Page 121 of Fake As Puck
“Did my brother behave himself?” she whispers.
“Everyone had fun. Your brother was great with the kids.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“And how was last night?”
“Last night?”
“When he didn’t come back here. When his rental car wasn’t in my driveway this morning. When he left for the airport from your place instead of mine.”
She hands me a glass of wine, so I take a sip and try to figure out how much to tell her.
“He stayed over,” I whisper, nodding.
“I figured that much. How was it?”
“How was what?”
“Liv. I’m not asking for details. I’m asking how you’re feeling about whatever’s happening between you two.”
“I don’t know how I’m feeling.”
“Yes, you do.”
“I really don’t,” I groan, feeling sick to my stomach that West and I live in different states.
“Try.”
I stare into my wine glass and try to put words to the feeling that’s been sitting in my chest all morning.
“It’s more,” I say finally.
She waits for me to continue.
“It’s so much more, Tessa. We’re getting serious very fast, and it’s…”
“It’s good!” she interrupts. “You’re falling for each other. That’s what’s supposed to happen when two people spend time together and realize they’re compatible.”
I stare at the wine swirling in my glass and whisper, “We might not be compatible.”
She leans in and says, “You took my children to Disneyland and came back with all their limbs intact and smiles on their faces. You’re compatible.”
“That’s not the same thing as being compatible as a couple.”
“You’re right. This is better.”
“No. Being good with kids together doesn’t mean we’d be good in a relationship together.”
“What would make you good in a relationship together?”
“I don’t know. Shared values. Similar life goals. Being able to communicate. Actually liking each other when we’re not performing for other people.”
She reacts fast, “And do you like each other when you’re not performing?”
I think about last night. The way he looked at my apartment like it was exactly what he’d been hoping to see. The way we moved around each other in the small space without bumping into each other. The way it felt natural to have him there.
