Page 8 of Green
“I just hope Andrew never sees that video.”
“Why would he? He’s not coming to visit, is he?”
“No.”
He never came to visit. It was my favorite thing about him.
I had splurged on a big suite at the San Ysidro Ranch in nearby Montecito, so it would look like a genuine honeymoon in our many photos for documentation of legitimacy when the time came for our interview with the immigration officer.
I already knew that after dinner we’d all hang out in the suite until Gemma “Grandma” Kelly started to get sleepy at ten o’clock. Neither of us would use the hot tub on the private deck, and we’d both fall asleep on the sofa watchingBob’s Burgersafter she Facetimed with her out-of-town boyfriend,instead of going to town on each other for hours or days in the amazing king-size bed.
I knew we would never discuss the vows or the wedding kiss again. I would stop feeling the ghost of her lips on mine—eventually. I would stop thinking about it—eventually. I would try not to wonder if she ever thought about it.
Aside from the six other people who knew that this was a green card marriage, the world would continue to view us as best friends who lived together, and I would continue to have discreet, meaningless sex with hot women who didn’t distract me from my ambitions.
She’d be the only woman I wanted to talk to, the only one I’d miss when I’m working up in the Bay Area, the one I’d trust to look after the house when I’m gone, the one I’d look forward to coming home to.
And only every so often I’d think about how what I really wanted to do was go back to the night we met, when she was pressed up against that open door, and kiss her.
Because that’s just how it goes when you’re best friends with a girl. A girl who has a boyfriend in Ohio. A girl who offered to marry you so you could get a green card, so you could become the person you’ve always wanted to be. Because it never occurred to either of you that the person you wanted to be was the love of her life.
That door had closed.
And it would be fine. It was always fine.
How could it not be?
It was us.
