Page 259 of Call Me Baby 2: Side B

He keeps talking, but I keep hearing phantom elevator dings. My eyes are flicking to inside the penthouse every ten seconds. My heart’s slamming so hard my chest burns.

And suddenly, I want to throw up.

I try to take in a full breath.

He lied to you, I remind myself.

He went on a date with another girl.

He’s sleeping on fifty grand

with your panties up his nose,

two phones in his pocket,

and an arrest record from his past!

You don’t know this man, Allison.

He’s probably been lying since day one.

My chest starts heaving, sweat sliding down the back of my neck even though it’s the middle of December.

Maybe he’s not who I thought he was,

but…

I can’t hurt him.

I can’t⁠—

He can crush me,

lie to me six different ways,

but I can’t do this to him.

This will hurt him.

I think.

I glance at the clock.

3:26 a.m.

I glance back at Brandon, who’s stepping into the hot tub without his boxers. And all I can picture is the light in Andrew’s eyes,

dusk plunging into night.

Navy dimming,

dimming,

gone.

Fuck—“You gotta go.”

I set the wine bottle down,