Page 62 of Making It While Faking It
Suddenly, I release a sigh of relief. He’s showing signs of life, signs of who he prefers.
“Sorry to intrude, but when we saw you sitting over here, we couldn’t ignore you.” Orion sets his penetrating focus on me. “I can never ignore you.”
Achilles puts his finger under my chin and kisses me quickly yet tenderly without thought.Yes!He’s claiming me.
“How did you know we’d be here?” Achilles is glaring at his brother.
Orion shrugs forcefully.
“I’m sorry to intrude,” Penelope says.
“It’s okay, Pen. I’m sure none of this is your fault.”
“But I am glad to see you.”
Funny, she hasn’t looked at me once. A girl’s girl would acknowledge the other woman at the table, especially if she’s her ex’s new squeeze. I have the feeling she’s not as innocent as she claims.
“How have you been? Since I saw you in that awful restaurant a few weeks back?”
“I’m fine.” Achilles sounds short. He glances at me. “I was just explaining to TG here”—he smiles a little, and I drop my face bashfully as I snort a soft chuckle—“why I have your pen in a box. Penelope gifted it to me for my birthday.” He frowns at her thoughtfully. “What was it? Three or four years ago? We were a couple, but not very many people knew.”
“I knew,” Orion says.
Penelope’s entire face has turned red. Her lips are trembling slightly. I feel her pain. I sense her loss. Achilles is talking about her as if he has no more feelings for her at all.
“The sculptures are Pen’s too.” He nods graciously at Penelope. “I’ll have them packaged and sent to you.”
Penelope quickly turns away from Achilles’s gaze and then just as quickly looks at him again with a bright smile. “Thank you. I look forward to receiving them. And,” she sings, raising a finger, “I’m working with Marigold on the next big charity event. Exciting.” Her eyes dance.
“Yes, and, um, your mother is part of the team,” Orion adds, smirking at me.
I twist my mouth thoughtfully. Frankly, I don’t know how to have any sort of conversation with Orion. Can I ever forgive him for what he did to Skylark and me? It happened a long time ago, but I don’t think he’s changed a bit.
“You look happy, though,” Penelope says directly at Achilles. “Are you happy?” It’s as if she’s begging him, imploring him, to say no.
“You two are quite cozy, though,” Orion chimes in and leans across the table. His face is closer to Achilles. “Don’t worry, brother. She knows it’s an act. You know, like we talked about earlier today.”
My jaw drops as I watch Achilles, who’s glaring at Orion like he wants to take his brother by the neck and squeeze.
For some reason, this whole scene gets to me. Tears burn the backs of my eyes. My sinuses swell from sadness. What is this terrible feeling that’s building inside me, made of solid sorrow? I drop my face. I’ve tuned out of this moment. Achilles feels a hundred miles away as Tom comes back with our champagne and asks Orion and Penelope if he should take their orders.
“No,” Achilles says in a firm voice that dares anyone to challenge him. “They’re getting up and going, right now.”
Achilles and Orion have a stare off that’s filled with violence. It’s as if at any second, they will come to blows.
Then, Orion sucks his teeth and bounds quickly to his feet. He walks away without checking to see whether Penelope is behind him.
“I’ll see you soon, Achilles,” she says, sliding out of the booth. “You’re still on the charity’s board, aren’t you?”
After glaring at her for several beats, Achilles nods sharply and then says, “Good night, Penelope.”
And still, Penelope doesn’t look at me. She doesn’t say good night to me, but she says it to Achilles, except her “good night” actually sounds like “I love you.”
It feelsas if they’ve ruined our night. Tom wanted to pour our wine, but Achilles ordered him to leave it. He’ll pour it. And so he filled my glass three-quarters of the way and then his. I haven’t been able to move a muscle. My body has been rendered immobile by Orion and Penelope, who reminded me that my relationship is fake and that I know for certain that I shouldn’t trust the man who has taken me to sexual galaxies that I never knew existed.
“I was going to marry her,” he says.
I close my eyes and allow the sting of his words to jolt through me.
