Page 54 of Acceptance
“No!”
“And a sex tape where he tells her he’ll never love anyone but her.”
Another shot.
“I mean, all guys say things to the women they bed that they don’t necessarily mean afterwards,” Marnie says.
“He called her the same nickname he uses for me. The one I thought was cute, but hearing him callherthat in the video feelslike a dagger. I mean, how many times has he watched it since we’ve been together?”
Another shot.
“Oh! And,” Jamie says, her words beginning to slur, “he has exactly one picture of us together. One I all but forced him to take. But he has a hundred naked pictures of her.”
“Fuck, that sucks. I’m sorry, babe.”
“He has been so preoccupied that he hasn’t spoken a word to me in a week. And he hasn’t come home from the clubhouse. This really hurts, Marnie.”
Another shot.
“If you don’t want to stay here, I have an apartment with an extra room. We can drown our sorrows together,” Marnie offers.
“I’ve spent so much of my life begging people to love me, and he knows this. He hasn’t thought about me once, but I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“I feel like you did something. Tell me you scheme. I love it when women scheme.”
Jamie can’t hide her smile. “Yeah, I guess, kind of. I went to the clubhouse and called him. Watched his phone light up, and he silenced it. Again. Then he told Brock it wasn’t important.”
“Asshole!”
She laughs even as the tears fall. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“I can see how much you love him.”
“He wanted to be my world, and I didn’t even hesitate to agree,” she says in a whisper. “I was supposed to be his, but I think I’ve always been a runner-up. His ex is dead, but she still managed to take him from me.”
“You look pretty young. I mean, I’m not old, but you’re kind of young to be in the club life without growing up in it. Maybe this is a good thing in the long run.”
Sniffling, Jamie shoots back another shot. As her head continues to feel lighter, her chest feels heavier. Drinking seems to be causing the opposite effect she chases.
“It was kind of a fluke. And before you ask, he was my first. My first and only, obviously.”
“Oh, the first always has you by the pussy,” Marnie says and giggles. “I need to stop shooting these.”
The comment hits Jamie as hilarious, and she laughs hysterically. “Me, too.” She calms down and rests her elbow on the bar top as she turns to Marnie. “Do you still love the guy you gave your virginity to?”
“Um… kind of? Mostly, I hate him now. He’s a total jerk, and he was bad in bed.”
“Undertaker is great in bed.”
“So is Venom. You’d think by looking at him he’s the hard and fast type, right?” Jamie nods, and Marnie looks off as though watching a sad movie on a giant screen behind Jamie. “He’s not. He’s surprisingly gentle and loving. Takes his time and never cares how long it takes me to come. Plus, he saved me a couple of times, which really adds to the sex appeal.”
The pain in her voice scares Jamie. From what she knows, they ended their relationship a while ago, and Marnie still feels the pain. Which tells Jamie her own won’t subside anytime soon.
“Let’s go home before we’re too drunk to walk. My place isn’t that far from here,” Marnie says. “I can help you carry your bags.”
“Can we drink at your place?”
“Obviously.”
