Page 12 of Vicious Hearts

I grab a strand of my hair and twirl it around my finger, the way I’ve seen Nina do so many times when she’s trying to get her way with Michael and alcohol just won’t cut it.

“Well… not really, but you know a struggling girl’s got to eat. And I haven’t had a raise since I started here…”

I leave my sentence open ended, knowing he gets the hint, because he looks down at his desktop, considering his options, then flicks his eyes back to me. “I’ll see what I can do,” he says, and I know he’s going to bedoingmore than he’s going to beseeing.

* * *

“Yo, sexy mama!”Nina squeals, as she folds me into an embrace.

When she pulls away, she holds me at arm’s length and looks me up and own, admiring my navy dress with the small yellow daisies. When her eyes latch onto my strappy heels, they widen in horror, and she gasps and asks me if she’s seeing right.

“Goodwill,” I tell her.

They were practically new, and they were being placed in the window as I walked past the store. I don’t think old Esmerelda even knew their value when she placed them there, but it was just my luck and I snapped up the five-dollar bargain without even trying them on. I don’t mention that they’re a little tight and they’d probably be a better fit for Nina’s feet.

“What’s for lunch?” I ask her, following her through the apartment. Michael is at the kitchen counter putting together the makings of a salad. He casts nervous eyes my way and I wonder if he’s still smarting over me calling him a jerk the last time I saw him.

“Come on, you guys,” Nina urges. “Isn’t it time you two kissed and made up?”

She looks from me to Michael and back again, her puppy dog eyes like huge saucers in her small sweetheart face.

“I see you ditched the contacts,” Michael says, pointing his knife in my direction. I rear back to avoid a slip of the blade, even though I’m several feet away. “Your natural eye color looks better.”

His way of breaking the ice. I give him a small smile and ask if he needs help.

“You can set the table,” Nina says, giving her husband a sidelong glance. I don’t know what’s going on with those two, but they’re definitely up to something.

When we sit down to eat, Michael feels the need to hold hands and close his eyes before we start. He doesn’t say grace; he just likes to sit and absorb the silence. I heap a generous portion of roast lamb onto my plate and add salad.

“So…,” Michael starts, “Your name is being tossed around a lot lately.”

Way to state the obvious, Einstein. Nina and I both raise our heads and look at him, wondering what’s next. Michael has the capacity to be the most socially awkward person at times. An odd thought when you consider that he’s a psychologist and deals with society in every facet of his occupation.

“How’d that job interview go?” Nina asks, drawing my attention back to her. The smile on her face tells me she’s super excited to hear all about my recent adventures and the doors that have opened for me.

“They offered me… get this… almostdoublewhat old Hinky is paying me.”

Her eyes widen in surprise before she claps her hands gleefully. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and I could swear she’s more excited than I am.

“That’s excellent news, Aria,” Michael says, breaking in to congratulate me. “Maybe a fresh start is just what you need. New beginnings for all…”

As soon as the words are out of his mouth, Michael sucks his lips into his mouth in an attempt to take back his comment. Nina fixes him with a glare that tells me he’ll be in the doghouse again tonight – and maybe even into the next century. The tension fizzling between them is electric, and although I can’t make heads nor tails of their facial exchanges, I know I’m missing something.

“What did you mean by that?” I ask him.

“You know Michael,” Nina starts. “Always with his foot in his mouth.”

“No.” I put my fork down and turn in my chair to face him. My face is hard as I brace myself. Michael may have a bad habit of foot-in-mouth, but he never says things that are untrue. And he always seems to disclose what he means to say when he’s not supposed to.

“Aria…”

I ignore my best friend and continue to watch her husband. His face has turned a shade paler than his already ghostly hue, and he looks like he’s afraid for his life. He lowers his eyes in remorse, then blanches when he looks up and finds me still waiting.

“R… R… Rand… he’s getting engaged.”

* * *

After I rantand rave and bawl my eyes out, cursing the moment I’d ever laid eyes on Rand, I push past Nina’s punishing hold and fly down the stairs. I feel the mascara as it streams down my face and mixes with the liquid pooling under the tip of my nose. I discard my heels and leave them at the door before I stumble down the stairs and onto the street in my bare feet. Nina follows me as far as the street, calling my name frantically, but I’m faster than her and I take flight through the throng of pedestrians as I continue to walk rapidly down the street.

---