Page 127 of Two Marlboros

So, I had become angry.

No, not exactly: I had gone off the handle.

Because when you find a person who makes morality his warhorse, you don’t expect him to play dirty like that. Right off the bat I had thought that things like that might even happen, only to be reminded of Webster Hall the next moment and howhe had pretended to be interested in the “Ryan matter” just to pursue investigations.

It had certainly been the same for the party. He had agreed out of the blue and after a phone call, perhaps from some of his superiors. I had believed that he had come willingly at least a little, but instead it had been yet another set-up; he had proved it to me by blurting out my whole plan to Steve, as I was beginning to consider him a friend and someone I could trust. All the times I had caught him watching me he was surely thinking how stupid I was to believe that little play.

“Yes, I’m mad at Alan, but that’s not my concern anymore anyway.”

“Oh! I’m glad to hear you say that.”

“So that you hope I become interested in you?”

Steve chuckled. “No, cutie, you’re not the matter this time. In fact, to be honest, I don’t care about you anymore.”

At that moment, my heart lost a beat. I was finally going to get rid of Steve, it was true, but...

“What do you mean?”

“The world doesn’t revolve around you, you know. I want to hit on Alan.”

A big laugh escaped me. It made no sense at all, let alone whether Alan would agree to date someone like Steve! I could already picture him, as the amoeba tried to grope his backside or whispered dirty trucker phrases to him.

“You’re out, Steve. Alan won’t even accept in a million years.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Pretty sure.”

“Funny, because I sent him a text and even got a reply.”

For a moment I was also alarmed, my mind a jumble of thoughts.

Alan and Steve? Please.

What response had he given him?

He had been giving me a hard time about the Oliver thing and now he was agreeing to go out with the first guy approaching him?

...In fact, though, I had never asked him out.

Would he have agreed?

“Slow down, Steve, don’t get smart with me. Who would have given you his number?”

He came a little closer to me and gave me a look I didn’t like. He had an answer, and it wasn’t made up on the spot.

“You shouldn’t leave your cell phone unattended, dearest Nate.”

I was speechless.

I had been texting in a war tone about some bullshit -thanks again, mind- and Steve had taken advantage of that moment to squeeze in between us.

“No way. Let me see.”

He laughed again and looked a lot like the villain in the movies, who knows he has the upper hand and taunts you for trying to take it away from him. I thought he would come up with some excuse to delay the time when he would show me the text, but instead he handed me the phone with a mocking smile on his face.

“Here it is.”

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