Page 34 of The Seven Month Itch
Don’t hurt him too much, Em.
My eyes find Terrence. He’s on his way to Madison with a huge smile on his face. She waits in anticipation with eyes that track his every move. I try to suppress visions of them in a hotel room with his tongue down her throat or between her legs but comeup short. So I wave the waiter over to ask for three fingers of whiskey. When it reaches my hand, it’s gone in less than four gulps.
Keep it together. You knew this would happen.
I did, but I didn’t think I would have a front-row seat to their love connection.
Sweat trickles down my back, and I scan the room for the closest exit. The desire to make a run for it and get on the next flight out of here grows with each glance I steal of the two of them. But no matter how much it hurts, I know running away won’t solve anything. So I stay in my seat like the big girl I think I am, smooth the wrinkles out of my pants, and steel my spine.
Terrence and I are over, but that doesn’t mean life is.
“Switching to the hard stuff already?”
I jump at Miles’s voice. How long has he been here? “Champagne isn’t gonna cut it for this event.”
His laugh is deep. “Okay, Justice, I see you.” He wiggles his eyebrows and takes a seat.
“Five minutes start now,” the event coordinator says to the room. Brian was an unbearable person to have in front of me, but I think Miles will take the award for most uncomfortable.
He cuts me off when I try to speak. “Now, before you get any ideas, I don’t mess with my friends’ exes.Especiallywives.”
I sit back and cross my arms over my chest. “As if you would have a chance. You’re worse than a yeast infection.”
Silence weighs between us before we erupt in laughter. He chuckles into his glass. “Never a dull moment with you, kid.”
I rest my elbows on the table. “Any new adventures? Outside of getting head in the day spa.” I’m loud enough that the people next to us stop and stare. In true Miles fashion, he shrugs, leans back, and puts his arm over the back of the chair. He couldn’t care less.
“Now, now, Justice. You’re still too young to hear about how grown-ups satisfy their urges.” He pauses to scan my face. “You look wound up, by the way. Like you need a release. You and someone else I know.” The last part comes out in a mumble.
Wait. Is he saying Terrencehasn’tbeen with anyone since we split? Beautiful women—actresses, professional cheerleaders, and the occasional model—with more confidence and experience in the bedroom than I have surround him on any given day.
This can’t be true, can it?
I glance over at my ex, who’s in deep conversation with Madison. Pain spreads through my chest with every stroke of her hand on his. He’s not stopping her.
“Your little stunt was his breaking point.” I look up to see Miles’s eyes on them. He turns back to me. There’s an apology in his gaze that twists my heart. “I thought you two would go the distance,” he says with a head shake.
I still at his words. Miles doesn’t believe in commitment, let alone for life. He yearned to have his friend back so they could tag team women like they were back in college. I know he did.
“Don’t act like you aren’t happy he’s single again. You probably have women lined up for him.” I nod over to Exhibit A. “Starting with her.”
“I’ll admit I egged him on, but only to stop him from moping around like a Keyshia Cole song on repeat. You and I both know he’s not into casual sex. Not since you.”
“Sometimes the fairy tale doesn’t turn out how you expect,” I say with a weak laugh.
He stares at me for longer than I expect. “Uh-huh.”
I slap his bicep. The thing is the size of a human head. “Don’t tell me you’re getting soft on me now. Since when do you care? You have your wingman back. Do a flip or something.”
Miles rises at the sound of the buzzer. Our time is up. “Some people aren’t meant to be single their whole lives, kid.” His voice trails off when he moves to the next seat.
I spend the next thirty minutes in a silent prayer I’ll somehow transport back to my room. A soak in the freestanding tub with a good book and bubbles sounds perfect. The bandwidth to track Terrence’s love connections or decipher Miles’s cryptic message is long gone. This entire night is a disaster. It’s next to impossible for me to keep up with different conversations and smile at people I have no interest in pursuing.
The end of another round has my eyes back on the clock. Less than ten minutes left. “Thank God,” I say to myself in a whisper. Only I’m not as quiet as I thought.
“Come again?”
My body startles, uncertain whether to soften or tense at the familiar voice. Terrence stares at me, his brows drawn together.
