The shouts of the crowd grow fuzzy, and all I can see is Rex and I moving around each other, and it definitely isn’t ideal conditions, but at least he’s talking to me again. Surely after this, I can convince him to grab a beer with me later.
Another hit to the jaw that makes my teeth knock together painfully.
Then maybe I could introduce him to Julian and Freya—once I get them back of course. Which I will.
My steps are stumbling as I block a hit from Rex before trying to throw another while he also blocks.
He laughs maniacally. “You better not fall, Chopper.”
“Me?” I ask with a smile. “I never lose, Chunks.”
I throw another punch, which he blocks. For a while, the pain in my face is numbed by the fact that this is almost, in a very sick way, fun.
Then just as I start planning my fall and figuring out exactlyhow I’m going to go down, I watch as a very harsh punch flies across Rex’s face, making his nose bleed with the impact.
There’s an audible gasp among the crowd, mostly because that punch didn’t come from me.
Rule #36: Be honest with your mother. She might surprise you.
Freya
“Is everything okay, honey?” my mom asks as she emergesfrom the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel. I’ve been a wreck since leaving Julian’s apartment last night.
After coming back to the hotel with my mom, we talked for a bit before she claimed her jet lag was so bad she needed to go to sleep. But sleep was out of the question for me, so I ran straight to Amelia’s and cried on her couch until passing out.
Today, I pulled it together enough to take my mom sightseeing, but everything felt so hollow and empty. I just missed them every moment of the day, and the words I need to utter to my mom have been on the tip of my tongue from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre.
That and regret.So much regret.
How could I have said those things to them? I was just caught up in the moment. The shock of seeing my mom messed with my head, but since sitting here with time to relive it all, I’m filled with shame.
Was I too hard on Julian? Should I have stayed for Archer? Did I run away too quickly? Do they even still want me?
“Freya,” my mom calls, pulling me out of my own head.
I glance up at her with expectation.
“You’ve been off all day, beti. Is everything okay?”
It’s now or never. The opportunity is right in front of me, and if I don’t take it, then maybe Julian was right to be mad at me.
“No, Maa,” I mumble as I move onto my knees, wringing my hands in my lap. My fingers twist around the emerald necklace hanging from my neck. “There’s something I need to tell you, and I’m sorry if this makes you upset or ruins your trip here.”
“You’re worrying me.”
I cover my face with my hands, wishing the world would just swallow me whole right now. “I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed.”
“You can tell me anything, Freya. You know that.”
Oh God, this is awful. Why is this so hard? Surely, people have done far harder things in their lives. I moved to Paris alone. I built a restaurant from the floor up. Ihad sexon the Métro.
I can tell my mom that I’m in a loving relationship with two men.
After a deep breath, I muster all the courage I have, and I come out with it.
“Six months ago, I got stuck on an elevator with the two men you met back at Julian’s apartment. We became fast friends, and then we quickly became more.” For the first time since she came out of the shower, I look into her eyes. “I am in a relationship with both of them. We are all in a relationship together.”
Her expression is blank for a moment, and I fear the worst. What if my sweet, forgiving mother has a dark, hateful side and I’m about to see it for the first time?
