Page 40 of Lying Hearts

Chapter Twenty-Four

Brendan

The Air: promise of fog. My Head: mentally kicked for what I just did. Immediate promise to self: 2:00 a.m. will have me anywhere but here.

There’s something about that girl that makes me think things I don’t want to be thinking. I grab my phone and call Mark. He picks up after the first ring. “Hey.”

I come up on a couple people sleeping in bundled clothes on the sidewalk, and frown. “Aren’t you gone yet?”

“No flights until the morning. Fucking curfew.”

Stopping to open my wallet, I bend and slide a couple tens where they can find them when they wake up. “Does she know you’re coming?” The economy has been eating up the world. I can’t stand it.

“No way. I emailed back her friend though.”

“The one you had sex with.”

He’s obviously packing from the way he pauses several times like he’s distracted. “Right. And she says we have to handle this right. So, I’m deferring to her judgment. I’ll go to her place first.”

Since I’m walking back the way he and I came earlier that night, I see our usual haunts up just ahead. My feet pull me there like they knew that’s where I was headed all along. “She wants you to come to her place first? Wake up, man! You think this chick is really going to help you? You know she’s a woman, right?”

“You really need to work on your trust issues, B-man.”

I scoff, “I really need to keep living in reality, that’s what I really need to do. You go ahead. Run off to New York. Get yourself in the middle of this threesome and see who gets smashed. It’ll be you, my friend.”

“She’s not like that. She’s... Forget it. Hey. What happened with Strawberry?”

I stop just outside the window of Knockout. Teri sees me from where she’s sitting inside, and waves. I nod my chin to her.

“I’m not interested.”

Mark doesn’t say anything for a second and I wait, looking around. There are still plenty of people out. They’re keeping the fog at bay, but it’ll be coming later when the place clears out.

“What’s your problem?”

“Brendan, when are you going to let someone in?”

“Oh come on! Did you grow a vagina when I wasn’t looking?” Even as I say it, I’m listening too intently to his meaning.

He doesn’t acknowledge my vagina comment. “Look I’m going to be gone first thing in the morning. And if you come home tonight, I will be very disappointed. I expect to see your bed not slept in and empty when I leave.”

“What, you don’t want me to bring her home, so you have proof?”

He chuckles. “No, I want you to go to her place so I don’t have to hear you crying when she turns you into mush.”

“Hardyfuckinghar. Like that would ever happen.” It’s unnerving how much I wish I was back at Le Barré right now. I’m not happy.

Teri taps on the window with her nails. I hold my hand up, give me a second.

“I’ll see you next week.” Mark says.

“Wait, what?”

“The art show is this weekend, remember? The investors are meeting me there. So I’m staying through the weekend. Just going early, that’s all.”

I stare at Teri as she turns and heads back to straddle a bar stool in a very sexy way. “Oh. Yeah. I forgot. Okay, see you next week.”

“Now go get her.”

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