Page 16 of Sapphire Spring

Behind them, Pari cried to everyone and no one, “How comeI’m the only Persian girl whose gay brotherisn’tfun?”

Naser was preparing to turn around and show his sister justhowgoddamnfun he could be when Jonas turned himagain with one powerful hand and steered them back inside.

6

Mason spent most of the hoursleading up to Friday night rehearsing scenarios for his reunion with NaserKazemi.

In his favorite, he took Naser’s hand in a firm and confidentgrip, stared right into his eyes with sober sincerity, and assured him in hismost confident voice, “I’ve never felt right about the way we treated you. If Ihad it all to do over again…”

And that’s where the daydream fizzled and died. Because the wayhe wanted to finish that sentence didn’t exactly jibe with the Hallmark tone ofhis opening line.

The truth was, if he had to do high school over again, hewould have tried his best to get Naser naked in a janitor’s closet, see thosebeautiful brown eyes up close, and find out if a bright sheen came into themwhen his body was played like an instrument.

If I had it all to do over again, I would have beenbetter to you.

Those were the words he’d settled on by Friday evening, oncehe was showered, dressed, and ready to call the Uber.

So far, the buildup to Pari Kazemi’s event had given him asense of purpose and what felt like a tenuous—if temporary—sobriety. A drink,he’d promised himself, would be his reward once the apology had been made.

A text from Chadwick Thursday afternoon had confirmed Masonhadn’t flashed his bi side in front of his best friend Wednesday night. Or if hehad, Chadwick had been too wasted to remember.

That evening, he’d shrugged off the man’s offer of a trip totheir buddy Lenny Victor’s house in Newport Beach. Lenny was a trust fund babywho collected drones, swimsuit models, and enough cocaine to keep most of theOC up and chatting for days on end. A short visit to his house could turn intoa thirty-six-hour black hole that ended with him and Chadwick trying to maketheir way home from a stranger’s house in Malibu, two hours north, while tryingnot to throw up.

Mason had also avoided his nightly bottle of wine before bedand woke up Friday morning clear-eyed and ready for a bruising workout at thegym before work.

Sowhen Chadwick’s picture lit upthe display of Mason’s phone a few minutes before Mason had planned to summonan Uber, he was tempted to ignore the call, afraid any contact with his oldestand most reckless friend would throw him off his game. But old habits die hardeven when they don’t come in bottles.

“That thing I told you about,” Chadwick said, “I’m going toneed it earlier than I thought.”

“What thing?”

“Aw,fuck, dude. How bad did youblack out Wednesday?”

“Decisively.”

“You looked like you were hearing me. Anyway, some woman’smaking a complaint’causeIfired her, and she says I went to her house and threatened her. And it was anight I was at your place, so I just need you to give a statement that I waswith you. That’s all. It’s just somebullshit.”

Gooseflesh prickled on the back of his neck. Chadwick wascrudely specific when he wanted something and frustratingly vague when he wasfreaked out. This felt like a dangerous mix of both. “A statement? To the police?”

“No, just my lawyer.”

“An affidavit.”

Which, despite Chadwick’s casual tone, was a more seriousand binding document than a statement to the police.

“Yeah, right. Whatever. Something Latin.”

“What night was it?” Mason asked.

When Chadwick didn’t answer with the date, a clear, smallvoice in Mason’s head said,He’s lying.

Rumors had always swirled about Chadwick’s practice—that hisnurses, all female, were short on experience and long on good looks for areason. And then there were the anonymousYelpreviews claiming to befrom patients who said he’d offered them discounted treatments in exchange forsex. He’d loudly claim they were planted by his competitors, and he was alwayson the verge of getting them taken down. But together with Chadwick’s generalattitude toward women, the stubbornness of these rumors had always fed dark,unspoken suspicions in Mason’s mind.

“Jesus, really?” Chadwick finally asked. “Now you sound likemyfucking lawyer. I don’t remember what night it was.Just that I was with you.”

“All right, well, if this is a legal thing, then obviouslyshe’s given a date.Sofind out what date she gave andthen give it to me so I can…you know, cover you.”

Had he just offered to lie for his best friend?

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