Page 49 of The Lies Always Told

“Nellie’s house.”

“Yes, sir,” he replies as he heads down the highway, starting the forty-five minute drive to Nellie’s house.

“And Martin…”

“Yes, sir.”

“Not a peep to Nellie about any of this. Got it?”

He nods and drives, drives us away from here and right into the arms of the woman I’m falling for, who doesn’t deserve any of this.

1 My decision to tell Cara I love her and see what happens has nothing to do with you. That’s between me and her. And if you’re not willing to tell me what’s going on with you and your mysterious girl, it’s fine, but don’t compare my love life to your piece of ass of the month.

2 Talk later.

3 Yes, this translates to dick sucker, BUT in Dominican, it’s like calling your friend asshole. Goodbye.

SIXTEEN

MY FAVORITE PLACE

AUGUST

Better by James Bay;Do I Wanna Know? by Hozier Cover;The Little Things by Ella Mai;Anyway by Noah Kahan

Gus

“Turn right,”Nellie says softly. Getting to know Nellie these past few weeks has been more than I could have hoped for. We were waiting for our siblings to get their shit together before telling everyone, but now that they’ve clearly figured things out, it’s time to talk to them. Except now, I’m the one who doesn’t want to tell anyone—not because I don’t think they’d take it well, but because there’s so much unknown with my health. I don’t want to add more to anyone’s plate.

The dizziness and weakness continued, so Dr. Diaz ran more labs. Now, we’re waiting on those results before the next steps. It feels like my health has blown up in my face these past couple of months. After that attack in May, my body hasn’t recovered fully, and we’re back to figuring out the rightmedications. Dr. Diaz is worried about the combination messing up my heart and giving me other issues, so we’re proceeding with caution, slowly. In the meantime, I’m in limbo without answers. Something’s wrong with my heart, and I don’t want to put pressure on Nellie, not when she just started her new job. Not when she’s trying to get everything in place. Not when I don’t have any real answers. So, we’re still a secret.

This is why we’re on our way somewhere Nellie wanted to show me. She didn’t say where or why, only that it was around five hours away from her house—near Atlanta. She also promised me nobody would be there, so we can stop pretending for a few days. We’ve been exploring a lot of places just the two of us a few hours away from home, days where we get to pretend we’re a real couple. My hands never leave hers on our getaways because I need to touch her every chance I get. She’s becoming an essential part of my life, taking over the majority of my day. When I’m not with her, she’s in my thoughts. I find myself wanting to swim more so I can feel like I’m with her. I want to drive more so I can feel like I’m driving to her. I want to see her all the time, and I’m not sure if it’s healthy.

“Thirty more minutes on this road, and then we’ll be there,” Nellie adds, tilting her head back and lifting her arms, letting her hair dance with the breeze. We’re in my Barracuda, and she touches every inch, as she always does. It’s like she’s committing every part to memory, the same way I touch her… I don’t use this car often, but when I do, I’m damn careful of where I go. Going up the mountains in Georgia was not what I had in mind when she asked if I wanted to go for a ride and I suggested taking this car.

The engine growls as we fly down winding roads surrounded by beautiful greenery. The red paint gleams under the sun, and every time we stop at a traffic light, people look at the car. They can’t help it; it’s stunning. Add Nellie to the mixwith the beige top she’s wearing, open between her breasts and tied together with thin straps, I’m sure they’re looking at her too.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Open the glovebox.” Nellie follows suit, and after opening it, she pulls out the small bag I placed earlier in there.

“What is this?”

“Open it.” I continue driving down the quiet road while she fumbles with the bag, finally pulling out a small velvety box.

“Gus, what is this?” she asks with concern in her voice, making me chuckle. I guess I didn’t think this through.

“It’s not what you think. Open it.”

After opening the small box, Nellie pulls out a ring.

“Is this…”

“A fidget ring,” I interrupt. She puts the ring in the palm of her hand and stares at it, not knowing exactly what to do. “I’ve noticed you pick at the skin next to your nails. I was reading about it, and it said sometimes, these help.”

She stays silent, staring at the ring, dumbfounded. Maybe I messed up. I’ve never seen her this quiet. Her eyes don’t leave the ring either. “If I overstepped, I’m sorry. I figured it didn’t hurt to try, but I can return it. It’s not a big?—”

“It is a big deal.” She turns to face me, her eyes glossy and her cheeks pink.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

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