I examine my nails. “He’s not.”
“You just seem really stressed out.”
I shrug. “Yeah, well my car broke down and all.”
“He can’t blame that on you. He may be ridiculous sometimes, but no one is that crazy. It was out of your control.”
I force a little smile. “Thank you. It’s more,” I continue to lie, “stuff at home.”
She looks like she wants to say more, but she goes back to her computer. “Okay.”
From work, I go straight to the apartment. Eryk is doing his first “dress rehearsal” and Crystal and I are the honorary guests. When I open the front door, Crystal is busy in the kitchen filling a big bowl with pretzels. She’s got another one of popcorn and the living room is much cleaner than it normally is.
“Wow,” I say, kicking off my shoes. “Are we having a party?”
She shrugs. “Just thought it would be fun to kick it up a notch. Especially since Brendan is coming over.”
“Wait. What?”
“He didn’t tell you?” She grabs a pretzel from the bowl and munches down on it hard. “I invited him,” she mumbles around her food.
“When?”
“Yesterday, when he dropped off your phone charger that you left in his car. You weren’t home yet. I thought you knew.”
“Ugh.”
“Sorry.” She chews her bottom lip. “Should I not have done it?”
“No, it’s fine. It’s just… our relationship is complicated.”
“He helped you out yesterday.”
“Yeah, I know. He’s amazing… he’s too great, actually. That’s what makes things even more complicated.”
“Ah. I see. What if I text him and tell him it’s not happening?”
My hand becomes a stop sign. “No, don’t do that. He’s probably already on his way here. It will be fine.”
I lay down on the couch with my feet hanging over the end. Crystal brings the bowls of snacks over and sets them on the coffee table.
“You look tired.”
It’s like the weight of her words fall onto my chest. “My life is exhaustively dramatic. Where’s Eryk?”
“In his room getting dressed.”
Someone knocks on the door. I groan as I sit up.
“I’ll get it,” Crystal says.
She comes back with — surprise, surprise — Brendan. He gives me a little smile and wave, then settles down on the cushion next to mine.
“Any news on your car?”
“I got it back. There was just a leak. The mechanic told me to make sure I keep an eye on it. Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome.” He gives my knee a little squeeze, and I stare at the spot where he touched me for a second too long.
“Crystal!” Eryk calls from his bedroom.
“What?!” she yells over her shoulder.
“Come here!”
Crystal groans and goes to see what he wants.
“Do you want a drink?” I ask Brendan as I stand up.
“Sure.”
I grab two beers from the fridge, open them, and settle back down on the couch. Brendan clinks his bottle against mine before taking the first swig.
“Was your boss mad?” he asks.
I wipe away the bit of froth that’s clinging to my lip. “No. Not really. Not any more than he usually is on any given day.”
“He looked pretty pissed.”
I halt, the beer bottle halfway to my mouth. “You saw him?”
“Yeah, he was standing by the front door.”
“That’s right,” I agree. “I didn’t realize you saw him there.”
“He was staring at you like he wanted to eat you alive.”
If you only knew.
“He just acts tough,” I say, hoping my comment is enough to encourage Brendan to forget about it.
“Hm.” He doesn’t look like he’s about to let the topic go. On the contrary, something is weighing heavily on his mind. After years of knowing him, it’s easy enough to tell.
“It’s just… the way he looked at you…”
I swallow hard, wanting to change the subject but also desperately wanting to know. “What way are you talking about?”
Brendan twists his mouth, thinking. “It was so… possessive.”
I take a drink of beer to make it seem like this conversation is totally normal. “He’s like that with all his assistants.”
“Wow.” Brendan raises his eyebrows. “Remind me to never work there.”
I force a laugh. “I know, right?” I shake my head and decide to admit a little bit, if only just to let some of the weight off my heart. “It takes nerves of steel to be there every day. I don’t know how his main assistant, this girl named Dana, does it. Half of what he does is made possible thanks to her, and he doesn’t show any sort of gratitude whatsoever.”