“You taking a night off?”
“Trying to.” Silas sits and accepts the wine Tania hands him.
Dinner is the chef’s roasted chicken with vegetables. We pass dishes, fill plates, and fall into easy conversation.
Ben tells us about work, Tania talks about a new exhibition, and Callum interrupts with questions.
Silas refills Tania’s wine before she even reaches for it. I pass her the bread basket before she asks. Callum steals a roasted potato off her plate. She pretends to stab his hand with her fork.He grins and does it again. She threatens to stab him for real next time. He laughs and actually stops.
Small things. Things couples tend to do.
Ben is watching. I see it in my peripheral vision. His eyes track the interactions and catalog every small gesture.
He leans back in his chair, wine glass in hand. “You guys are all so… domestic.”
Tania looks up. “Domestic?”
“I don’t know. Comfortable.” He waves a hand dismissively. “Like you’ve been doing this for years, not nearly two months.”
Callum grins. “She’s easy to live with, unlike you in college. Remember that night on the yacht when you?—”
“We agreed never to talk about that,” Ben cuts him off.
Callum chuckles and takes a drink of his beer.
But Ben’s still watching. I feel his attention shift from Callum to me. To Silas. Back to Tania.
Noticing things.
Like how she’s sitting between Callum and me. How Silas’s hand rests on the back of her chair when he walks past to get more wine. How she teases Callum without hesitation.
I’m trying to be careful with every movement, but Ben’s watching closely, and I don’t know what he sees.
We clear the plates together. Tania and I end up at the sink while Ben sits at the counter.
“If I walked in right now, not knowing about the arrangement?” He shakes his head. “I’d buy it completely.”
The kitchen goes quiet. Tania’s hands are still in the soapy water.
I force a laugh and make it sound natural. “That’s kind of the point, man.”
“Right.” He takes a drink. “Don’t forget itisan arrangement,” he continues, lighter now, like he’s joking. But there’s an edgeunderneath. “You’re supposed to be convincing other people, not yourselves.”
Tania rinses a plate, her focus firmly on the sink.
Every muscle in my body tightens. I thought I was being careful. I guess not.
Silas smoothly changes the conversation, asking Ben about a deal he’s working on—some real estate thing in Brooklyn. Ben tells us about the deal enthusiastically, and the tension eases before we all move to the living room.
But the words stay with me.You’re supposed to be convincing other people, not yourselves.
Of course I feel guilty, and I should feel worse about this than I do. But nobody’s cheating. We’re both consenting adults. And I haven’t fucked her.
Ben leaves around nine. He hugs Tania one more time and heads for the elevator. The door closes, and the penthouse goes quiet.
Callum and Silas both head to their rooms. And I’m alone with Tania.
I take her hand. “Come on. We’re going swimming.”
