Page 2 of House of Desire

I met Alec’s other half when we were costars on a reality TV show. The moment he decided to propose to Charlie, he called in reinforcements to make sure he bought her the perfect ring.

Unlike the guy who helped me, this woman does not sniff at his exclamation. Instead, her face softens as her thumb gently touches the ring decorating her left hand.

“I’d be happy to help you and your companions. And might I say, congratulations.” She directs this last bit to Courtney, Charlie’s best friend from childhood.

“Oh, no, I’m not her. I’m here to make sure he doesn’t fuck up,” she says with a large smile while I snort with laughter.

“Sorry, I should have been more clear. I’m Alec, and this is Courtney and Parker who are here for moral support,” Alec says, clapping me on the back.

“It’s nice to meet you all. Is there anything in particular you had in mind?” the woman behind the counter asks.

Alec and Courtney go over the various things they were hoping to see while I make my way around the cases. Diamonds are tucked into their soft, velvet beds. The light shines off the different jewels. I’m happy for Charlie and Alec and the love they’ve found. Yet, as I look at the rows and rows of rings, I’m almost angry.

All I see lining the cases are broken promises and all the days that were supposed to be lived with Brittany by my side. I don’t think about my ex-wife much anymore, but sometimes a memory makes its way from the ether and it’s like she’s left all over again.

“What’s your budget, Cowboy?” Courtney asks the ex-wrangler while eying one of the biggest diamonds I’ve seen in person.

On House of Deceit, our wranglers were a production assistant in charge of interviewing us for confessional footage and giving us a confidant to brainstorm strategy with. The hours Charlie and Alec spent together during filming led to an attraction neither of them could deny. And now here we are.

“Let me worry about that. You’re here to help me find the perfect ring.”

She leans over the glass with a critical eye while Alec looks at the two rings the woman has already pulled at his request. I make my way around the store, trying to tamp down my anger. Looking at slightly less traditional options, a particularly beautiful emerald ring with leaves twisting around the band catches my eye.

“What about this one?” I ask, pointing at it.

Courtney attempts to nudge me out of the way to see what I’m pointing to, her small stature no match for me once I set my feet just to annoy her.

“Move, you giant sequoia,” she says, putting her whole body weight against me.

“Make me, small fry,” I taunt, smiling down at her, my anger fading.

“Ugh, you are such an asshole! I’m gonna tell Charlie on you.” She grunts, trying to push me, and my anger fades. Courtney is one of my favorite people who has come into my life over the past few years, all thanks to being on the show.

“You can’t or you’ll ruin the surprise."

I consider moving away and letting her fall, something I know I’d pay for later once she came up with a suitable punishment, but I decide against it letting her edge me away from the display.

“Wow, that’s beautiful,” she says, squatting down to look at it from a different vantage point. “I’m not sure that’s the—” She sucks in a breath as her eyes snag on a ring slightly to the left. “Alec,” she whispers, calling him over.

She simply points to a ring as he squats next to her.

“Can I see this one?” he says, the associate following him around the store.

Unlocking the case, she reaches in and pulls it from its place and as she sets it on the black cushion for us to look at it, I know it’s the one.

The ring looks like a flower with a sapphire in the middle, the exact shade of Charlie’s eyes. The petals surrounding the stone are covered in diamonds that continue down the band.

Alec’s eyes brim with tears as he tells the woman it’s the one, while painful memories eat away at me.

The therapist’s office feels like I’m in the interview room with my wrangler from House of Deceit, once more.

Minus the camera.

As always, I make my way to the leather chair. I never sit on the couch. The couch makes this feel too personal. Plus, I never know if I’m supposed to lie down on it or not.

It took Charlie suggesting therapy a few times once we were back in the real world before I finally found myself here.

Sharon shuts the door behind her, setting her usual tea on the table next to her chair. The dark gold of her dress pops against her brown skin. Bracelets on her arm jingle as she readies her pen and crosses her legs. She’s a few decades my senior. Her nurturing air combined with her no-bullshit attitude reminds me of my mother in a way that makes me able to talk to her.

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