Page 53 of Dice & Dekes

“Exactly!”

He gives me a look that could burn through tempered glass.

“And she wants to get an annulment, but I don’t, because—”

“You’ve been in love with her forever.” Knight squints at me. “You’re sure the secret wedding wasn’t your idea?”

“You think I tricked Knova into marrying me?” I demand.

Knight shrugs. “I don’t know. You have dumb ideas all the time. It’s possible.”

I am forced to agree that it is possible, given my track record. “Not this time. I wouldn’t mess around with Knova’s feelings like that. Pinky swear.” I hold up my finger.

Knight looks at my hand, but instead of raising his own pinky, he glances back at his phone. “That doesn’t explain why she’d brand you with a scarlet letter.”

I almost say,Maybe I deserve it.But the truth is, I’ve done everything but screw up—at least on purpose. And still, I’m the villain in her narrative.

I glance down at my lime-and-purple shirt. “It’s not scarlet. Get your eyes checked.”

“Read a book,” he counters. “For fuck’s sake, dude. No wonder you flunked eleventh-grade English.”

“I didn’t flunk…”

The door behind me lurches, and I lean my full weight against it.

“We need a moment!” I call out.

From the other side, a woman’s voice says, “Who’s in there?”

“VIPs,” I shout back. Knight snorts. I flip him the bird.

The waitress, or that’s who I assume she is, sighs. “Listen, you can talk, but no fucking on the dry goods. Also, we’re low on napkins.”

I point to the wall of napkins behind Knight, who hands me one of the giant industrial packages. I open the door and pass it through.

“Thanks,” says the waitress. She glances at me, then at Knight. Satisfied that we’re both still fully clothed, I guess, she takes her paper products and departs.

I sigh and lean back against the door. “Knova’s been mad at me since last Saturday. I think that’s why she had this shirt made.”

“What happened Saturday?”

“I left for a few hours. When I returned, she was mad.”

Knight looks utterly baffled. “What are you leaving out? What did you do Friday night?”

I smirk at that one. “Your sister.”

He pretends to gag. Or maybe he really does gag. He does look a little paler than usual all of a sudden. “I don’t suppose you could’ve phrased that any other way. Fuck. And what did you do Saturday?”

“I… had a standing appointment.” I turn my gaze toward my shoes.

“Which was?” Knight prompts.

“Doesn’t matter. It’s personal.”

“Did you at least tell her where you were?”

I shake my head slowly. “I’ve never told anyone.”

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