Page 35 of Break

Fuck Indifference

Max

The shards of metal splinter and fly across the floor of my shop, a couple of them coming to a standstill around my feet. I stare at them for a minute, my hands clenched while I breath heavily.

Once I have my rage under control, my eyes fly up to Ethan. “How thefuckdid we miss this? We’ve known him foryears.YEARS!”

My friend has his hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels as he considers me. “Did we miss it? Or did we ignore it?”

“I didn’t ignore a goddamn thing. Iwouldn’thave. Not with…” I trail off because they know what I was going to say. I feel my fury and disgust with Danny flowing through my body and settle into my stomach, feeling nauseous. I’d give anything to have him standing in front of me at this moment.

“He didn’t sayyou, man, he saidwe. And I gotta say, I’d have to agree. Danny has always been a loose cannon. We saw it in high school and then afterwards. Do you remember his bachelor’s party?”

“I do. That’s why I didn’t stick around for the train wreck of their wedding,” Ethan adds in.

I remember having to calm Danny down when Ethan was a no-show. He only had three groom’s men; me, Vincent, and Ethan. I also remember that there was no one standing up for Mina, and thought it was odd. Danny had a quick explanation that she had stated she just wanted to focus on the two of them for the wedding, and extra people weren’t necessary. Vincent and I had been insulted that she thought we weren’t necessary to be there for their big day. Now I’m thinking that isn’t actually how it went down at all.

“I knew there was something off about the wedding. She was really quiet, and I don’t remember her really talking to anyone that day. I figured she hadn’t wanted us there,” I mention, feeling like a complete fucking idiot.

I’d wager my life savings that she didn’t even want to be there, let alone annoyed that we were.

Vincent’s voice is quiet when he adds, “I heard him talking to her at the wedding when he thought no one was listening.” He looks away from us like he’s embarrassed but continues. “He told her she was humiliating him.”

“How was she supposedly humiliating him? I don’t remember anything happening that he should have been embarrassed about. Except for the fact that he was hammered by the end of the night.” The wedding was a mess from the start. Once the ceremony started, it felt awkward and stilted, like two people marrying after having only met each other for the first time. When Danny leaned in to kiss her at the end, I remember Mina being stiff when he tried to shove his tongue down her throat.

“Made comments that she needed to make more of an effort to engage withhisguests. That now is the time that they are supposed to be presenting how they’re going to be as a couple. That it makes people uncomfortable when she won’t show interest in the topics discussed around her. I dunno, but I didn’t say anything… I just kept eating.”

Ethan simply shakes his head and walks toward the door. “We can discuss all of this later. She’s in there making everyone lunch, so let’s not keep her waiting.” Holding the door open for us, I follow Vincent out, glaring at the ground as we walk inside, Walter strutting calmly at my side. I check on him to make sure my outburst didn’t upset him, but he seems calm and relaxed, so I let go of my worry.

Walking back into the house, the smells of her cooking hit me all at once, making my mouth water. I don’t know what the hell she’s cooking, but I’m immediately starving.

I ignore Vincent’s words of greeting as my gaze roams over the meal she’s laid out on the table. Each plate perfectly set with silverware, empty glasses, and napkins. There’s a bowl filled with a large meat mixture with sauteed bell peppers and a creamy sauce, reminding me of a Philly-cheesesteak mix. There are other bowls filled with bread rolls, sliced fruit, chips, and a pasta salad.

Raising a brow in surprise, I survey the layout and ask, “Where did this all come from?”

Mina, setting down a jug of ice lemonade, pauses. “From the fridge… I-Is this alright? I thought it was okay to use some leftovers.” She spins the lemonade, so the handle is facing the same way as all the serving spoons are sitting in each of the bowls, and wrings her hands together. “Should I not have used it? Were you saving the steak for something else? I should have asked first…”

“No!” I quickly say, holding my hands out to stop her. “This is great. I just didn’t think something like this could come out of my kitchen.”

“This looks incredible! I don’t know about you guys, but I’m fucking starving.” Vincent says, grinning from ear to ear as he settles into one of the empty chairs.

Ethan sits next, rumbling out, “Thank you, Mina.”

I wait for Mina to sit when I notice that there are only three settings at the table. Looking over at the counter, I see a fourth plate with a small sandwich and a few chips on the side. Sighing, I realize she wasn’t planning to sit with us, and I quickly remind myself that she’s likely feeling unsure about her place here. Forcing a smile, I hold out my hand toward the table. “Would you eat with us?”

My question has Vincent whipping his head toward the woman standing awkwardly a few paces from the table. “You weren’t going to sit with us? But you put in all this effort! Put your feet up.”

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to eat with you all. I don’t mind going up to the room if you’d like.” Her voice is tentative, unsure if she should stay or go, and I fucking hate it.

“We’d like you to eat with us,” I assure her. She grabs her plate and then sits stiffly. I regret not giving her the option to eat away from us, but I want her to learn that we aren’t her enemies. Her body language is screaming that she feels out of place here. I don’t blame her. She’s only known us as Danny’s friends, and Danny is the villain in her story, making us his henchmen.

Vincent and I dig into the meal she threw together. Once Vincent lets out a groan of approval, her shoulders relax in relief. Ethan watches her as she takes a hesitant bite, then dives into his own meal. We all eat in relative silence, the guys and I chatting about trivial things while trying to draw her into conversation.

Her demeanor completely changes when Vincent mentions something about thinking of joining an intramural football team. I’m relieved that we’ve maybe swung the direction of talk into something she finds interesting, but it’s not the sports talk that has her eyes lighting up.

It’s the dog.

Walter’s nails click across the tile flooring as he meanders his way into the dining room, probably looking for some scraps that have fallen on the floor. He doesn’t pause as he saunters past me, then Ethan, to walk over to where Mina is sitting. Only half of her sandwich is missing, but she pushes back from the table and turns sideways to lean over and scratch him behind his ears.

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