Page 78 of No One But Us

“That’s fine,” I agree, handing him myphone.

“Before we proceed,” he says, turning to me, “I need to know the nature of your relationship with Mr.Ferris.”

“He was my boss,” I say. “I interned for him at the start of thesummer.”

“And was your relationship ever romantic in nature?” heasks.

“No,” I reply. “Never.”

The officer looks dubious. He casts a glance at James. “It strikes me that perhaps this is something we should be discussing inprivate.”

“There’s nothing I would say to you that I wouldn’t say in front of James, if that’s what you’re implying. I have never been with Edward Ferris in anyway.”

He shrugs. I get the feeling he still doesn’t believe me, probably because he reads the tabloids like everyone else. He takes the phone and leaves to have the messagestranscribed.

James reaches out and squeezes my hand. “Youokay?”

I nod, slipping out of his grasp. I’m going to be cool about this.If he wants to think of me as his friend, that’s hisright.

“What’swrong?”

“Nothing,friend,” I say. So much for beingcool.

“Elle,” he says. “I just…didn’t know what to say. You know you’re more thanthat.”

I want to be someone other than who I am in this moment. Someone calm and mature. But instead, bitterness spews from my mouth like I’mpossessed.

“Yeah? A friend you fuck? That’s so muchbetter.”

“Stop,” he says. “If you want to talk about this, we can, but don’t sit here where I can’t really discuss it and accuse me of shit. You have no idea how Ifeel.”

My shoulders sag. “Okay.”

“Give me your hand,” he says, holding his between our chairs. Reluctantly I reach over, but mine lays limp in hisgrasp.

The officer comes back out, taking a quick look at our joined hands and smirking a little. “I’m turning the transcripts over to counsel,” he says. “They’ll make the final call, but I’ve got no doubt there’s enough there for a restraining order at the veryleast.”

I nod, but my stomach falls. The truth is I was hoping he’d say there was nothing to worry about. I’ve been in the spotlight enough this summer to last me the rest of my life. And I know better than either of them that if this gets out, it won’t just be Edward’s life that getsworse.

* * *

As we drive home, I’m still contemplating what lies ahead. I’m going to be in the papers again. Everything about me will be dissected. They will find every photo known to man and portray me as some kind of wild nymphomaniac, never mentioning that the bathing suit shot is from a family trip or that I’m posing in pajamas next a roommate cut out of thephoto.

And James. That’s the part that actually hurts, as opposed to making me sick with worry—although it does that too. After all these weeks, he’s still referring to me as his friend? We have only a little under two weeksleft together, and that’ll be it. And he won’t owe me a thing, because he never took anything, or promisedit.

He pulls into the driveway, and I begin to open the door, but he stops me with a hand on myarm.

“Elle,” he says. “Wait.”

“We have to get ready forwork.”

“I know. I just want you to know that…back there…wasn’t what it seemed,” he says haltingly. “I know you’re upset. I just didn’t know what tosay.”

Does he really think that explanation helps his case? “Yeah, it’s pretty clear that you didn’t know what to say.” My voice is slightly hoarse with the need to cry, which I won’t do in front of him. “And it seems pretty clear to me that by now, you probablyshould.”

I get out of the car and go inside alone. He doesn’t even try to argue withme.

* * *

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