Page 25 of The Lies Always Told

“You are.”

“There are a lot of promises being tossed around here today.”

“I hope you’re a man of your word and you don’t break them. Now, promise me. No matter what happens, I want to feel the same way when your eyes are on mine, always. Even if we’re old and married to other people. Even if you don’t like me anymore.”

“Nellie, I could never not like you. I think our problem has nothing to do with that and everything to do with…well, everything else.” She traces my neck and my shoulders with her fingers as she tilts her head and flashes me another smile. This one is a little sad, like she knows this is over before it can even start.

“Even if it kills me…I promise.”

She brings her lips to mine and kisses mesoftly until I can’t hold on anymore. I sink underwater with her body wrapped around mine.

“Tell me about your job.”We’ve been talking for hours, and it’s time to go, but neither of us are ready to burst our little bubble.

“I don’t work a lot anymore. The company runs itself, and I just make sure my clients are satisfied and their portfolios are up to date.” My brother and I own a finance firm we built from scratch. It works really well, and it made us millionaires before we were twenty-two. I have an “as needed” relationship with it. I go when I need to, and I don’t go when I don’t. I treat it as a job, as a career, not as my life—unlike Manny, who breathes and lives Zabana Enterprises.

“So you have millions of dollars, and you don’t even go to work? How is that fair?” She finishes braiding her hair after combing it with her hands. She’s been wearing my shirt since we got out of the water, and she let her hair air dry. She’s beautiful, breathtaking, and I love that she’s so careless about things other girls I’m usually with care about. Not once she has worried about makeup, her hair, or even her clothes. She did mention needing her glasses, since she didn’t bring them to the party, but other than that, she’s just enjoying the moment.

“Well…kind of. I still go when I have to, and I oversee a lot of accounts from home. Manny, on the other hand, is always there.”

“So he makes sure everything runs smoothly?”

“No, more like he makes sure everything is micromanaged. He’s approaching burn out, and he needs to take a break sooner rather than later. I’m worried he might die there, miserable and mad at the world.”

“But he’ll have money…”

“Wasn’t it you who told me just a month ago that you weren’t going to choose a career based on the zeros of your bank account?”

“Touché, touché, but don’t men always want more? More money, more status, more ass, more women? Isn’t that how you measure power? How do you measure success?”

“Not all of us.”

“Statistically speaking, though.”

“I don’t want my brother to be a statistic.” A comfortable silence falls between us, letting the conversation drift away. “And to answer your question, the only thing I want more of is health and life. Everything else comes and goes, but how are you supposed to live the latter without the first?”

“You seem pretty healthy to me…”

“I wish I could say I was healthy too…but enough about me. How about you? Are you excited about moving back to Baker Oaks?” I add, changing the topic drastically when I see her visibly concerned. She waits but doesn’t acknowledge it. Good. Crisis averted.

“I’m about to interview for my dream job at my dream school, and I can’t wait.”

“You look pretty happy about that. I hope it ends up being exactly what you hope for and that you get the job.”

“I hope so too. I’m damn good at it. My internship was dreamy, and my professors sent outstanding letters of recommendation. That brings me joy.”

“What else brings you joy, hermosa?”

“Swimming. I started swimming in middle school, when the school counselor introduced me to the swim team. I’ve done it ever since. That, and escaping to my friend’s house in Georgia. Picture this. Small cabin in the middle of Georgia, not too far from home. Her family doesn’t use it much, and I’ve been escaping there since I can remember. Sometimes, during school holidays, I just drive there and stay bymyself for days. I like being able to shut it all out sometimes.”

“What are you shutting out?”

“The world. The chaos. The noise. The pain.” She lays her head on my lap and grabs my hand. “Being in the cabin is like reading—an escape when the world hurts too much.”

I both love and loathe how much I like spending time with her. How is it possible that for my entire life, I’ve only been able to connect with family and friends, and the first girl who makes me interested in more is one who would come with so many challenges?

She brings her hand up to my lip, and when I look where I would find a smile, I find a frown. “Hey, Gus?”

“Yes?” She sits up and brings her other hand to my eye.

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