached for his wallet and keys, checked the back door and finally introduced himself to his guest. "I'm Chad. June's...flatmate," the word flatmate tied his tongue, and he had a hard time pronouncing it. Here he was, hours after realising June was perhaps more than a 'flatmate', and now he was about to join her friends as a 'friend or flatmate'. Things couldn't get worse today, could they?

Lin jumped forward and shook Chad's hand firmly.

"Wow, you work out?" Chad flexed his palm afterwards.

Lin laughed. "I do mix martial arts. Keeps me fit."

"And lethal, I bet." Chad smiled nervously.

Lin laughed as June joined them. "Who's lethal?" she questioned.

"I've hurt no one on purpose." Lin shook his head, stepping aside for her.

"Shall we go?" she asked, eager to get a move on.

"After you," Chad said as he followed her lead. "But you could be lethal," he muttered as the two walked ahead to Lin's car. He checked the door thrice before he followed them. "I hope you don't karate chop me for joining you uninvited, Lin."

"It's only a pub." Lin pulled the car out onto the road and Chad sat back, watching the sidewalk. When he thought he saw a figure that resembled a particular petite woman, he did a double-take, only to realise it was some blond kid on a bike, riding home.

"You okay, Chad? You seem a little jumpy?" Lin eyed him in the rear-view mirror.

"Yeah, nothing a good meal and sleep won't fix. Stress from work is getting to me and I may be seeing things." He laughed, hoping to sound casual.

"What do you do?" Lin fired the question. Obviously, he was as curious about Chad as Chad was about him. The war of the male species over the only female in their herd had begun. Let the best man win!

Chad scrambled for an idea, some lie he could make up something Lin could buy when June chimed in. "Chad's a writer."

DAMN. That was the last thing he would have said. Maybe an accountant, or a real estate broker, or something regular, but not writing. He had after all never asked her to keep his work a secret.

"A writer? What do you write? Anything I might have read?" Lin smiled ear to ear, glancing back at Chad for once. Status quo was on Chad's side now, but at what cost?

"Oh, nothing fancy." Chad blushed.

"Pish, posh." She waved him off, and it astounded Chad that anyone young said 'pish, posh,' like the good old days. "Chad's a bestselling author. You should grab his autograph or two tonight and keep it safe for a rainy day."

Chad laughed nervously in the backseat. "I'm not that popular. Most people don't even know who I am."

"That's because you write under a pseudonym." She giggled. She was not letting this go. He should have had that chat with her about his valued anonymity a long time ago, but this was not the time.

"What's your pseudonym?" Lin grinned, thrilled to have a celebrity in his back seat for once. At least that's what it felt like to Chad. Suddenly he'd gone from being the guy who was the third wheel to one of high interest.

"Zachary Eve," Chad finally resigned and answered thinking here we go, this guy has no clue who I am, thank God. Instead, he swore Lin did a double-take on the mirror, face flushed with shock, and trying to hide it well. Lin knew the name. He was a rare male who knew Chad's alter ego, the better ego.

"I bet you've never heard of it," Chad asked, leaning forward with interest. He was wildly curious to see if Lin would admit to knowing that name. Something told him Lin didn't just know Zachary Eve, he might have read a book or two and enjoyed it.

Lin shook his head. "No. I mean I might have heard the name from my sisters, you know, for gifts and stuff, but no." Lin pulled into a parking spot on the side of the road outside the pub, continuing his effort to appear completely blasé about it.

"I'd never heard of him before I met Chad, and then months later I find out I'm living with someone most girls would die to meet," June added in excitement, the glee in her eyes told Chad that she was enjoying sharing this part of her life with her new friends. To use it to form bonds and Chad couldn't very well take that away from her. If he were in her shoes, he'd probably do the same thing while bonding, trying to find her herd.

"You haven't read his books?" Lin asked as they got out of the car.

"Not before I moved in. But now I'm waiting to read his next work." June beamed at Chad. "You're so good, Chad, have I told you that?"

Chad shook his head, following the two towards the pub. "No, June. You haven't."

June smiled widely. "Well, you are. Now hurry and finish the next book, because I very much would like to read it."

Or you might not, he thought with a smile.

"Do you get to read it before anyone else?" Lin asked of June, before swivelling quickly back to Chad. The man had killer reflexes all right. "Does anyone get to read your work before it's published?"

"No. No one except my editor." Chad shook his head. "I had this girlfriend once who used to insist on reading, and I used to let her. I was in love, but it wasn't a good idea. One of my plots got leaked months before it came out and Terry wasn't happy."

"Terry's his editor," June added upon seeing the question on Lin's face. That's when June's phone rang and Chad was glad of the interruption. "Oh, it's Ben," she answered it, quickly heading for the pub door. "Yeah, we're here, we're here."

As Chad reached for the door, Lin stepped in his way, a grin so wide Chad felt uncomfortable looking at the young man's face. Lin leaned in and whispered in Chad's ear. "I'm a huge fan. Huge!" Lin winked at him and headed in as happy as one can be, and suddenly the wink and the word 'huge' rang differently in Chad's head. Was Lin? No, he couldn't be. "Please, don't tell anyone," he added, perhaps because Chad looked like he was about to tell.

"Don't tell anyone what?" June inquired, looking at the two, whispering.

"Lin's sisters would love an autograph each and he was too shy to ask." Chad smiled at the younger man, who smiled back as a 'thank you'.

"Shall we?" She started heading in.

Chad hung back a moment, watching the two walk into the pub. This time not feeling threatened or jealous. Lin was not a threat.

♡

Once inside, Chad struggled to find the two in the smoky air courtesy of many human chimneys they passed. He hoped they weren't in the smoking area. That's when he saw the human embodiment of all his hunky male lead, Ben, in a booth, in the far corner of the beer garden where June sat beside him.

BEN.

This was a man who threatened every pore Chad possessed. The man with the mane! The mane was out in full glory tonight, along with a fresh slim-fit shirt spelling out every contour, every line of his immaculate body, thanks to the hours in a gym no doubt. To top it off, Ben also came with a charming smile, a smile that deflated Chad's quivering, threatened heart. Ben was a man his heroines fell in love with: the look, the body and the hair...everything. June stood no chance, and Chad couldn't bear the idea. June and Ben, sitting in a tree, K. I. S. S. I. N. G.

Moments after this disarming thought, Chad discovered much to his dismay that Ben was also the co-owner of the hipster establishment where June now worked. Meaning, Ben was also financially secure. Another point to BEN.

Chad was out of his depth, that was for sure. It was one thing to imagine gorgeous characters that could make any woman swoon and fall into the man's arms. It was an entirely unique phenomenon to see one in the flesh, breathing, smiling, flirting... Flirting!

He could see it already, the invisible sparks flying between the Demi-God, and June as she leaned in closer, as her laughter echoed softly. Her cheeks flushed red and her eyes sparkled even in the dim lighting. She was falling in love, and it wasn't with him, but this God, Ben.

"Hope you guys dance." Ben turned to Chad as their pizza, chips and beers arrived. Ben eyed the couples already on the dance floor. "Tonight is salsa night. Live DJ. The floor gets wild after nine."

Chad shook his head. No, he was not a dancer. He couldn't remember the last time he'd danced. He had not been blessed with rhythm, and he envied men who could do it with ease. Tom. Now that was a man who could dance, and he bet Jo got a lot more action in bed because of that. That thought too made Chad shiver. Poor Jo, pregnant and panicking because of the swoon-worthy skills Tom possessed.

"You don't dance?" Ben stared at him.

"Not unless I'm getting married. Even then I'd have to be forced." Chad managed a slight smile and dived into his slice.

Lin laughed. "You're not married yet?"

Yet? Gee, did he really look that much older? "Oh, I got close once," he began, awkwardly. "Does that count?"

"That's not what I meant." Lin touched Chad's arm apologetic, and he wasn't sure how to feel about the intimacy. "I mean, how is it that Zachary Eve is not taken?"

"Zachary Eve?" Ben quizzed, his brows rising high as he spun his empty schooner in his hand.

"Chad's an author!" Lin almost squealed, his macho physique clashing violently with his excitement. "He's got like ten best-selling novels or something."

Lin beamed at Chad, picking up his schooner of beer before realising he was fawning like a fan-girl. He slumped back as casually as he could after that. "I mean, so I've heard. My sisters keep waiting for his next book to come out. They've been reading his works since high school."

Ben nodded, not in the least bit interested. So Chad was a writer. It was nothing compared to his manly charms, obviously. "So you write chick flicks?"

"Chick Lit is the term they throw around," Chad corrected. "And I'd like to think I write literature of high interest to women. Women's fiction, if you will."

Ben's smile barely reached his eyes. "So June?" he asked, eyes still on Chad, "How do you two know each other?"

June stumbled for an answer. She was not about to tell him the truth. She was trying to come up with something other than 'Chad saved me from the streets' because it would make her sound like Julia Roberts's character in Pretty Woman, which she wasn't. She wasn't a hooker, and Chad wasn't exactly a charming millionaire wanting sexy time.

"We met at the Sydney Writer's festival a few years back," Chad volunteered, glad to see her relax. "A friend dragged there her, I believe." It was a slightly different version of the story she had once told to cover his ass. It was the least he could do. "And when she moved to Sydney for Uni, I offered her a place to stay till she figures out what she wants to do or where she wants to live." Chad glanced at June, worried how that last bit sounded. "Or stay. It's up to her."

Ben's gaze shot to June. "What?"

Chad smiled. Ben hadn't known June lived with him. Ah, sweet, sweet mercy. One point to Chad. The game continues.

"We're flatmates, pretty much," June quickly recovered. "Not that Chad takes rent money from me, yet."

"And I don't intend to," he fired back, offended. "I'm happy to have the company."

"Company?" Ben asked, obviously dubious of Chad and his motives, in case 'company' was code for something else entirely.

"Shall I get us another round of drinks?" Lin interjected, trying to get Chad's back, or rather distract. "The previous one was piss weak."

"Yeah, sounds good," Chad chimed in, eyes riveted on Ben's worried face. He slipped out of the booth after Lin with a smile. "This rounds on me. What does everyone want?"

"A margarita," June piped, thankful for the change in topic.

♡

"To June!" Ben pulled her closer to him by the waist and held up his beer. "Whose smile and sense of humour have brought an extra something to work."

"To June!" They cheered and chugged.

Moments later, shots of tequila Lin had ordered flowed. Chad looked at June to gauge her drunkenness. "Shall we head home, June?" He watched her lean her head on Ben's shoulder, almost asleep.

"Oh no, no, no." Ben nudged her up, "We have to hit the dance floor." He pulled her out of the booth, saying, "How about I drop you off later? Chad can go home if he wants."

June took a while to answer. Chad could see her hesitate. She wasn't that kind of girl. She wasn't comfortable enough to go home with Ben yet. "I have a shift tomorrow," she managed.

Ben laughed, "I'll get Dot to cover it."

Chad slipped out of the booth after them, "I guess I could stand on the dance floor for a bit."

June slipped her hand away from Ben's and pulled Chad to the dance floor with her. "You're my saviour, Chad Gilligan. I don't know where I'd be without you. Maybe like Bax, splat on the side of the road," she murmured in his ear as the moving amoeba of the dance floor swallowed them, leaving Ben stumped.

She looked like she was about to say something else profound, but bit her bottom lip instead. "I also wanted to thank you, for everything, for giving me my life back."

She lunged herself at him, hugging him tightly around the neck. "I'll be your pretend girlfriend whenever you need." She kissed Chad's cheek and patted his chest before turning around and joining Ben on the edge of the floor. Soon, the swooning, thrusting hips that belonged to Ben whisked her up and into the throng of people.

Chad could barely see them anymore. Just as well. If he had to watch Ben gyrate to the music and into June's hips, he'd rather go home. He turned around with that intention and said to Lin, "I think I better go."

"What? Why?" Lin genuinely sounded disappointed.

"Two left-feet," Chad yelled over the music, as they spotted Ben and June now and then in the crowd. Was that kissing he saw? Were they kissing?

Chad watched the dance floor with abated breath, jealousy rumbling in his tight chest. June waved at them with a grin before Ben made her disappear again. He did not need to see this part of her life. Or be jealous. No, he needed to get away before he marched himself into the crowd and attempted to out-woo Ben, which was near impossible to do.

"Can you make sure she gets home safe?" he yelled at Lin over the noise.

Lin nodded. "Will do!" He playfully displayed a karate chop. It made Chad laugh.

"Say hi to your sisters for me." Chad thumped Lin's back and walked away before he was tempted to stare at June lip-locked with Ben again.

"It was nice to meet you." He heard Lin scream over the top of the music as he left.

Chad waved back over his shoulder. Nice to meet you too.

(Image by Thomas Schroeder on Pixabay)