by Kay Harris
Darius sat forward, leaning his elbows on his knees. “Can I ask you about the marriage pact?”
“She told you about that, huh?”
“Yeah. She told me about it.”
Kyle shrugged. “Here’s the thing. We made that pact when we were kids. And I guess, for me, it was easy. I’m not great with women, never have been. So, instead of working at it, I could always just wait and marry Alice, assuming she didn’t find someone else. I love her. She loves me. Maybe it’s not some great Casablanca-style romance, but we could make each other happy.”
“What if I told you…?” Darius reached for the beer bottle, took another long swig, then met Kyle’s gaze. “That Alice was serial dating in a desperate attempt to find to a spouse before her next birthday.”
Darius’ stomach twisted with guilt as Kyle’s face went blank. Kyle leaned back in the couch with a huff. “Damn.”
“Yeah. Sorry. I just thought…I thought you deserved to know.”
“What do you mean serial dating? Fill me in here.” Kyle looked up at the ceiling as he asked.
“She made a list of potential spouses and the attributes they have to have. And she’s going through the list. It’s kind of like she’s interviewing people for the job.”
“Sounds weird.”
“It kinda is.”
Kyle looked at Darius. “Are you on the list?”
Darius shook his head. “I have multiple strikes against me.”
“Oh yeah? What are those? I mean. If you don’t mind. My ego could use a little boost here.”
“My strikes are actually the same as yours. We’re friends, and she doesn’t want to date someone she’s friends with.”
Kyle groaned. “That would be my fault.” He raised his hand as if he were in school. “What else?”
“And I’m famous. She doesn’t like the fame thing.”
“Well, damn. At least I get to be rejected for the same reasons as a handsome, rich football player slash underwear model.”
“Does it make you feel better?”
“A little.” Kyle polished off his beer and looked at Darius. “Thanks for telling me, man. I owe you one. Maybe more than one. You saved me from a few ass-kickings back in school. Want another beer?”
“Sure.”
This time, Darius followed Kyle into the kitchen. It was small and old, but stuffed with brand new appliances and every possible kitchen gadget on the planet.
“You ever think about getting a new house for all your new stuff?” Darius asked.
Kyle pulled two beers out of the refrigerator and set them on the island. “Yes. But my great-grandfather built this house and my mom and grandmother don’t want to move.” Kyle stopped in mid-motion as he was pulling the top off one of the beers. “I know what you’re thinking. That I should move out.”
“I don’t know. Maybe they need your help?”
“Not really. I mean, my mom is young and healthy, and she doesn’t need to work. I can support them financially. I don’t need to live here.”
“So why do you?”
Kyle finished opening the bottles. “Just like with dating, I suppose. Lazy.”
“I don’t think a man who writes thousand-page novels is lazy.”
Kyle smirked. “That’s different.”
“I could set you up.”
Kyle slid a beer to Darius and leaned over the island. “Oh yeah? With who?”
“My cousin. She’s kind of the yin to your yang. She’s in marketing. She’s super extroverted. Also, she loves to read. She’s pretty, too.”
“And why would she like me?”
“You’re kind of her type. She’s brought home a few guys that remind me of you. You’re her flavor. She likes your books, too. She’s not like a rabid super fan or anything. But she knows I know you, and she mentioned it once.”
Kyle’s eyes sparkled. “Where does she live?”
“Not far. Just this side of Traverse City. She’s going to be at my mom’s birthday dinner tonight. Wanna come?”
****
Five and a half years ago…
“Where are you going to go, exactly?”
Alice stuffed a set of underwear into one corner of the duffle bag Kyle’s mother had given her. “You remember that girl we went to piano class with, Jillian?”
Kyle scrunched up his nose. “When?”
“She moved away like four years ago, but she was a student of Miss Stephanie.”
Kyle shook his head.
“She had that little dog she carried in her purse, and Miss Stephanie hated that thing and tried to ban if from her classroom. But Jillian bought a service dog vest for it online, so Miss Stephanie couldn’t do a damn thing about it.”
“Oh yeah! I remember her. What about her?”
“She lives in Richmond, California. She said I could stay with her.”
“California! You’re going to freaking California!”
“Jillian is two years older than us. She’s going to school in Berkeley. She lives in an apartment with a few other students. She said I could crash with them for a few weeks for free before I had to pay rent. She also said she knows a guy who could probably get me a job.”
“California?” Kyle looked like he’d just been told he had a small baby growing out of his forehead.
“Yeah, California. Why not?” Alice pulled a few pairs of socks out of her dresser and shoved them into all the remaining spaces in the bag.
“What do your parents think about this?”
Alice shrugged.
“You did tell them, didn’t you?”
“I told them I was moving out. They didn’t seem too upset.”
“That’s probably because they thought you were moving onto D Street or something not halfway across the country. Scratch that, two-thirds of the way across the country.”
Alice struggled with the zipper until Kyle moved her aside and took the beast on himself.
“What difference does it make how far it is? Either way, they won’t be burdened with me anymore.”
Kyle grunted as he pulled at the zipper. It finally slid across the bulging bag and hit the other side. He looked down at it like he’d just conquered the thing.
“I’ll miss you, Kyle.”
He whirled around to face her, his eyes suddenly filled with tears. “I can’t believe you’re leaving.”
“I need to do this. For me.”
Kyle took her hands in his and held all four between them. “Please, please tell me you’re not doing this because of me.”
“What? Why would I do that?”
“Because things didn’t work out between us.”
“Kyle. Don’t be silly. I love you. I’m not leaving because we didn’t work out in the other sense. I’m doing this for me.”
Kyle stepped closer. He let go of her hands and cupped her cheeks. “You’re running away from Walker Springs and all that it represents.”
Alice swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.
“Maybe I should come with you.” His voice was just a whisper.
There was a part of Alice that wanted that. She would love to have a friend, someone to lean on while she started her life anew. But she knew better. “I have to do this on my own, Kyle.”
Kyle leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her lips. “I’ll always be here for you.”
****
“Kyle, hey. How are you?” Alice answered the phone in her cheeriest voice.
“So, I know why you’ve been avoiding me.” His voice was low and dangerously quiet.
“What? I haven’t been…I’ve just been really busy and—”
“Don’t, Alice.” His sigh was long and sharp. “I know you’re so scared of having to marry me that you’re going to great lengths to find a spouse before you have to.”
The breath left her lungs. She was unable to properly suck in more air, leaving her with the inability to speak. Not that it mattered. She didn’t know what the hell to say.
“Why di
dn’t you just tell me?” The question was not much more than a whisper, and it sounded more like he’d said it to himself than to her. “Alice.” He grew stronger. “This is ridiculous. Of course we aren’t going to get married if you don’t want to. I certainly wasn’t going to hold a freaking shotgun to you. And I don’t want you to marry me out of some sort of fucked up sense of obligation. You know, believe it or not, I’d like to marry someone who actually wants to be with me.”
After reaching his crescendo, Kyle took a few deep breaths. It was long enough for Alice to regain the power of speech. “Who told you?”
“Darius. And you know what? I’m glad he did. I deserved to know. And you, you would never have said a damn thing. Even now, all you want to know is who told me.”
“That’s not true. I just…I feel so awful about how you found out. I feel so awful about all of this. I should have had the chance to talk to you myself…”
“But you were literally never going to do that. You would have married someone you don’t love just to keep the truth from me. Damn, Alice. That is so screwed up. Don’t you see how screwed up that is?”
“I love you.” The words were soft and true. He’d been family to her. Once upon a time he was as close to her as Everett was now.
Kyle’s voice was quieter, weaker. “I know. Just not like that. I get it.”
“I’m sorry.”
There was a deep pause. Kyle sucked in a hard breath. “I had a date last night.”
The tears streaming down Alice’s cheeks were caught in her smile. “Yeah? With who?”
“Darius’ cousin, Lisa. You know her?”
“Yes. I’ve met her. She’s a few years older than us. She’s hot. Or at least she was last time I saw her.”
“She still is.”
“Good.”
“Look. I just…I just wish you’d handled this differently.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“We’ll sort it out. I gotta go. Nana is trying to buy a goat online.”
“Kay.”
“Bye.”
Alice hung up the phone and sobbed. She’d been so careful not to hurt any feelings and now her friendship with Kyle was destroyed. When her tears turned from guilt and sadness to anger, she gave her rage a name—Darius Fleck.
Chapter 10
“I am very, very mad at you right now.”
Darius ran a hand through his hair. “But you look beautiful.”
Determined that flattery would not work on her tonight, Alice grabbed the clutch from the small, round table in her entryway and stormed through the door. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”
Darius practically jumped out of the way as she filled the landing with her anger. She shut her apartment door roughly and turned the key in the lock until it made an audible click. Then she whirled on her platform sandals, making her flouncy blue skirt fly around her legs, and headed down the stairs.
“Can we at least talk about this before we go to Everett’s party together?”
“Oh, we’re going to talk all right, Mr. Interferer.” Alice stomped down the three flights of stairs, Darius’ surprisingly light tread chasing her. She burst through the door to the building and made a direct path for his car.
“I like your new car by the way,” he said as they passed the sporty, red domestic she’d bought at Everett’s urging.
“How do you know it’s mine?” she asked tartly, planting herself in front of his vehicle with crossed arms to wait for him to unlock the doors.
“I saw it at Tranquility. So, unless you live in the same building as someone else—”
“Fine. Yeah. It’s mine.”
Darius took his sweet time walking over to the passenger side of his car and hitting the button on the fob to unlock it. Then he pulled the door open and extended his hand. Alice glared at him before dropping into the leather bucket seat.
Once he was in the driver seat and had started the car, Darius asked, “Did I see boxes in your living room?”
“Yes, nosey. I’m moving.”
Darius shifted the car into gear and pulled out of the space. “Is everything all right?”
Everything was a lot more than all right. Alice could afford a place with an actual separate bedroom, without neighbors who liked to pound on the ceiling in the middle of the night, and with covered parking for her new car. She’d picked out a nice, safe condo not far from Everett’s house.
But she wasn’t going to tell any of that to Darius, not when she was mad at him. He could believe she was lower middle class for a just a while longer.
“My living situation is fine. My friendship situation is not.”
“I guess you talked to Kyle, huh?”
“Yes. He called me. He was furious.” Alice turned to look at Darius’ profile. It was a mistake. It was basically like trying to be mad at a puppy—a really, really hot puppy. She turned back to face the road. “I hope you’re happy. You ruined my friendship.”
“Honestly, Alice. I think that friendship was already fucked up.”
“What? Who the hell are you to judge my friendship with Kyle?”
“You lied to the guy for years. You strung him along. You tried to marry virtual strangers to get out of telling him you’re not in love with him. Come on. What kind friendship is that, anyway?”
Alice felt the weight of her guilt hit the pit of her stomach. It was a familiar feeling. Anxiety blossomed in her chest as her heart pounded. Darius was right. She’d known it all along, but she’d felt powerless to do anything about it. It was always this way. Alice hated that feeling. When it crept up on her she did rash things, like promise to marry Kyle or move to California. Or jump in a car with the gorgeous quarterback.
Alice spent the rest of the ride to Everett’s house practicing her breathing exercises. Darius didn’t bother her.
When they got to the party, Alice made a beeline for the bar. But Darius easily kept up with her. After that, she found her birthday buddies, and, once again, Darius was right there at her side.
So when she went to get a second drink she expected to find him right behind her when she turned back around. But, finally, he was gone. Alice let out a sigh of relief and took a long drink of her bright red, fruity cocktail.
Her shoulders fell, and she finally started to relax, until she heard a familiar voice. “Hi, Alice.”
She pivoted on her tall shoes and looked straight into the eyes of her ex. “Greta.”
One of the few people as short as Alice looked into her eyes and smiled. “How are you?”
“Um, good. Need a drink?”
Greta held up a tall glass. A lock of ginger hair fell over one bright blue eye. Alice realized she’d always been a sucker for blue eyes. “Got one. Wanna go outside? The weather is gorgeous tonight.”
“Sure.” She moved slowly as she followed Greta to the sliding glass door that led to Everett’s ample backyard.
Greta bounced on her toes as she moved ahead of Alice and ushered her out into the quiet night. Alice took a moment to adjust to the transition from the brightness of the house to the backyard, lit only by the soft glow of the pool lights.
Greta stopped at a set of chaise lounges several feet to the right of the door and perched on the side of one chair. Alice sat opposite her and cradled the glass in her hands. “How’ve you been?”
“Good. Really good. I haven’t seen you much.”
Alice shrugged. “I don’t get down to shipping very often.”
Greta and Alice had once worked together in sales. But their relationship had ended poorly. It led to a situation where Greta took her frustrations out on Alice. It was Everett who’d sent Greta to shipping to protect Alice.
“Listen, I know we haven’t talked much in the last couple years. But I’m always nice to you when we see each other, aren’t I?”
Alice couldn’t deny that she was. Greta had been nothing but friendly since her transfer. “Yes.”
“So why do you always look like you’re afrai
d of me?”
Alice nearly choked. Greta had always been direct. But they hadn’t dated that long, and Alice never got used to it. “Um…I don’t really know how to answer that.”
“Just tell me the truth. You know I won’t fuck with you ever again. You know I’m sorry for how things went down, right?”
Alice had started to believe there was something inherit in her nature that opened her up for bullying. It had started with Derek, then there’d been a few people who’d crashed at the same apartment she’d stayed at briefly in Berkeley, then Greta.
After they broke up, Greta and a friend of hers, who ended up getting fired, started bullying Alice. Greta was the one who tried to put the brakes on it when it got out of control, and Everett had shown her leniency as a result. But he’d also sent Greta to sensitivity training, transferred her, and demanded she never say another unkind word to Alice for the rest of her life.
The bullying had started for the same reason as it had in high school. Greta didn’t like that Alice was bi. But in the end, Alice figured she owed Greta. After all, it was that incident that led to her relationship with Everett.
Alice let out a long breath. “I guess I’ve never been quite sure if you genuinely regretted what happened or if you were just afraid of Everett.”
Greta cocked her head and furrowed her brow. “What do you mean? Like, afraid if I wasn’t nice he’d fire me?”
Alice nodded. “We’re close, me and him. You must know that.”
“I didn’t know that. I know I almost lost my job because I was harassing you. But that’s not why I’m sorry. I was an asshole. And things got out of hand. And I truly regret it. What I would really like, even if I don’t deserve it, is your forgiveness. That’s the plain truth.”
Alice smiled. Nothing about Greta’s tone or body language spoke of insincerity. She wanted to believe that Greta was genuine about this. “I forgive you.”
A wide grin, visible even in the low light, took up Greta’s face. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Alice held out her glass and Greta clinked the two together. After a short, mildly awkward silence, Alice asked, “So. How’s life? Are you still doing Cosplay? Are you dating?”
“I don’t go to as many conventions and stuff anymore. And I have a girlfriend. She works at the refinery. We just moved in together. What about you? Are you dating Everett?”