An Unlikely Deal(28)

"I hate you, too, Elliot," he whispers before running out into the garden in the dusk.

But he can't help but wonder …

What is wrong with him?





Chapter Twelve



Ava

The second I unlock the door and step inside my apartment, Bennie jumps off the couch and runs toward me, his bare feet slapping the floor. He's in a loose charcoal T-shirt that says I like mayo sand across the chest in bright hot pink and a pair of black lounging pants he ordered online last month. In his hand is a phone, clutched tightly.

"Thank god, you're home!" he breathes out. "I was debating whether or not to call the police."

I tilt my head. "Why?" I slip off my shoes and go toward the living room. The NHK news is on TV, the sound muted.

His face goes cold as I pass. He grabs my upper arm. "What the hell did he do to you?"

"What?"

"You've been crying!"

I thought I'd wiped my face pretty well in the taxi. I guess not. "It's nothing." 

"How can you say that when Lucas dragged you away? If I'd known he was going to show up, I would've never left your side. You have no idea how much I yelled at Drew about that."

I collapse onto the couch, suddenly tired. "Please. It wasn't his fault."

"Like I'm supposed to believe that?" Bennie sits down next to me. "It totally is his fault for not stopping your ex."

"Bennie … " I don't have the energy to fight him. "He couldn't have known. And I told him it was okay."

He is still looking mutinous. "I'm trying to be fair, Ava. I just …  I just feel like Drew should've known." Bennie takes a few deep breaths. "So what did the asshole want?"

"He … " I stop, not wanting to talk about the kiss and the shameless way I responded to him. "Apparently, he wants me back."

Bennie's jaw drops. "Is he on crack?"

"Didn't look like it."

"Did you tell him pigs would be singing 'Hallelujah' before you'd let him touch you again?"

"Not exactly. But he knows … now."

"He's such an asshole. And just so … wrong for you. The stalking, the harassment. And why show up now? He didn't do a thing to get in touch for two years!"

I shrug, feigning nonchalance. "I don't know. But he said he couldn't stay in Japan for long, so he's going to leave."

Then remembering what he asked me to give up, I laugh dryly.

"What?"

"He asked me to quit my job. No, he actually told me to quit my job and move back to the States with him."

Bennie's eyes bug out. "Is he out of his freakin' mind?"

"Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction too."

"Wait." He puts his head closer to mine conspiratorially. "Do you think he knows? About"-he lowers his voice-"you know."

My heart seems to skip a beat, but I shake my head firmly. "No. No way. He didn't say anything about it. Besides, how could he know? He probably left Charlottesville after his surgery, and even if he didn't, he doesn't know Darcy and Ray. I doubt he made the connection."

Bennie thinks it over. "You're right. It's not like anyone looks that closely at random people's kids." He puts an elbow on the back of the sofa. "So did you confront him about what his brother said?"

Bennie's fists are tight. He's still angry about the way I was treated by Lucas's family, especially his oldest brother. Elliot wasn't so bad. He merely stood there while Blake ripped into me.

"I did, but apparently Blake has denied everything, and Lucas believes his brother."

"What a lying piece of shit. So he is close enough to believe his brother after all."

When I asked Lucas about his family when we were dating, he told me they weren't that close and that he avoided talking to them. Now I know the truth. And it hurts like hell. "Well, it doesn't matter." Maybe if I fake nonchalance long enough it'll become real. "I always suspected he wasn't being honest about everything. Now I know, so I can move on."

"Girl, you've already moved on. You're here, away from him, and you're figuring out your life."

"Right." I flash a quick smile for Bennie's benefit. But if I have indeed moved on, why did I hesitate when Darcy asked me to come to the States for the holidays … and why am I considering moving farther and farther from home?




 

 

Since I don't have an answer to either question, I go wipe the makeup off my face, change into pajamas and rejoin Bennie in the living room to watch some silly TV personalities making fools of themselves. I'm tired, but I can't seem to shut off my brain. When I finally go lie down on my futon, I toss and turn, obsessing about Lucas's wicked mouth and his outlandish demand that I move back home with him.