I tell her that Alison didn’t know who I was to Austin. That she thought I was an ex of his from before they got together. I tell her that Alison and Austin met seven years ago in Charlotte, and they had a one-night stand.
I tell her that according to Alison, Austin had seemed really down the night they met, and he needed some comfort.
"And he sought comfort from another woman’s vagina? Man, fuck that guy. What a son of a bitch," she says with a hiss, before taking a sip.
"That’s not all," I say, standing to continue pacing her apartment with my margarita clasped firmly in my hands.
"Surely nothing can beat the fact that he had an affairsevenyears ago, and he only broke it off with you because she fell pregnant. If she never did, how long would he have waited before he told you, if ever?" She sits up straighter on her couch, her ass on the edge of it, taking another sip.
"Alison said he was upset because he had an argument with hisbrother,Jenna. His brother."I stop dead in my tracks, staring directly into her soft blue eyes, hoping she understands what I’m trying to say.
"He doesn’t have a brother," she replies, just as confused as I was when I first heard those words leave Alison’s mouth.
"Brother."
"No fucking way."
Leaping off the couch, she brings her hands up to cover her mouth as it hangs open, somehow managing to not spill a drop from her glass.
"That can’t be right. Does Harley not know his dad?" I shake my head.
"No, he said his dad took off when he found out his Mom was pregnant."
"What a scumbag," she spits, pacing alongside me, and I’m surprised we haven’t damaged her wooden floors with all the back and forth.
"Do you know for sure?" she asks, scooping up her margarita glass from the table.
"I just kind of assumed at first, but decided to go to Austin to find out the truth. I was with him last night for hours."
"You were with Austin last night?" She puffs air into her cheeks. "I’m going to need to sit down for this," Jenna replies as we both scull the leftovers in our glass before pouring fresh ones.
Taking a seat beside my best friend on the couch, I relay everything to her.
"Is Harley your brother?" I repeated my words, because it seemed like he hadn’t heard me the first time with the way his empty blue eyes had stared into mine.
Almost like there was no one home.
"Austin." I snapped my fingers in his face, bringing him out of his trance.
"Alison never knew his name," he confessed, clearly confused about how I’d figured it out. I’d spent fourteen years of my life with this man and had been spending all of my time lately with Harley.
I was able to put together the pieces from a single conversation with Alison.
"I figured it out," I said with caution, walking to the lone bench that the rooftop had, taking a seat.
"Is that why you hate him?" I asked, and he nodded, but didn’t say a word. "Did you ever love me, Austin? Or was it all just some ploy to get back at Harley for something he had no idea about and no control over?" I don’t know why I’d asked, but I had to get it off my chest.
I didn’t need closure from him anymore, but I couldn’t stop the words from spilling out of my mouth. I deserved to know if the last fourteen years of my life were a lie.
Letting out a long, shaky breath, he’s embarrassed as he sits down beside me, eyes still locked ahead of us.
"At first, no."
His honesty catches me off guard and I won’t lie. It hurt. I didn’t love him in that way anymore, but to hear him tell me our relationship started out of spite was hard.
"In high school, sure, I thought you were cute, but I never really cared to pay much attention to you in that way." He shrugged it off like it was no big deal, and I knew he felt like he had nothing to lose, so he wanted to let it all out. Like he’d been holding onto the truth for too long.
"The night before I asked you to prom, I heard my parents arguing. Mom found photos and articles of a young Harley in his football gear hidden in the top drawer of my dad’s office. Mom knew immediately. I guess she’d suspected it for a while, but she had no proof. Dad tried to deny it at first, but why else would he have kept articles of Harley’s accomplishments and photos of him growing up?" He sighs while running a hand through his hair.
