“I-Your-” He brushes past me and takes a water bottle from the fridge, downing it in one gulp.
I eyed him conspicuously. “Where have you been all night?”
Still downing the water until the last drop, he swipes his mouth with the back of his hand before saying, “None of your damn business.”
“Technically, it is. But I know you're upset if y-”
“Upset? No, I’m fucking livid. You literally would sit on the phone and pretend.” I see spit fly off his lips.. “Pretend you were having a full-blown conversation with your mom right in front of me. And the whole damn time, your mom wasn’t even on the phone!.”
“I wasn’t trying to complicate things, she’s nosey as you can see. But I never expected her to fly down here, not without me knowing anyway. She’s never done that.”
But that just goes to show how well I know my mom anymore and how much she’s changed. We used to tell each other everything. Now, we are familiar strangers, it seems like
“She didn’t have to. This is the first time you’re away from mommy.”
“That’s not fair.”
“No, what’s not fair is I’m the only one who looked like an ass when she showed up.”
I grabbed him by his hands. “Look, I'm sorry, okay. And I’m sorry she-”\
“She what? Called me trash? Told me I wasn't good enough for you since I’m not a multi-millionaire.”
Wait, was that what he was really upset about? That my mom didn’t approve of him and our fake marriage?
“Nick, you’re not trash.”
“Don’t act like you don’t agree. I see right past that bullshit. Let’s not forget what you called me when you first met me.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Me? What about you? You weren’t exactly Prince Charming when I met you.”
“Ya, I wonder why. You were a straight-up bitch to me, when I tried to apologize on behalf of my idiot friend, just because I was in the military..”
His words slapped me across the face, making me feel small. He had a point, I was nasty to him, just like my mom, but I felt different now. Like I was falling, and I could only pray someone would catch me when I fell.
He opens the pantry and pretends like he’s looking for something. That’s it, I was done playing games and receiving the cold shoulder. I was trying to be real with him, but all he wanted to do was be mad at me and cover his true feelings up.
“Fine, you want to be pissed at me and hate me, go ahead. You should be happy to know I’m going away for a while.”
I see his knuckles turn white as he grips the doorknob tightly.
“I have to go help my mom out.”
“Help her do what?” He grits out, turning around to face me. “Are you getting an annulment?”
“Is that what you want?” I ask him.
“No,” he says so quickly, it gives me whiplash.
“Are you sure? Because you sure don’t act like you like me right now.”
“I’m pissed. Aren’t you the one who says married couples fight? Well, this is us fighting. I don’t like liars, and I don’t like it when you lie to me.” He slams a hand on his chest. “We are supposed to be honest with each other if this is going to work Mel.”
“What exactly are you talking about?”
“Our deal.” He nearly yells.
