back
tears, the memory of my father’s death still so raw and real. “My
sister took off about a year ago with her boyfriend. I haven’t
heard from her since.” The truth is, I miss my baby sister. I wish
she would have stayed with me. But she was always so defiant and
headstrong. I was always the even-tempered daughter, the one who did
what she was told and managed the house. The
responsible one . “So basically I had no reason to stay
there anymore.”
“Wow, you came here
alone? That’s brave,” Tyler says, with genuine respect. “I hope
that you remember to keep that independence alive, even though you’re
marrying my brother.”
“What do you mean?
That’s why I still work. I’m not interested in Blake’s money,
or the family’s,” I defend, slightly irritated at the allusion.
“I don’t mean that.
I mean, you shouldn’t ever be just Blake’s wife, or Eliza
Carson’s daughter in law, or some average wife on the society page
of the paper,” Tyler says. “It’s easy to get sucked into this
world. From the outside, it looks awesome. On the inside though,
well, it’s just an ugly place. Believe me, I have firsthand
insight.”
“Why do you care so
much? What is the deal with you and Blake, and you and your mother,
for that matter?” I ask, increasingly curious.
Tyler shrugs his
shoulders lazily. “Firstly, it’s because you seem like a nice
girl, and I’m trying to look out for you. That’s it, I swear. I
know my family, and all about how they are. And secondly, Blake and I
fought over a girl. Eliza and I don’t speak because I chose to be a
freelance photographer instead of becoming yet another Dr. Carson,
refused to date her friends’ daughters, and— some other things.”
Great,
now the other brother was being evasive, too!
I turn my head towards
the nearest shop front and don’t recognize the intersection at
which we are currently standing.
“Shit!” I exclaim.
“I think we missed the beauty salon.”
“Okay, how far back?”
Tyler asks, turning and looking back over his shoulder.
“A couple of blocks,”
I say.
“Really?” he
laughs. “I was that entertaining, huh?”
“Get over yourself!”
I reprimand.
Tyler says farewell as
we finally reach the beauty salon. I walk in, and nearly run into Mac
and Janie, both salivating behind the glass door.
“Who the hell is
that?” Mac asks, his voice rising with an excited lilt.
“Oh, that’s just
Tyler, Blake’s baby brother,” I say nonchalantly.
“Shut up! Are you
screwing both brothers?” Mac exclaims. “You little tramp, I had
no idea you were like that!”
“What? No! He was
walking this way, that’s all,” I say quickly. So I embellished
the truth a little. I wonder, ever so briefly, if I did that because
I felt like I was betraying Blake, or because I didn’t want to deal
with twenty questions from Mac, or simply because I didn’t want to
admit to myself that, in all the months that I had been here, that
that was the best and most honest conversation I’d had.
Later on, Janie
reluctantly agrees to let me off to an extended lunch break to meet
up with Maia and Jackson. Since I lost the bet to Mac yesterday, I
had three extra Brazilians to do. Luckily, he took pity on me and
agreed to cover them if I brought him back a Crème Brule frappe from
his favorite café.
Killing two birds with
one stone, I text Maia to ask them to meet me there.
When I arrive, they’re
already inside, curled into each other in one of the booths. Maia is
casually tracing small circles on Jackson’s chest, while his hand
rests leisurely on her thigh. They are the cutest couple I have ever
met. Just made for each other.
All my life, this was
the kind of love I had dreamed of, one filled with comfort and ease.
The ability to just exist with each other in perfect synchronicity.
“Hi, guys,” I
greet, smiling as I settle into the chair opposite them. “Blake
couldn’t be here, he had to work. He said to apologize to
tears, the memory of my father’s death still so raw and real. “My
sister took off about a year ago with her boyfriend. I haven’t
heard from her since.” The truth is, I miss my baby sister. I wish
she would have stayed with me. But she was always so defiant and
headstrong. I was always the even-tempered daughter, the one who did
what she was told and managed the house. The
responsible one . “So basically I had no reason to stay
there anymore.”
“Wow, you came here
alone? That’s brave,” Tyler says, with genuine respect. “I hope
that you remember to keep that independence alive, even though you’re
marrying my brother.”
“What do you mean?
That’s why I still work. I’m not interested in Blake’s money,
or the family’s,” I defend, slightly irritated at the allusion.
“I don’t mean that.
I mean, you shouldn’t ever be just Blake’s wife, or Eliza
Carson’s daughter in law, or some average wife on the society page
of the paper,” Tyler says. “It’s easy to get sucked into this
world. From the outside, it looks awesome. On the inside though,
well, it’s just an ugly place. Believe me, I have firsthand
insight.”
“Why do you care so
much? What is the deal with you and Blake, and you and your mother,
for that matter?” I ask, increasingly curious.
Tyler shrugs his
shoulders lazily. “Firstly, it’s because you seem like a nice
girl, and I’m trying to look out for you. That’s it, I swear. I
know my family, and all about how they are. And secondly, Blake and I
fought over a girl. Eliza and I don’t speak because I chose to be a
freelance photographer instead of becoming yet another Dr. Carson,
refused to date her friends’ daughters, and— some other things.”
Great,
now the other brother was being evasive, too!
I turn my head towards
the nearest shop front and don’t recognize the intersection at
which we are currently standing.
“Shit!” I exclaim.
“I think we missed the beauty salon.”
“Okay, how far back?”
Tyler asks, turning and looking back over his shoulder.
“A couple of blocks,”
I say.
“Really?” he
laughs. “I was that entertaining, huh?”
“Get over yourself!”
I reprimand.
Tyler says farewell as
we finally reach the beauty salon. I walk in, and nearly run into Mac
and Janie, both salivating behind the glass door.
“Who the hell is
that?” Mac asks, his voice rising with an excited lilt.
“Oh, that’s just
Tyler, Blake’s baby brother,” I say nonchalantly.
“Shut up! Are you
screwing both brothers?” Mac exclaims. “You little tramp, I had
no idea you were like that!”
“What? No! He was
walking this way, that’s all,” I say quickly. So I embellished
the truth a little. I wonder, ever so briefly, if I did that because
I felt like I was betraying Blake, or because I didn’t want to deal
with twenty questions from Mac, or simply because I didn’t want to
admit to myself that, in all the months that I had been here, that
that was the best and most honest conversation I’d had.
Later on, Janie
reluctantly agrees to let me off to an extended lunch break to meet
up with Maia and Jackson. Since I lost the bet to Mac yesterday, I
had three extra Brazilians to do. Luckily, he took pity on me and
agreed to cover them if I brought him back a Crème Brule frappe from
his favorite café.
Killing two birds with
one stone, I text Maia to ask them to meet me there.
When I arrive, they’re
already inside, curled into each other in one of the booths. Maia is
casually tracing small circles on Jackson’s chest, while his hand
rests leisurely on her thigh. They are the cutest couple I have ever
met. Just made for each other.
All my life, this was
the kind of love I had dreamed of, one filled with comfort and ease.
The ability to just exist with each other in perfect synchronicity.
“Hi, guys,” I
greet, smiling as I settle into the chair opposite them. “Blake
couldn’t be here, he had to work. He said to apologize to
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