Not if I don’t want you anywhere near me.“We’re over.”
“We’re on a break. There’s a difference. All couples have their problems.”
I banged my head against the wall, the physical movement a perfect metaphor for what this conversation felt like. There had to be something I could say that would get through to her. “I’m seeing someone else.”
Silence followed that went on for quite a few seconds. Long enough that I checked to see if the call was still connected. It was. “I feel it’s only fair to tell you that, so you’re not harboring hopes of a reconciliation.”
“Who?”
“Does it matter?”
‘Yes. Because I don’t think you’re telling the truth.” I needed to learn to lie better. First Cillian and Finn. And now Katrina. “If you were telling the truth, you’d be able to give me a name.”
“There’s a reason I’m not giving you a name.”
“Do I know her? It better not be one of my friends.” Katrina’s tone was sharp.
I thought about it, thought how stupid it would be, and then did it anyway. I guess if you were already telling a lie, it didn’t matter how many people you told it to. “It’s a he. I’ve been exploring a different side to my sexuality. His name’s Laurent and I’m really into him. It’s early days, but things are going well so far. Hopefully, you can be happy for me.”
An even longer silence.
“I’ll be happy for you when you find someone new.” More relieved than happy, if I was honest, but she didn’t need to know that. “I’ve moved on. You need to do the same.”
“But I love you.”
“Bye Katrina.”
“But, I haven’t?”
I hung up, praying I’d finally gotten through to her. I would have blocked her number, but I’d already tried that after changing my number hadn’t worked and she’d just gotten a new phone, so it was a pointless endeavor. At least tonight would be a distraction. Either I’d be putting on the performance of a lifetime to convince Cillian and Finn that Laurent and I really were an item. Or, if Laurent had decided not to play along, I’d be too busy dealing with an incredibly smug Cillian saying ‘I told you so’ in as many ways as he could to worry about my ex-girlfriend.
Chapter Ten
Having already positioned myself as close to the door as humanly possible, I jumped up as soon as the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it.” I flashed a smile. “You know, because I can’t wait to see him.”
“Right,” Cillian said, his voice rife with disbelief.
The smile was still on my face as I flung the door open. “Hey, you,” I said, loud enough for the men in the living room to hear. “You look incredibly handsome today.” Laurent arched an eyebrow, but stayed silent. “Tell me I look handsome too,” I mouthed.
Laurent pulled his phone out of his pocket and typed out a quick message. Rather than sending it, he turned his phone round so I could read it.This won’t be believable if I change my entire personality. He had a point.
Grabbing his phone, I deleted his message and then typed my own.You’re up for doing this, then?
A pause long enough that I could have filled it with a brief dance routine, had I any talent in that area, or even knew one, followed, before Laurent gave an abrupt nod.
My smile this time was genuine.This’ll be fun. You won’t regret it.
Laurent snatching his phone back reeked of barely restrained violence.Oh, I strongly suspect I will, but what the hell. They’ll probably rumble us in five minutes, anyway.
They won’t.Laurent’s pointed stare said I was full of crap.We’ve been silent for too long.
“Are you coming in here?” That was Cillian.
“Yeah,” I shouted back. “Just give us a minute to say hello. I haven’t seen Laurent for a couple of days.”
Laurent rolled his eyes. Ignoring him, I grabbed hold of his hand and tugged him into the living room. Two men tipped their heads back to stare at us. Two men and a cat, Quasimodo determined to get in on the action and managing to look even more disapproving than Cillian did, which was quite some feat.
Finn didn’t waste any time, his gaze settling with laser focus on his friend as he stood and moved toward the bedroom. “I need a word. You’ve avoided my calls for the last couple of days.” Had he? That was news to me. It made sense, though, Laurent presumably deciding which of us he was prepared to let down.
