“Hey, Riss,” I say, my voice slower and heavier than usual.
She sighs. “It’s as bad as he said, huh?”
“Who?”
“Ollie.”
I take another drink. The ice cubes clink in the glass.
“Are you drinking?” she asks.
“Yup.”
“Oh. Grand. This should be fun.”
I chuckle. “What do you want, you little pain in my ass?”
“I want to offer my services.”
“Um …”
“Oh, no! Not like that. Ew. Gross. No. Forget I said that.” She gags on the other end for my amusement. “What I meant was that I’m calling to see if you need a female brain to help make your man brain work.”
“My man brain works just fine, thank you very much.”
“Eh,” she says. “I’m voting no on that.”
I stand and head to the counter. The bourbon is still sitting next to the ticket stubs from Coy’s concert and the gummy bear wrapper Blaire finished off last night.
I pick up the tickets and hold them in my hands.
I’m taken back to that night with Blaire and my family. I was so nervous about taking her around my brothers. Every time I pictured it in my head, they’d say something stupid, and she’d be offended. Or she’d realize my mother has been trying to marry me off for the pastten years and bail. But then I realized I didn’t want to go without her.
I was so damn proud to be there with her, to show her off to my parents and brothers. And not because she was some kind of physical trophy, although she was a knockout in that tight black shirt, but because she was classy and smart.And just for that night, she was mine.
She was there with me as a man she met in the airport. She didn’t give a shit about my money or what my last name means here or that Coy was my brother—hell, she didn’t even know. She was just attending an event with a guy who she deemed worthy of being with.
Me.
My spirits fall.
“Okay, so, Oliver said that you’re all messed up today. Wanna talk about it?” Riss asks.
“No, I don’t wanna talk about it. I want to go drink some more and try to forget it.”
“Big mistake, buddy.”
“It was a big mistake to answer your call.”
I pour myself a drink and wonder if I can hang up on her. I don’t because she’d just show up at my house and let herself in.
She’s done it before.
“Blaire left,” I say.
It comes out harsh and cold, but I don’t know how to make it sound less blunt.
Riss sucks in a deep breath that doesn’t go unnoticed by me. “Well, this puts things in perspective.”
