Page 55 of Love Me Like It's Real
“He served some time, lost his home and he’s back living with his parents. He tried to follow us so now he’s on house arrest.”
“Fuck. That’s a lot! I’m so sorry.” And only more proof love is a fucking monster. If it wasn’t, Felix wouldn’t have gone through literal hell from the person who had promised to love him through thick and thin.
“Yup. Thanks. It’s a lot but all I care about is the girls being okay. I just want them to have a home they feel safe in.”
“I understand that. My mom raised me all on her own and she sacrificed everything for me.” He smiled but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. As if he was too lost in the memories of his past.
“And? Do you still have a good relationship?”
“We do,” I say and think back to last week and our fight. “Although, I wish she had done things for herself, you know. I wish she hadn’t given her all for me.”
“Why do you say that?”
I shrug and look away from his penetrating gaze that has a way of getting under my skin.
“I was happy, don’t get me wrong. Spoiled even?—”
“I can see that,” he chuckles.
“But I always felt like she was holding back. It’s only now I realize maybe she denied herself happiness because she thought it would affect me.”
Felix presses his lip together and nods slowly. I can imagine he can relate to what I’m saying but he doesn’t elaborate. It’s probably still a bit raw for him. Which leaves me with one thing to do.
“His name was Jack,” I say.
Felix frowns and turns to me. “Jack? Are you talking about yourself in the third person?”
“No. Different Jack. We…we met in college and hit it off straight away. We spent way too much time together. Like a disgusting amount of time.”
“Doing what?” He raises an eyebrow with a cheeky smile.
“Being schmoopy, sickly sweet.”
“Really?” He grimaces.
“Yup. We’d spend hours kissing, eating, playing video games, blowing each other?—”
“There you go!” he says but bites his tongue and I can’t help but laugh.
“I didn’t say we were saints. But we were together. An item. I thought I’d found the one.”
“I’m guessing that wasn’t the case?”
“A year after graduation I came home a little early.”
“Oh god! No!” He puts his hand on his mouth and my chest flutters a bit.
It’s cute how invested he is in my story.
“Yeah. Couldn’t get more stereotypical than that. He was having a threesome.”
“Oh my God!”
“That’s what he said.” I chuckle. Felix doesn’t.
“What did he say?”
I shake my head. “Nothing, really. He just acted as if I was inconveniencing his good time. He acted as if I knew we were open and when I challenged him he gave me the old ‘we’re gay, of course we’re open’ excuse.”
