His mouth hangs open. "Flying economy?"
I shake my head and give Bennie a condensed summary of how Lucas basically kidnapped me so we could "talk".
"Wow. Two years later and he wants to have a conversation?" Bennie snorts.
"I don't know what he wants. Closure, maybe? He freaked me out for a moment when he said I took something from him, but he didn't bring it up again."
"Holy shit." Bennie lowers his voice. "Do you think he knows?"
"I don't think so. I didn't get that vibe."
"Or maybe he doesn't care. I mean, you think he might, but given the kind of man he is, he might be relieved you didn't try to involve him or get any kind of financial support."
My nails dig into my palms. "I'd rather die than take a penny from him." Especially after his brother accused me of being a gold digger.
"You go, girl," Bennie says. "Besides, who trusts a man who shows up after two years to talk? He can't be up to any good."
"I know, right? He even tried to make it sound like being photographed with that Faye woman was for my benefit." I give him the gist.
"Oh my god. So typical. Bullshit with a capital B to gloss over all the things he did wrong and make you feel like shit for dumping him … when really you were totally justified in doing it! I saw Dad do that to Mom time after time. But no matter how horribly he hurt her, she could never leave him. It's just"-he sighs, deflating slightly-"frustrating."
I reach out and pat his hand. Bennie is continually upset about his parents. His father was quick to anger, alcohol an accelerant to his temper, and he swung his fists indiscriminately when he got mad. I was there one time when he sprained his hand. Not being able to make a fist, he used his feet.
But the day after … He was always such a gentleman the day after. It amazed me that he could be so … nice and apologetic.
"A punch isn't the only thing that can hurt," Bennie says. "There are other ways to inflict pain. They don't leave any bruises, but they hurt more because they don't heal as fast … or as completely."
"I know," I whisper.
"Let me know if there's anything I can do to help. I feel responsible," Bennie mutters, shoving fingers into his messy brown hair. "If it hadn't been for me egging you on, you wouldn't have slept with him."
I flinch with shock. "That is so not true."
"Yeah it is. You said you weren't interested, but then I told you to live a little and screw him." He heaves a sigh. "Should've known better."
"Nobody knows the future. If we could, we'd all be millionaires."
"Still … "
I raise an eyebrow. This is a little too strong of a reaction to my old romance gone wrong.
Bennie's phone rings. He scowls at it but doesn't pick up.
"Who is it?"
His lips purse. "Drew."
"Soo … why aren't you answering?"
Bennie and Drew are inseparable. Or were, anyway, until I left for Thailand. Then I recall how oddly Bennie behaved when we were on the phone earlier.
"It's complicated."
"Maybe I can make it less complicated." I rest an elbow on the back of the couch and cup my chin in my hand. "Come on, talk to me. Is Drew upset that you're going back to the States?"
"Like he has any reason to be mad. He's going back to England."
"What … ? When was this decided?"
"Right after you left. Apparently, Mum wants him back home. He asked me to go with him, but I don't know. Flying to Europe is expensive, and it seems ridiculous to go all the way there just to … " He shrugs.
"You might like it," I say carefully.
"I heard it rains a lot. And the food isn't that great. After having sushi and sashimi in this country, I don't know about fish and chips."
"Pretty sure that's not all they eat. Besides, think about the good points. For one, they speak English."
Bennie is terrible with languages. He still bemoans the fact that the locals in Osaka can't speak English because he sure as heck isn't learning Japanese. A few simple greetings are about all he can manage. It's pretty incredible, given how social he is, and I'm sure it's one of the reasons why he isn't entirely happy here.
"That's a plus … " He nods, but I suspect he's merely trying to placate me. "I'm just not feeling confident about the whole thing."
What the heck is this about? Bennie loves to go to new places. He's the one who said we should get jobs in Japan.
"Are you sure?"
"I haven't really decided yet. Drew thinks if I'm not going to be working at the school, I should go with him, but why should I? I'm not some boy toy he can just haul around."