“Youwere just complaining that you ate too much!”
“Yeah,but I never said I was full,” he pointed out with a grin. “Plus, you didn’tpull the plug.”
“Ididn’t know I needed to control you.”
“Well,I kinda need someone to control me,” he retorted, and I waited for a grin or achuckle, but they never came. When he realized I was taken aback by thestatement, he said, “Okay, Andy. Let’s play a game.”
“Whatkind of game?”
“Iwant you to ask me a question, and then, I’ll ask you one.”
Istudied him, with that picture now front and center in my mind. “Anyquestion?” I asked, testing the waters.
Henodded once. “Any question, and the rules are, we have to answer honestly. Noholding back.”
“Okay,”I said on an exhale, my voice heavy and breathless. “I gotta make this good.”
Hesmiled with his lips against the rim of his glass. “You better.”
CHAPTERNINE
VINNIE
“What’sthe one thing you would hate for me to know about you?”
WhenI had instructed Andy to ask me anything, I hadn’t anticipated that. Now, I satat the bar, frantically wondering how I could get out of answering.
Andylaughed. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Myown laugh came out quaking and forced. “I just wasn’t expecting that.”
“Youhave to answer,” she reminded me. “Those are the rules.”
“Imade the game up,” I said pointedly, grasping at whatever lifeline I couldfind. “I can change the rules.”
“Oh,come on,” she groaned, rolling her eyes. “You hardly even know me. What do youcare if I know your deepest, darkest secret?”
Andshe had a point there. I didn’t know her well, and she barely knew me. If shejudged me, if she decided to never see me again, it wasn’t as though I’dalready invested a ton of time and energy on this thing … except …
Ididn’twanther to judge me. I didn’twanther to decide to neversee me again. I didn’t want to ruin this thing before it even had a chance toreally become something.
But.
Whethershe found out now or sometime later on, shewouldinevitably find outabout my past. Wouldn’t it be better to get it out in the open now, beforeeither of us wasted our time on something destined to die?
“JesusChrist,” I mumbled, wiping a palm over my mouth before dropping it against thebar. “Shit, all right. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, okay?”
“Wow,”she uttered quietly. “You’re actually freaking me out right now.”
“No,no, no,” I chanted, shaking my head. “Don’t be freaked out. It’s just, uh …” Igripped the back of my neck and held on tight. “So … I was pretty fucked up awhile back. Like, I did drugs and drank a lot.”
Iglanced at her, expecting an expression of disgust, but I was only met with asort of curious compassion that dared me to like her just a little more.
“Oh,”she said, nodding slowly. “So, I guess that explains the picture on your Facebook.”
Raisinga brow, I asked, “Uh, what?”
Andyshrugged. “My sisters kinda looked into you earlier and they found a picture onyour Facebook, of you and your brother and a bag of cocaine.”
