Page 9 of Lessons In Love
“I—well, I was wondering. What is the nature of your relationship with Roberto Diaz?”
Myles hesitates for a moment, watching me with a calculating glint in his eye. “I’m his defense attorney. He hired me a few months ago. Why do you care?” His tone is indifferent, a complete change from the man I’ve known him to be.
“Why do I care?” I ask, incredulous. “I want to know how the man I lo—have known for over a year—is capable of helping someone like that walk free."
He leans back from the table, crossing his arms over his chest, eyeing me wearily. "Sometimes I forget how naive you can be. This is America, baby. Everyone has the right to a trial—even people you don't like. And I have the right to profit from it." He grabs his glass and holds it up. "God bless America." With that, he downs the remaining scotch and gets up from the table, leaving me to clean up the mess.
After everything is put away and spotless, I make my way into the living room, planning to focus on some work I need to finalize before next week. I stop in my tracks when I see Myles sitting in my desk chair, holding the invitation for my tenth high school reunion in one hand, looking contemplative, yet another glass of scotch in the other.
I sit on the couch, silently waiting, and after a moment he moves to join me. When I planned this conversation in my head, I thought I'd considered every angle—every possible outcome—but I was wrong.
We talk for a while, and with every question he evades or answers vaguely, my doubts and curiosity intensify, leaving me with more questions. When we run out of topics—or maybe it's patience—I sit in silence, parsing every syllable he offered me—until I reach a painful conclusion.
How much do we actually have in common beyond the surface?
FIVE
DELANEY
Ispend the next week overthinking everything—nothing is too small to escape my obsessive musings.
Delaney:I saw him.
Aria:Him who?
Aria:Wait. HIM him?! OMG!
My phone rings a few seconds later. “Hello?”
“What the…how? Tell me everything!” she squeals. Her pitch is high enough to hurt my ears, so I pull the phone away, laughing at her antics, until she settles down.
“I ran into him. Literally.”
“When? Where? Wait, are you okay? How was it seeing him again?” I hear a cork pop through the line and decide she’s got the right idea. Strolling into the kitchen, I grab a glass and open the fridge, determined to enjoy the remnants of the expensive chardonnay Myles bought.
The last few drops splash into the glass, and I rinse it before depositing it in the recycling bin. Myles is fastidious in his tidiness—or rather the housekeeper and I are, to comply with his standards.
I take the glass and move to the couch, tucking my legs under me and ready to get my best friend’s perspective. Normally, I’d have called her first thing, but with the issues with Myles, I’ve been too lost in my thoughts, wanting to sort them before talking to her so that I didn’t sound completely unhinged.
“It was last week…” I start, running through the events that led to the resurfacing of every ounce of pain and heartbreak I’d endured at Lachlan’s hands. “I just got up and walked away.”
“And?”
“And he didn’t follow me.”
“Did you want him to? You chastised him for disappearing—completelywarranted I might add. Ugh—what a fucktard—by the way! So, what, then you left without a word? What would you have done if he’d followed you?” she asks.
“That could be interpreted as harassment. And Lachlan Romero may be a lot of things, but he’s respectful.” It galls me to admit it, but it’s true.
I can’t deny the truth of her words. Even in high school, despite his bad boy appeal, Lachlan was respectful to everyone—especially me. But right now, I need him to be the villain. It’s the only way I can protect myself.
“Laney, I think you owe it to yourself, if not to him, to hear him out. I’m not saying what he did was right—you know I’m on your side. But maybe listening to his explanation, inadequate though it will be for all the pain he put you through, will help you gain some closure. Clear the air and help you move on.”
I nod. “When did you become so wise, Ari?” She chuckles, and I hear her pouring another glass of wine. I cast a glance at my own empty glass, wishing we had another bottle of the obscenely expensive wine in the apartment.
“I’ve always been this wise, babe. You just usually have your shit together, so I can’t shine. Plus,in vino veritasor whatever.”
We talk for a little bit longer, until I hear the door open and turn to see Myles standing there, hands on his hips, watching me, a scowl marring his handsome face. I say a quick goodbye and hang up the phone, giving him my undivided attention.
