Page 62 of Hell Bent
“What?” she said. “I told you, I’m?—”
I said, “First, though, I’m going to get you a heating pad.”
“No,” she said. “I need ice. And I’ll get it.”
“You won’t get it. I’ll get it. You are the most aggravating woman in the world. Come lie down and rest and tell me what the hell is going on.”
Ben said, “Wow. That’s not how my mom says you should talk to women.” But I wasn’t listening.
24
ROYAL SECRETS
Alix
I waited until I was alone with Sebastian. It wasn’t easy, but I sure didn’t want to have this conversation in front of Ben.
I would’ve gone to “my” room, but Sebastian said, “In here,” and headed into his bedroom, and after a moment, I followed him. Possibly because the office held a desk plus one twin bed and nothing else, and I didn’t much relish lying down in pain while Sebastian loomed over me. Instead, I sat on his bed, took the ice pack from him, held it over my abdomen, and said, “What?”
He sighed. Patiently. It was annoying. “Could you lie down?”
“You played a football game,” I said. “Maybeyoushould lie down.”
“Fine.” He toed off his athletic shoes and lay on the bed with his head on the pillow. He looked so ridiculous there, I laughed, and he said, “It works better if you do it, too.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” I did it, though, at which point hepopped right up again, said, “Stay here,” and came back with a cozy throw that he settled over me. Then he lay down again beside me, folded his arms over his chest, and said, “Either we’re posing for our tomb effigies, or we’re making it easy to tell the truth. Always better when you don’t have to look at each other.”
I said, “I just need to rest a while. I’m achy, that’s all.”
“You know why I’m not buying that?”
“I cannot imagine, because it’s true.”
He ignored that. “Because you wouldn’t have gone out feeling that bad, after not fulfilling what you see as your responsibility and taking Ben to the game, unless there were a reason, and you especially wouldn’t have got home after he did. You clearly got an E in responsibility every time in school, and people don’t change much.”
“No, I didn’t,” I said. “We didn’t get graded on that. Must be a Canadian thing.” I knew I was being obstinate, but he was putting my back up.
He was quiet a moment, and I was feeling guilty about treating him like this, but also feeling so tired. All I wanted to do was go to sleep. He said, “As far as I can tell, we’re in some kind of relationship, unusual as it may seem, but I could be wrong. Time for a status check.”
“Can you be in a relationship when you haven’t even slept together?” I asked.
“Of course you can. People get married without sleeping together. Crazy people, but still.” Which was funny, so I smiled, but he went on. “I don’t understand the secrecy, and itissecrecy. You don’t mind saying it’s your period, so what’s so secret about it? Do you have some kind of issue? There are things women can have wrong with them, right? Why can’t you say so, if that’s what it is? Why would you want to come over for Ben and still have to keep it a secret?”
“You mean like endometriosis. That’s not it. Look.” I shoved myself up so I was half-sitting, so I could see him, and he instantly shoved up too, which meant I didn’t even have the upper hand. “I don’t like admitting this,” I tried to explain. “I hate fuss, and there’s always been fuss. I’d rather just pretend, OK?”
“Except when you can’t. Wait. It’s not cancer, is it?” Real worry in the amber eyes now. “Are you getting treatment? Is that it?”
I could have slapped myself in the forehead. “No. I’m sorry. I’ve been insensitive. Of course you’d think that. Of course you’d?—”
He said, “If I were sitting at a table, I’d be banging my head on it right now. I’m not fragile, all right? You’re not fragile either. We’re both strong, capable individuals, whoalsomay need help from time to time. Like, say, you coming over last night so Ben wasn’t alone. Or me helping with whatever this is, even if that’s just getting you ice. You don’t have to be some virgin queen!”
“A virginqueen?”Now, I was laughing.
“Aloof. Alone. Untouchable. Like that. You don’t have to be it. Does this have anything to do with the princess thing, though? That’s the only odd aspect of you I can come up with, but I can’t figure out how?—”
“Yes,” I said. “In a way. OK, I’m going to tell you. It’s not that exciting, but here you go. I’m a hemophilia carrier. It’s a clotting disorder.”
“I know what hemophilia is,” he said. “I thought that was only males.”
