Page 82 of Kings of Desire
‘Don’t remember asking,’ he growled, taking the path that brought us here.
‘My son is.... rude. I need to be honest. I’m pretty sure that you have noticed by now. He’s not the type to play pretend just because he found himself a pretty girlfriend.’
‘No, he is not,’ I shook my head then took a sip from the cup.
‘Not originally from the Hills, are you?’
Wow, straight to the point.
‘How could you tell? Am I holding the cup the wrong way?’ That was the only explanation that came to my mind since I had been less than ten minutes inside the room.
‘No. Nothing that oblivious. My husband told me about you coming from another town... And about the custody.’ I already knew that part, but admitting to eavesdropping on themeet the parents eveningmight not make such a good impression.
‘Is that ok with you? That your son dates someone from the Pit?’
‘I see no difference between humans, unfortunately, I can’t say the same about my other friends, but you don’t have to worry about that. Yet, I won’t be a hypocrite and tell you that I would ever want to go there. However, I do admire you for your strength of surviving in such a place.’
‘Thank you.’ There wasn’t any sign of insincerity in her words as the woman was starting to make me believe that Cole was not her child, since nothing from her genes seemed to have been passed along to him.
‘Now, let’s leave the discrepancy between the two social systems behind. Tell me about the Academy. What courses do you attend?’
And I did tell her, talking for more than an hour about who knows what teachers and seminars, that until the oven clock rang, letting her know that dinner was almost ready.
That was about the time Cole returned, followed shortly by his father who seemed as pleased as his mother at my presence there that night.
I guess they had given up a long time ago all thoughts of Cole ever acting like a normal young man, and I was just bringing back hope. Little did they know that I was just the main pawn in the most devious type of pact.
Though this wasn’t the only deal I needed to honor, and there was a certain someone that I still had to call. Excusing myself, I left for the bathroom, hitting the phone’s green button the second the door closed.
‘Hi,’ I spoke in a whispered voice.
‘Good evening, Bea. Is everything ok? Why are you whispering?’
I paused, unable to come out with a lie, yet at the same time, not wishing to do so.
‘It’s ok. I understand.’But did he really!?
‘When are you coming back, Ferris?’
‘Two, three days top. The board of directors must have thought I died since I always talk from my laptop. Now they can’t get enough of me. I think I have had a note from every unsatisfied man in a suit that ever entered my company.’
‘That bad?’
‘It does really matter. I know someone that could quickly help me forget all about them.’
‘Do I also know that person?’ I was entering his game, to help break a little of his boredom.
‘You might. I’m talking about a green-eyed she-devil that happens to belong to me.’
‘Is that what you consider, that I belong to you?’ The thought scared and flattered me altogether.
‘Don’t you?’
‘I do belong to you... But-’
‘But I don’t want to hear the rest,’ he cut me off, unwilling to hear the whole part of the truth. In the end, this is what he did best, keeping only the fragments of the reality that suited him, ignoring all the rest. Though maybe this time he should hear it, when the complete phrase should have beenI belong to you, and to two other people.
But it wasn’t the right time to insist on the subject since I could hear distant steps closing in on me from the hallway.
