Karl had been stopped by some people at the bar. Charis was lingering at his side. She hadn't seen me yet. Or maybe she was refusing to see me.
"I don't care if I get it back or not," Aura was saying tearfully. "You know what I want back. Who I want back. I'm not whole without you, baby. I'm nothing without you. Sometimes … sometimes I don't even want to live."
I pinched my nose, eying her. Luckily, Winnow had warned me she'd pull the can't-live-without-you card at some point. (Winona's a blogger and claims to be an expert at everything, from dating to cracking lobster to learning Hawaiian.)
Aura was continuing her end-it-all routine: "Oh, Asher, what will I do without you? I'm so afraid I'll do something I regret … I mean … I don't know what I mean … "
Charis and my brother were heading to the table. I shoved my chair back.
"Aura Renaldi," I said sternly, "if you do something as idiotic as off yourself, I'll grieve like hell and then I'll move the fuck on. Nothing will get you forgotten faster than taking yourself off the map. Now cut it out. You know you've got it going on, so find yourself another dude to fuck."
So now you know why I never offered my own services as Aura's therapist. I have zero patience for B.S.
She regrouped, putting on a brave smile. "You don't understand. Nobody can understand because nobody's been through my hell. I'm alone. I've always been alone."
"Only because you chose to be." I stood up as Karl reached us and cuffed his arm a little too hard for brotherhood. "You'll be glad to know the bruise on my shoulder has faded."
"That's nice." He surveyed the table I'd purposefully chosen over a more intimate booth. Charis was lagging behind him. She refused to meet my eyes and seated herself at his side.
I grabbed a chair and wedged it between them.
Karl coughed.
Charis skidded her chair as far away from me as she could. That put her next to Aura. Neither of the ladies seemed pleased about that.
Charis was still not looking at me. I was officially the pariah here.
Whatever. At least she'd showed up.
Wearing, I might add, the hottest outfit I'd ever seen her in-a pale green camisole that bared her arms completely over her tightest pair of jeans.
She looked sleek, her upper arms buff, her bangs combed back to reveal the bones of her temple. She was awfully pretty, but I don't think she knew or cared. Her eyes were sad and remote, her mouth flattened. She definitely did not want to be here.
Just seeing her here, so close but not reachable, hurt my heart.
When her eyes finally did lift and meet mine, they skittered away and landed on Karl, now touching distance from my ex.
My brother didn't notice Charis's panicky appeal his way-another cut for me, that she'd look to him for rescue from me-because he was grinning at me. I grinned back, with all my teeth.
"Right," I said, since nobody else seemed inclined to start things off. "You two still on for Saturday?"
"What's happening Saturday?" Aura sniffed.
"Karl and Charis are tying the knot," I said, glancing down at my menu. "I think this calls for an appetizer."
"Wait, what?" Aura turned in her seat and stared at Karl. "You're getting married? Married to her? Is this true?"
Charis said nothing, only crossed her arms. Karl inclined his head while watching me curiously.
Aura couldn't seem to decide whether to jump on the table and celebrate or cry. She directed a look I knew toward Charis. When women do that, whoa nelly. I made a mental note not to let them go together to the washroom. Fact: Double Xers get up to some vicious shit in public washrooms.
"Don't worry," I said with a big, fake smile. "It's a marriage of convenience. My brother has no intention of cutting off his dating life after they make it official. He's wide open for offers. Just don't take him seriously and you'll be fine."
Charis gasped. She stared at me like she couldn't believe her ears. I stared back without an iota of remorse.
Karl sighed. "Mama would not be proud, Asher."
"Sure about that?" I challenged. "Let's call her. I'll bet she doesn't know all the shit you're planning." I took out my phone. I was not bluffing.
Clucking his tongue, he swiped the phone from me as Charis spoke to me for the first time in days. "You are being such an asshole, Norrell. We're planning to tell your parents tonight after dinner."
Not exactly what I wanted to hear. Pursing my lips, I reclaimed my phone and stuffed it away.
"Well?" I demanded of Karl. "True or false? Let's hear you say it. Do you plan on being faithful to Sloane?"
"That is none of your fucking business." It was Charis who answered, her voice shaking. A feeling of sick misery washed over me. This was getting ugly, and I had only myself to blame.
The server came with our beer. I didn't notice what anyone ordered, including myself. Charis was all I could see.
She was more than pissed; I'd hurt her. Fucking hell, I hadn't meant to. But it was for her own good.
She had to see the truth of what she was letting herself in for. Forget for a minute that I wanted her; it was my job as her friend to make her see it.
She stood up after the server left. "Asher, I would like a word with you."
"Oh, yes, ma'am," I said.
I followed her into the hall outside the kitchen. It was loud back here, but it wasn't the restaurant staff that distracted me. It was Sloane's neck. Why hadn't I ever noticed that sweet spot right at her nape? I wanted to press my lips to it, suck on it and mark her up, stop her being mad at me.
She whirled around. "What are you on?"
"You." It wasn't a line. I felt foggy, like I knew exactly where my destination was but I couldn't ground myself enough to reach it. My emotions were drugging me, so yes, technically I was "on" her.
She rolled her eyes. "For real. What's gotten into you? I only came tonight because I intended to wake you up to the fact that Aura was playing you with your own brother. Now you go and pull a-what even was that? Why are you being so rude to us?"
"Rude to Karl, maybe, but-wait a minute, you intended to rescue me?" I staggered back, no lie. Charis getting involved in my love life was radical and very encouraging. "What were you going to do?"
"I'm not sure." Abruptly her face clouded with guilt. "I was gonna put Aura on the spot, make her admit she was leading Karl on so you would stop acting like a blind buffoon. Then you went and put Karl on the spot. I guess that makes me as bad as you." She seemed bummed at the realization.
"Wow, Sloane, I had no idea you were so conniving."
"I didn't either. It's not something to admire."
"Yes, it is, when applied to you. Do you know how impossible it is to get you to stop standing on the sidelines all the time? You did something bitchy. That's worth bitcoin right there."
To my delight, she reached out and punched my biceps-if only half-heartedly, while staring down at the floor. "She is playing you, Asher. She … she flirts. A lot. With other guys. Even when you were together, she did it. I never said anything because I didn't feel like it was my place, but … "
"I know, babe."
Her eyes flew up. Her cheeks reddened. I decided I liked the splotchy look on her. "Don't call me that, you dork."
"I didn't call you that, I called you babe."
"Why? Why? Huh? Tell me why you keep doing that."
"Because it feels good."
Her chin jutted out. "If you know she's playing you, if you know the way she is, then doesn't it bother you?"
"I'm not worried about it. I told you, we're done."
"Really? Because what it looks like to me is you're getting back together with her."
The unhappy expression in her eyes-I'm not gonna lie. The idea that Charis wasn't thrilled about this reunion warmed the cockles of my heart … or do I mean the heart of my cock?
Point is, I took it as a sign that my extreme yearning for us to be together might not be entirely one-sided.
I shook my head deliberately. "We are never, not ever, getting back together. When have you ever known me to change my mind about anything?"
Her shoulders abruptly slumped. "Yeah, okay, well, so … does she know that?"
"She does."
"Then why is she even here?"
"She's still trying to get what she thinks she wants-me. But she doesn't, Sloane. That girl wants a man she can wrap around her little finger, and I'm not that flexible anymore."