Through the kitchen window, the street is starting to come alive. A jogger passes. A dog walker. Normal morning things happening in a normal world while mine quietly rearranges itself.
I don’t want to feel sorry for Vaughn. I don’t.
But I have to admit there is a tinge of something inside me that almost feels like sympathy. I think about having been used to being the center of your parents’ attention, and then being slowly erased by someone who didn’t even know they were doing it.
“There was just so much focus on Archibald,” Elizabeth continues. “All these expectations, which I suppose goes along with the kind of gifts he has. But I’m not surprised this has happened, to be honest. That Archibald has walked away from it all.”
She meets my gaze. “Has he talked to you about it?”
I feel like the biggest fraud in the world. She’s telling me about Archie’s family like I’m someone who deserves to know, like I’m his real boyfriend.
Not a man who came into his life through an act of revenge against his brother.
“No, he hasn’t really opened up much about it,” I say honestly.
“I’m not surprised. He’s always been a closed book about his emotions. The only person he ever really opened up to fully was Vaughn.”
Something tightens in my chest. “And that changed?”
“Yes, that changed. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I do know they stopped speaking even before Archibald’s rupture with his parents.”
I think back to what I knew of Vaughn. Before he’d stolen my idea, he’d seemed like a good guy. He’d been a little slick, a little preppy, but something else about him had drawn me to him. He’d had a good sense of humor. But there also seemed to be a vulnerable edge to him that he hid behind his bravado, traces of authenticity that came out in small moments, making him seem different from the other guys on our team.
Maybe that was what I’d struggled with the most about his betrayal after he stole my idea. That I couldn’t trust my instincts about people.
It’s one thing I’d prided myself on as a poor kid going through a rich education system. At least I had street smarts compared to these guys. I could read people better.
But Vaughn had proved it was just a myth.
Because I’d gotten him so, so wrong.
Elizabeth is now telling me there was more to Vaughn than I realized.
“It must have been hard on Archie to lose that,” I say.
Elizabeth regards me seriously. “I think the last year has been incredibly tough on him, even though he might try to hide it. But he seems happy with you, which is reassuring.”
“I’ve only met a few previous boyfriends of his, but things between you seem…different.”
My stomach hollows. “Different in what way?”
Has she realized our relationship is fake? But she’d accuse me of that plainly, wouldn’t she? Elizabeth is a straight shooter.
I make myself meet her eyes, and find she’s studying me thoughtfully. “Archibald seems to have always attracted men who wanted the reflected glory of his genius or men with agendas who thought a relationship with him would enhance their reputation. And Archibald…well, to be frankly honest, he ran rings around both of those types. But you don’t seem to fit into either category.”
Men with agendas.
I pick up my cup of tea so I have something to do with my hands.
“He seems…happier with you than with any of the previous boyfriends.” There’s something suspicious in her tone, almost like she’s not sure about whether that’s a good thing or not.
I don’t know what to make of that fact.
Is Archie happier with me? Is it just because this is a fake relationship, not a real one, so he’s not as invested? Is he happy because he’s just playing the part of the pretend boyfriend, where he can subtly taunt me and have fun?
Or is there something else there?
Because I can’t help thinking about the ways Archie is making me happier than I’ve ever been. The way we seem to fit together.
