It says a lot that the mask’s the first thing he mentions—not my unzipped pants or my stiff, condom-covered cock. And there’s no shock on his face, at all.
“You know who I am?” I pull off the condom, and throw it in the disposal bin. Fuck me, but I’m still aching.
For the woman.
For her.
For…Twyla.
Twyla?
My brain’s a scrambled mess of questions and regrets and—fuck—need. Need that’s pounding and aching and telling me to go out there and find her—now.
“Sure, man.” Benji half-shrugs, slow and friendly, and I don’t care how easygoing he is, I want him to hurry up and finish his sentence so I can move. He glances back and lowers his voice. “You’re kinda famous.”
My muttered “goddamn it” only makes him laugh.
“We all love you, bro. I mean, I get why you’re incognito. Nobody talks about you outside of camp.” His grin’s huge. “You’re our best kept secret.”
Great. Just great. Not only have I been deluding myself all these years, but apparently now, my goddamnwifecomes to camp? My very vanilla wife.
“The woman,” I say, straightening my clothes, rushed and frantic and nothing like myself. “You seen her before? You know her?”
“Don’t know her.”
“Where’s she staying?”
He shakes his head. “We don’t disclose that, man. The Hole’s anonymous. You know that.”
I know it. I fucking do, but she’s my wife. Mywife.
“You’re right. I’ve got to, uh…” When I turn around for my mask, my foot nudges something. It’s a shoe. Just one.
I bend and grab it, which Benji clearly notices. He doesn’t comment.
“All right, man.” I slide my mask on, doing my best to sound calm and not totally frenzied. “I’ll see you around.”
“Count on it,” says Benji, smirking at the shoe. “Prince Charming.”
I flip him off on my way out, which only makes him laugh louder.
At the bar, I flag down Max. “Hey. That woman?” I try to keep the tension from my voice. “The one in room 5.”
“Yeah?”
“Who is she?”
“You serious?” Max shakes her head. “Come on, Zed. Not happening.”
I scan the room, eyes hopping nervously from one person to the next. Not her. Not her. Not my fucking wife. “Okay. Okay. But I… You see her? She still here?”
Max shakes her head. “She took off. Fast.”
“Goddamn it!”
Max shifts, looking wary for the first time since I’ve known her.
“I need to…” I look down at the shoe in my hand. “She left her…” I hold up the shoe, feeling like a total dick. What am I gonna do? Chase her down and see if the thing fits? “I need to find her,” I finally say to Max with way too much desperation.
