He dropped the water bottle and the coffee, which had to be one of the least offensive things to happen to this carpet in its lifetime.
“What the fuck?” He shook his head. “I’m way too hungover for this shit.”
I crowded in, not letting him move off the wall, and gathered the collar of his shirt in my fists. “Fuck you, Brody.”
“I’m obviously missing something here. Let’s go back to the—”
“You ruined everything last night with that stupid dare. You know she fucking loves you, right?”
That last sentence didn’t even faze him, and that pissed me off even more. His mouth lifted into a smirk, and he rolled his eyes. “What happened with you guys last night, anyway? I barely remember anything after the wedding.”
“She loves you and you dared me to marry her. Are you hearing me right now, you thick motherfucker? Do you know how fucked up that is? People aren’t just puppets for your entertainment.”
“Vera doesn’t love me like that.” But even he sounded barely convinced.
“Youknowthat’s not true. Not only that, but you are constantly taking advantage of that love. And now—”
“Oh my god,” he said.
I wanted to punch the damn smile off his face.
“Youlikeher.” He shook his head. “No, youloveher. No fucking way! You’re such a moody shit bag when she’s around.”
I’d wasted the last year. Not only did Vera think I hated her, but so did Brody, the least intuitive person I knew. “My feelings for her don’t matter. There’s no room for them.” I stepped back and finally let go of his shirt.
He slumped against the wall, smoothing out his collar. But he was silent, which meant he knew I was right. I didn’t even realize it was possible to weaponize incompetence until I’d met Brody. It encouraged Vera to either do everything for him or hold his hand like he was a child.
“You need to tell her,” he said. It was the last thing I expected to hear from him. But there was no fixing what I’d just done.
I shook my head and grabbed my stuff from the floor. Telling her would never make a difference.
“One day,” I said, “you’re going to wake up and realize she’s given you everything. Every part of herself. And she’ll hate you for it, because you just take and take and take.” I closed my eyes, my throat dry and aching from talking too much so soon after waking up. “Let her go,” I begged him. “Let her go before she has nothing left to give.”
Brody propped his elbows up on his knees and turned his head away from me, refusing to answer.
I went straight to the airport and took the first flight back to LA. I was moved out of my and Brody’s room before he could even make the drive back.
Then I called my mom. She helped me convince the family lawyer to handle this as quietly as possible without involving my father and to bill her directly. The only evidence was the album I’d stuffed into my backpack and couldn’t bring myself to throw away.
It was as if it never happened. A brief memory that walked the line between reality and fantasy. My marriage to Vera Stein.
Chapter Forty-Two
When I woke a few hours later, the decadent New Orleans hotel room was dark save for a sliver of sunlight peeking through the blackout curtains.
Featherlight touches twisted and curved over my shoulder and once my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I looked up to find Eli sitting up against the headboard, wearing wire-rimmed glasses and holding an e-reader in his free hand. I had curled into him with my head in his lap and my arm slung around his waist.
At my stirring, Eli set his tablet down and let his hand drift down my naked back. “You’re awake,” he said.
“You wear glasses.”
“Only under duress.”
“Did you get any sleep?” I asked though a yawn as I pulled the sheet up to my chin, suddenly remembering just how naked I was without my blinding lust as a distraction.
“I did,” he said. “But not as well as you did.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
