Page 77 of Tell Me What You Want, Or Leave Me

End of story? I don’t think so. “We’ll leave the subject alone for now, but I want to be very clear, Mr. Macho, that we’ll talk about it again. Understood?” Eric sighs, nods, and disappears into the bathroom.

“I need to ask you something else,” I say once he’s back. He sits on the edge of the bed.

“Go ahead.”

I want to ask him about Laila, but I don’t know how. Knowing she’s called him and he hasn’t said a word bothers me. Finally, I just go straight to the point.

“Who is Laila? Why haven’t you said anything about her call? And why is she staying at our house?”

He’s taken aback.

“How do you know all this?”

Oh God, I feel my jealousy rising.

I narrow my eyes. “The real question is, why haven’t you said anything about the fact that a woman I don’t know has called you and is arriving tomorrow to stay with us? Go ahead, get mad, but be assured I’m much madder because you didn’t tell me about this.”

“She’s arriving tomorrow?” he asks, surprised.

I can tell by the look on his face that this is an honest reaction. He hadn’t remembered.

“Yes, if I hadn’t found out on my own, I might not have known about her until she was sitting at the table with us.”

Eric gets my point.

“My love, I’ve been so busy recently, I completely forgot to tell you. Forgive me,” he says. “She’s Norbert and Simona’s niece, and she was my sister Hannah’s best friend. She called, and, when I found out she had a work trip to Germany, I invited her to stay with us.”

“Why?”

“Hannah was very fond of her.”

“Have you ever been with her?”

“Of course not,” he says, taken aback. “Laila is an enchanting woman, but there’s never been anything between us, Jude. Why do you ask?”

“What about with Björn?”

He’s stunned by my line of questioning, and a little annoyed too.

“Not that I know of. But let’s say they had. I couldn’t care less, and I think you shouldn’t care either. Should I worry that now you care who Björn has been with?”

“For God’s sake, c’mon, Eric. Don’t be ridiculous!”

“Then don’t ask those questions.”

I go silent. I don’t want to tell him I heard what Simona said, but I’m determined to find out what she meant when she said, “Don’t you remember what happened last time?”

“Are you jealous of Laila?”

To such a direct question, a direct answer. “Yes, in terms of you. And, yes, I’ll forgive you for not telling me.”

He smiles; I don’t.

He leans toward me, but I don’t move.

He hugs me, but I don’t hug him back.

I’m feeling quite small. He takes me by the chin and makes me look up at him.

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