Page 49 of My Turn Petal
“So I’m calling to ask for a favor… on behalf of Frankie.” He pauses again, his voice sounds hesitant and when I try to listen closely I hear him whispering something to someone, and if I’m right that’s his girlfriend.
“Go on,” I comment.
“She will kill me, so before I die, please leave this between us even if you decline.”
So it’s not about what happened.
He clears his voice. “Frankie needs a date for Valentine’s Day and I thought you’d want to come as her plus one since you two get along so well.”
I freeze for a moment.
A web of endless thoughts runs through my head.
Wow.
That means Frankie didn’t tell Jude about us. I can understand why, but he knows everything about her, if he doesn’t know, no one else knows.
And, maybe, that means I’m a secret.
She did set us a two-week trial to figure out if it could work between us, but I kind of feel like I wanted him to know about us.
I sigh.
It can also mean something completely different.
“Yeah, she already invited me to a concert, I think she had the same plans.” I lie.
“Oh, great! I’m happy it’s you, I didn’t want her to spend it with a dumb fuck.”
“Tell me about it.” A half-suppressed laugh escapes my mouth. “All set, don’t worry.”
“I’ll see there, have a good one, Theo.”
“You too,” I close the call.
I chuck my duffel bag aside and put my gloves on.
The punching bag smiles at me and all I do is scrape that smile with my punches, left and right in a row without stopping.
I do it for a while until sweat drips from my forehead.
“Are you trying to tear the bag, Theo?” A familiar voice with a hint of sarcasm hits my ears.
Without looking, I answer, “I thought you were done with the gym, Nick, what brings you to this godforsaken place?” I continue to punch the bag in between.
“My dumb ass forgot it was your birthday and we haven’t planned anything.”
Oh right, I forgot it myself, I already told everyone I’m thirty, I don’t need to celebrate the fact I’m in the third decade of my life.
“Come on man, don’t give me the silent treatment. I’d make it up to you.”
I glance at him, turn my face back to the bag, and start another round of punches.
“Listen,” he raises his voice to overpower the noise, “It’s been a while since we took my bikes for a ride.”
Bikes remind me of Frankie and I don’t know if I want to think about her right now. I don’t blame her. I understand it’s just an arrangement and that she wanted to see first if it works out, but why the fuck wouldn’t it?
A few days ago when things went south we were okay, I didn’t run away.
