59
Chris
Ilift the last few chairs up onto the table and go back towards the counter, where Vic has whipped out a bottle of wine.
“I don’t feel like drinking.”
She looks at me worriedly.
“You haven’t felt like doing anything recently.”
I shrug and try to avoid her gaze.
“Why don’t you want to talk to me? What’s happened?”
I sigh and pull myself up onto the counter. She pours herself a glass of wine and then does the same.
“If I tell you, do you promise you won’t get mad, and tell me something that will make me want to wallow in my own stupidity? You won’t say ‘I told you so’?”
“I obviously can’t promise any of that, you know, but go ahead anyway.”
“It’s about Ryan O’Connor.”
“I’d have bet my balls it was about him.”
“You don’t have balls.”
“Honey, you have no idea… But anyway, stop trying to change the subject. Tell me everything.”
“We saw each other.”
“And…?”
“And we slept together…a few times.”
“Oh, fuck!”
“I won’t go into detail. That’s private.”
“Since when have you kept anything private from me?”
I take a deep breath. “Since now,” I tell her, seriously.
She looks at me, confused.
“I don’t want this to become local gossip, and if I’d told you earlier, the whole town would’ve known after thirty seconds.”
“What?” she slides off the counter and stands in front of me. “What are you trying to say?”
“Vic…”
“We’ve been friends for years, Chris. I’ve been there for you every day and now you decide to tell me that I’m not trustworthy?”
“That’s not what I’m saying.”
“I think that’s exactly what you’re saying.”
“I just know that you like to gossip. Everyone here knows about Martin, how things ended between us, and it makes me uncomfortable. Not to mention some of my more questionable dates, my problems with Evan – even how nosy my family is! Everyone knows everything and I didn’t want it to happen this time. Ryan is…important.”
