Page 202 of Dangerous Encore
Fuck.
I'm here tosaythis.
It'sjust…
I don't want to hear Joel's response. I've got a feeling I won'tlikeit.
"She thinks I don't want to marry her." I take a sip from my coffee like I'm relaying an argument that doesn't have the potential to end ourrelationship.
"Well, yeah." Joel's voice is utterly matteroffact.
"Well,yeah?"
"You've been engaged two and a halfyears."
"And?"
"And you haven't set a date. You always sayafter she graduates, but I don't see you making plans now that she's about tograduate."
"Yeah."
"Facts seem prettyclear."
Theydo.
"Don't tell me it's some bullshit about not wanting tosettledown."
"It'snot."
"Good." He takes another long sip. Lets out another heavy sigh. "You're settled." Joel tops off his coffee. "It's over.Yourhers."
"Iknow."
"And?"
"We can't all be sure in sixhours."
"Fuck." He sets his mug on the counter. Shakes his head. "It is that bullshit. Damn, Kit. You're betterthanthat."
"It'snot."
Joel mutters under his breath. "Soundslikeit."
It does. But it's not. I try to find an explanation at the bottom of my mug, but itdoesn'tcome.
Shit. I guess I better try to string a few wordstogether.
"I've seen my dad with a dozen different women," I say. "And he tried to hide hisaffairs."
"Barely." Joelscoffs.
"Still. Must have been two dozen. And that's only over the five or six years where I was payingattention."
"And you were high as a kite half that time." Hurt seeps into his voice. He's still not over me keeping thatfromhim.
He's never going to getoverit.
But he's still my closestfriend.
