by Linda Verji
“It’s okay.” He offered Freddie and her parents a half-smile. “I’ll talk to him.”
With an angry huff, Ari jerked his arms from his parents’ grip, turned on his heels and made for the door. Lex followed him.
* * *
LEX SHOULD’VE BEEN scared as he watched Ari pace the driveway in barely restrained fury, but he wasn’t. He was relieved. Finally, it was out there. Finally, he didn’t have to lie anymore. The freedom that came with not having to deceive his friend anymore was worth whatever consequences Ari was going to dish out.
Ari suddenly stopped his pacing to level a furious look at Lex. “Tell me that everything you said in there was a lie.”
Lex didn’t say a word but his silence was answer enough.
“Are you kidding me?” Ari blew up. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
He took a step forward as if to attack Lex. Lex steeled himself, waiting for the pain. He even welcomed it. After everything he’d done, getting beat up was the least he deserved. But instead of hitting him, Ari suddenly stopped as if thinking better of it. He drew one hand over his close-shaved head in obvious frustration all the while glaring at Lex before he turned again and stomped a distance away from him. It was obvious he was fighting with himself – aching to attack Lex but unable to because of their relationship.
Suddenly, Lex felt pity for his friend. In his place, he didn’t know how he’d react. Sure, he had sisters too, but he wasn’t close enough to them to care about their relationships. However, if he had a sister who he was as close to as Ari was to Freddie would he be okay with him dating Ari? Maybe. Maybe not. He had too much dirt on Ari to be comfortable with him dating his sister.
And to be honest, Lex’s dating record wasn’t all that clean either. If there was anyone who knew how superficial Lex’s previous relationships had been, it would be Ari. He’d watched Lex go through several sex partners with whom he had no intention of ever getting serious. How could he not wonder if Freddie would be one of these women too?
Ari turned back to face Lex. “How long?”
“Not long,” Lex revealed.
This drew another angry intake of breath from Ari. His fists curled at the side of his body.
Just punch me, Lex mentally pleaded. If it was any of their other friends, Ari would’ve exploded by now. But Lex knew that because they were closer, it made it harder for Ari to release his anger. It sent guilt sputtering through Lex. For the first time he wondered if maybe he should break up with Freddie, if only to keep his friend from hurting.
No, his inner voice immediately rose in defiance. He couldn’t give up Freddie.
But he couldn’t give up Ari either.
All he could do was hope that his friend forgave him for his selfishness. That however didn’t look possible at this moment. Not with the way Ari was glaring at him.
His lips curled, Ari asked, “The dress? Freddie’s?”
Lex nodded.
Ari’s breath rushed out in a loud puff and his body tensed even further. Lex thought that he’d attack him for sure. Instead, he closed his eyes and dragged in a slow breath. When he opened his eyes again, there was so much disappointment and hurt glinting in there that it pricked Lex’s conscious. Without another word, Ari turned and headed for his car.
Lex, who was expecting more punishment, was so startled by the reaction that when Ari got into his car, he started towards him to stop him from leaving.
“Let him go.” A deep voice echoed from behind, stopping him.
Lex swiveled to see who it was only to find Freddie’s father watching him. When had Ulysses even arrived? Had he heard the whole conversation? And would he take over where Ari had left and punch Lex for messing with his daughter?
Steeling himself, Lex turned fully to face the older man.
“I heard everything,” Ulysses answered Lex’s unvoiced question. Contrary to expectations, he didn’t launch into a diatribe or jump Lex. “You okay?”
“Me?” Lex pointed at himself since he couldn’t quite believe that the older man was asking after him.
“Yea, you!” Ulysses confirmed. “It must have been quite a shock, having to come clean out of the blue like that.”
“Um… yeah.” Lex watched the man warily, unsure if Ulysses was actually concerned for his well-being or lulling him into a false sense of security before he attacked him. Hesitantly, he added, “I’m okay.”
“Good.” The older man smiled reassuringly. “I’m just glad you finally decided to man up.”
Lex’s eyes widened as shock shuttled through him. What did that mean?
“Don’t look at me like that,” Ulysses said with a grin. “I’ve known for a while.”
Lex swallowed. “Known what?”
“That you liked Freddie,” the older man said. “It’s obvious to anyone who has eyes.”
No, no it wasn’t obvious. No one had ever called him out on his secret crush on Freddie. Hell, even she was surprised by it. And judging by Ari’s shock, it was obvious that he hadn’t clocked it either. How could Ulysses have seen it?
“Even Tanaya noticed it,” Ulysses added. A moment later, he corrected himself, “Actually, she noticed it before I did.”
“Then why-” Lex swallowed then cleared his throat. “Why aren’t you angry?”
“Why should I be?” Ulysses frowned as if puzzled by the question. “It’s not a crime to like someone.”
Lex blinked. Then blinked again. “But it’s Freddie.”
“So?”
“And me?”
“She could do worse.” Ulysses shrugged. When Lex gave him a look of disbelief, he added in an amused tone. “Believe me, she’s done worse. Case in point, the sucker who started all this nonsense. Wesley!” He shook his head and clucked disapprovingly. “She may be my daughter but the girl has horrible taste in men. Don’t know where she gets that from.”
A smile pulled at Lex’s lips but he immediately hid it. He wasn’t brave enough to smile yet.
Ulysses gaze turned serious again. “So, what is going on between you and Freddie? Are you in a relationship?”
“Not exactly.”
The older man frowned. “What does that mean?”
Lex wasn’t suicidal enough to confess that they were just sleeping together for now. So he hedged, “We’re in the discussion stage.”
“Is that code for courting?”
For Lex it was, but Freddie might think differently. So he answered with silence.
“Young people these days.” Ulysses sighed. “Making everything so complicated.”
CHAPTER 17
While Ulysses was outside with Lex, Freddie was upstairs with her mother. Both women were seated on Freddie’s bed.
Freddie nervously worried her bottom lip and stared down at her linked hands as she tried to avoid her mother’s eyes. Even though they’d entered the room five minutes ago, Tanaya still hadn’t said a word. However, her silence was just as effective as any scolding. Freddie could feel the disappointment and disapproval in her mother’s burning gaze.
Tanaya sighed heavily. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Hmm?” Freddie kept looking at her hands.
“I mean…” Tanaya sighed again. “I don’t even know where to start.” She watched Freddie for some time before asking, “Are you okay?”
Freddie was so surprised by the question that she glanced up at her mother. “What?”
“Are you okay?” Tanaya repeated. “You’ve been through a lot with that idiot. The cheating, the kidnapping…. Oomph!” She sucked in a breath as anger flared in her eyes. “Did he really do all that?”
Freddie nodded. “Yeah, he did!”
“I knew that man was off the moment I met him.”
Freddie snorted on the inside. Wasn’t it Tanaya who’d invited the man over for dinner barely an hour ago?
“You should’ve gotten him arrested,” Tanaya declared. “Why didn’t you?”
Freddie shrugged. “I just didn’t want an
y drama.”
“Drama?” The older woman’s eyebrows shot up. “You mean like what happened today because you didn’t clear things up with him?”
Freddie answered with silence because her mother was right. If she’d dealt with Wesley decisively, he likely wouldn’t have had the balls to show his face at her parents’ home.
“You’re smart enough to know that only a restraining order works with that type of man,” Tanaya scolded on. “You should’ve taken one out on him the moment he locked you up in that bathroom.”
“I just didn’t want things to get complicated.” Freddie kept her head bowed and played with her fingers as she added, “You know how it is with celebrities. Once I involve the police, everything will just blow up and his fans might come after me.”
“Is that what it is?’ Tanaya studied her keenly. “You’re scared of what will happen after?”
“Of course.” Freddie met her mother’s eyes. “And of everyone else I thought you’d be the one to understand. You went through the same thing.”
Tanaya’s gaze and tone were softer as she questioned, “You mean with Cameron Chapman?”
Freddie nodded.
About ten years ago, Tanaya had performed surgery on an A-List actor, Cameron Chapman. Unfortunately, Cameron had died on her table. Table-deaths are a fact of surgery – sometimes it happens. Had it been someone else, Tanaya could’ve just explained what happened to the family and offered her condolences. But this was a celebrity with a massive following.
Though she’d done nothing wrong and there was actual footage of the operation itself, the media and Cameron’s fans had gone in on her. There were speculations about it being a botched surgery and investigations into her and the hospital. Some media stations invited quack doctors in and hosted shows dedicated to showing other techniques she could’ve used to save Cameron. There were even conspiracy theories about her having been paid to kill Cameron by politicians to cover up some scandal or other. It was bad!
It got worse when some fans and reporters had found out where the Lathams lived. When the media vans weren’t camped outside their gate, irate psychos were throwing bottles and rocks on their lawn or trying to climb over their wall. At school, both Freddie and Ari were the subject of gossip. Their social media pages were filled with anonymous messages about how they were children of a murderer and were also monsters.
The whole fiasco had lasted for months. Afterwards, they’d had to move to get away from the diehards who still stuck around even after it was conclusively proven that there was no wrongdoing on Tanaya’s part. For three years after all that, Tanaya couldn’t hold a scalpel without trembling. She was so terrified of messing up that she couldn’t do the thing she loved most – surgery.
Freddie had watched her mother go through all that; seen her distress and depression, heard her crying late at night. How could she not be scared of something like that happening again? Wesley was even more popular than Cameron Chapman, and judging by their social media posts his fans were crazier. How could she not fear their wrath?
“Yeah. Cameron Chapman,” Freddie confirmed. “I don’t want the same thing that happened to you to happen to me too.”
“I get that… I really do.” Tanaya shifted closer and took Freddie’s hand in hers. “And you’re right that there will be trouble if you get him arrested. But all that trouble is better than getting killed. That man kidnapped you. It’s obvious that he’s the type that can’t take no for an answer. What if he tries something worse next time? I get that you don’t want to be raked over the coals, but it’s better than getting murdered.”
Freddie had never quite thought of it that way. Frankly, she still didn’t think that Wesley was capable of murdering her. Then again, that was what many abused women thought; that the man wasn’t cruel enough to do more than he’d already done. Her mother was right – she needed to protect herself before something worse happened.
Tanaya prodded, “You’ll file a restraining order, right?”
“I’ll file one,” Freddie decided.
“Tomorrow?” her mother asked.
“Tomorrow,” Freddie confirmed. When her mother opened her mouth again, Freddie could already tell what she was about to say and she immediately cut her off with, “No, you don’t have to come with me. I can do it on my own.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.” Freddie smiled.
“Okay, fine.” Tanaya returned the smile. “I’ll trust you then. Just don’t put it off.”
“I won’t,” Freddie reassured. She paused a moment, watching her mother, before commenting, “You’re not asking about Lex.”
The moment Freddie said the words, she regretted them. Tanaya’s demeanor immediately changed. She went from concern to outrage in the span of seconds. Her eyes narrowed into thin slits.
“Oh… I’m getting to that!” The older woman slapped Freddie’s back hard.
“Ow!” Freddie whelped as she scooted away from her mother. “What do you do that for?”
“You’re lucky I didn’t use a belt,” Tanaya scolded.
“Why would you use a belt on me?” Freddie asked as she rubbed her back. “Mama, I’m an adult. I can date whoever I want.”
“I must’ve taught you wrong because you seem to think that being an adult means you now have a license to be stupid and a liar.” Tanaya shook her head disapprovingly. “I have no problem with you and Lex dating-”
Freddie’s jaw dropped. “You don’t?”
Tanaya went on as if she hadn’t heard the interruption. “-but my issue is that you lied about it and made me look like a damn idiot. There I was cheerfully cooking for that punk, Wesley, acting like his mother-in-law when you’re under some other man. Do you know how foolish I looked today?”
“I didn’t mean to do that. I really didn’t.” Freddie was instantly apologetic. “I’m sorry.”
“Why didn’t you just say the truth about breaking up with Wesley from the get-go?” Tanaya asked.
“If I’d said the truth, you would’ve found out what was going on with Lex.”
“And then?” Tanaya folded her arms over her chest. “What was so bad about me finding out about you and Lex? Did you expect me to beat you up? Was I supposed to lock you up? I’m curious what you thought I’d do.”
“I don’t know.” Freddie turned her gaze to the floor. “I just thought you, Daddy and Ari might disapprove of us and make things hard for us.”
“Hard how?” Tanaya didn’t even wait for her daughter’s answer. She jumped in again, “Okay, maybe we would’ve made things hard for you. But you keep claiming to be an adult. If you’re really an adult, then you should be willing to take the consequences of your choices. If you were really grown, you’d have dated Lex out in the open. All this sneaking around is so high-school that I can’t even believe my twenty-nine year-old daughter thought it was okay.”
Embarrassed because her mother was once again right, Freddie sheepishly said, “We were going to tell you eventually.”
“Were you?” Tanaya’s eyebrows arched. “Were you really?”
“We were,” Freddie insisted even though she and Lex hadn’t discussed it.
“Humph!” The older woman snorted disbelievingly. “The only good thing is that it was Lex. Not another buster like Wesley.”
“You’re okay with it being Lex?” Freddie still couldn’t believe it.
“Why would I not be okay with it being Lex? He’s a good guy.”
“But he’s…” Freddie swallowed convulsively. “He’s Ari’s friend.”
“Yes, I know.” Tanaya looked confused. “So?”
Okay, this was confusing! Her parents were supposed to be angry about her and Lex fooling around – not so nonchalant.
“What is your relationship anyway?” Tanaya asked, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. “Are you two dating with marriage in mind?”
“We’re not dating!”
Tanaya blinked then blinked again. “What?”
&
nbsp; “We’re not dating.”
“But you said...No-” Tanaya shook her head. “- Lex said that there was something going on between you two and you confirmed it.”
“Yes, something is going on,” Freddie confirmed. “But it’s not dating.”
“Then what is it?”
Freddie shrugged. “We’re just sleeping together.”
Tanaya’s mouth fell open. She rubbed her ear as if she wasn’t sure she’d heard right. “I’m sorry what?”
“We’re just sleeping together,” Freddie answered honestly. “We’re not actually in a relationship.”
“You’re just-” Her mother paused to drag in a deep breath. “You know what? I won’t even ask. You two figure it out yourself then let me know.” She stared at Freddie again then shook her head. “Kids today!”
* * *
THE FOLLOWING DAY, Lex tried to call Freddie several times, but she didn’t pick up. Was she mad at him for outing them without her explicit consent? Had he read her wrong just because he was so desperate to stop with the games? Sighing, he turned his bike into the street that led to his father’s hotel.
As expected, Ari wasn’t talking to him. Contrary to Ulysses’ advice, Lex had gone to Ari’s apartment last night after he’d left the Lathams’ family home. Ari was at his apartment but once he saw who was at the door, he refused to open the door. When Lex had tried calling him, he’d immediately cut off the call, making it absolutely clear that he wasn’t interested in talking. Obviously, he needed more time. Later today, they were supposed to meet with the other men for drinks. Maybe he’d be ready to talk by then.
But why was Freddie ignoring Lex too? While he’d expected everyone else to give him a hard time, he’d thought that they were a team, on the same boat. Or didn’t she feel that way? Was that why she was letting his calls go unanswered?
He brought his bike to a halt in the parking lot of the hotel. After ditching his helmet and locking the bike, he headed to the hotel. All the staff there knew him well enough to smile and nod as he crossed the lobby and headed to the elevators. While in the elevator, he tried Freddie’s number. Again, she didn’t pick up. Frowning, Lex got off the elevator and headed to his father’s office.