My jaw tenses up as I clench my teeth, the pressure painful at all the pressure points.
“I never said Zara was trash.”
“You thought she was after my money. And even if she was,” he chuckles. “What business of yours was it? It’s my money.”
My mouth drops open in shock. “But what if I was right and she was just using you for money? Why wouldn’t you want your friends to warn you off her?”
“You’re the only friend who thought that!” He raises his voice at me, frustration now obvious in his tone. “And you’re deflecting now only because you don’t wanna deal with the fact that your father was wrong for raising you with the belief that you shouldn’t ever let a woman close to you.”
“My father,” I start.
“Your father lost the plot because he ended up with a money hungry bitch. And he drilled into your head that you shouldn’t trust anyone of the opposite sex. Where does that leave you then?”
I have no idea what he’s asking me. “What do you mean?”
“Where does that leave you?” he repeats. “You just want to be alone for the rest of your life? Maybe start paying for sex whenever you feel like fucking until you can’t get it up anymore? What is the plan here?”
I pull at my hair, understanding what he’s saying. I will end up alone and miserable, regretting every single decision I made in my life. They all have a partner to share everything with, and they seem to be happy. It’s a feeling that I just can’t grasp.
“Mark my words, brother.” Kyle’s voice penetrates through the fog shrouding my brain. “Mona will end up meeting someone who will truly appreciate her for who she is and not just because she gives good head.”
I see red, and if he was in front of me, I’d punch his lights out.
“Not that I know what kind of head she gives,” Kyle rushes to say as if he can read my thoughts. “But there will come a time when she decides that it’s time to let go of you because she will understand what it means to be loved and appreciated by someone else.”
Bile rises to the back of my throat the more he speaks. I put set the phone down and try to focus on my breathing. I haven’t thrown up since I was in college and drank too much. Kyle’s words have the same effect on me right now. I am sick to my stomach at the thought of Mona moving on with anyone other than me.
“You okay over there, man?” Kyle’s voice comes to me like in a dream. Actually, it’s more like a nightmare, especially with the scenario he created out of thin air.
I pick the phone back up. “I don’t know what to do.” My voice doesn’t sound like my own.
“I’ll help you.” Kyle sounds almost too eager for comfort. “But if you end up being an ass to her again, I will never speak to you again.”
I roll my eyes at how dramatic he sounds.
“Okay, I’ll speak to you again, but I’ll definitely enjoy seeing you miserable.”
I try to laugh, but it’s a hollow sound. There’s a bitter taste in my mouth, and I suddenly feel very tired.
“Make sure you have a solid plan,” I retort. “Help me not fuck up. You’re the brains of this operation.”
“That’s a lot of responsibility,” he declares. “But I am up for the challenge.”
“Kyle?” Zara’s voice suddenly comes over the line. “Who are you talking to this late?”
“Alex called. He’s having woman problems, so he called me for advice. Did I wake you? I got a little carried away and was loud. I’m sorry…”
He puts the phone away, and while I can still hear them, the sound is now muffled. It is obvious though that they’re having a moment, and I feel guilty for being a witness to it.
I disconnect the call and put the phone down, knowing that Kyle won’t even notice that I hung up. He is so in love with Zara that a train could run through the other side of his house, and he wouldn’t know it while she was in his arms.
I don’t understand that level of obsession with a woman.
Women are the devil, son, my father used to say on repeat.Don’t ever let one lead you by the balls like your mother did to me.
While his message is still on a constant feed in my head, I now have my friend’s assessment of the situation as well.
He programmed you to hate women, Kyle said of my father.
