Page 22 of A Constant Surprise

I didn’t know why I felt so jealous. Tyler and I weren’t anything more than friends. We couldn’t be.

The fact that Tess thought there was something going on between us was absurd. Yes, we fucked. But that’s it. We would never work as anything more. We were just too different.

I stayed in the tub until the water began to turn cold and my fingertips were wrinkled. Curiosity poked at me as I wondered what had happened with Marisol. I shouldn’t have cared, and I probably shouldn’t have even wanted to ask considering I kept my personal life under lock and key.

But I knew sleep wouldn’t come if I didn’t at least try to go get some answers.

So, I got out of the tub and threw on some yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt and headed downstairs.

Tyler was sitting back in the family room watching a basketball game and drinking a beer. I saw he had cleaned up his popcorn mess and had an unopened beer sitting on the table presumably for me.

His eyes slowly found mine. “Hey. Didn’t know if you were coming back down or not. Figured Tess scared you away.”

He handed me the beer.

“She was alright. Just a lot to take in all at once I guess.”

“Yeah, she’s a little much. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I tried to smile.

I sat down next to him and tried to watch the game and enjoy myself, but his sister’s words kept replaying in my head. “You’re just as in denial as he is, aren’t you?”

Denial over what? We had nothing.

Why did she have to show up today? Things were going so well.

Seconds later, he paused the tv.

“Okay, what’s wrong?”

I didn’t say that out loud, did I?

“Nothing. I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. You’ve picked the entire label off your beer. You only do that when something’s up.”

I looked down. He was right, but I didn’t even realize I was doing it.

“Clearly, some things Tess said rattled you. Go ahead. Ask me anything.”

I sat for a moment wondering what to ask. How much did I really want to know? Would the truth put me at ease or just make me more jealous?

“Tell me about Marisol.”

He adjusted himself on the couch so he was facing me.

“Marisol was the only girl I ever loved.”

The words seemed to cut through me like a knife through butter. Words escaped me, and my mouth went dry.

He went on, “Our families were always close because our moms have been best friends their whole lives. Growing up, she was closer to Tess because they were in the same grade in school.

“One night, the summer after high school, our parents dragged us to some gala thing. We ended up talking and laughing and skipping out everyone else. We stayed out all night. In the time we were together, we laughed, we had fun, and we drank…a lot. She made me want to be a better man, a committed man…as cliché as that sounds.

“But then, our parents found out about us, and things got very serious very fast. Suddenly, our entire lives were being planned out for us. I was scared, but I was riding the ride for her.

“But Marisol was a free-spirit. One of those people who blew where the wind took her. That didn’t work so well when trying to settle down.”

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