Page 61 of Give In To Love
Finally, I looked up at him, suddenly very, very tired. “Just go. You want to go out? Then go out. I’m not stopping you.”
“Fine.” He spun on his heel, the door slamming behind him a moment later.
“Looks like it’s just you and me, Lucy.”
He purred, pressing his cheek into my hand.
* * *
Steven didn’t come homeSaturday night, and he still wasn’t home by the time I left for dinner at the Salgados’ Sunday afternoon. He’d stayed out last weekend, too, when I’d been sick. He’d told me then that he’d stayed with his friends Chance and Justin, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he’d found a random hookup. Or maybe he was sleepingwithChance and Justin. Either way, I needed to make an appointment at the clinic this week.
Fuck.
I pulled my car up to the curb in front of the Salgado’s split-level but didn’t make a move to get out. For the second time in a little over a week, I wondered how I’d gotten here. How could I be so indifferent to the fact that my boyfriend was likely cheating on me? How had I allowed myself to be a doormat for a man I didn’t love? Who so clearly didn’t love anyone other than himself?
I had to figure out how to end it. It was time. Past time.
A knock on my window scared the shit out of me, and I jumped, my arms flailing.
Sammy waved, flashing me a shit-eating grin. “You gonna sit there all day or come inside and eat?”
I glared at him as I punched the button to turn off the car, then opened the door and got out, looking deliberately at Sammy’s boyfriend standing next to him. “Hey, Will. I see you’re still engaged to this asshole.”
Will chuckled. “Hey, Jimmy.”
We made our way up the steps and headed inside. Rafi’s mom, Stephanie, stood at the counter, slicing a tomato. She nodded toward the back door. “They’re out back. We’re grilling burgers tonight.”
“Can we help you with anything?” Will asked.
She nodded toward a tray of condiments and a couple of bags of buns. “Take those out there with you.”
We grabbed the items she’d indicated and headed out back. Julio was operating the grill while Rafi and his brother Freddy stood next to him, chatting amiably. Elise, Rafi’s wife, sat in one of the patio chairs, nursing their five-month-old, Frannie. Everyone looked up as we stepped through the door and onto the deck.
“Hey, perfect timing,” Julio said. “I’m just getting ready to pull the burgers off the grill. Help yourself to drinks in the cooler.”
We set down the items we’d brought outside and made a beeline for the cooler. Sammy and Will pulled out a couple of beers while I chose a seltzer. With the burgers ready, we all took our seats and loaded our plates. The conversation was lively, as usual.
Freddy had moved into the city this fall, transferring from the community college to the university in Omaha, just as I had done. This was his first Sunday dinner since classes started, so he had a lot of stories to share. Julio updated us on the progress he’d made on the car he was restoring. It had been his pet project since he’d gotten it at auction last spring. He thought it would be finished sometime next month.
And so it went. Each of us sharing snippets of our lives since we’d gathered last month. I remained quiet unless someone directly asked me a question. That wasn’t unusual. Sammy and I weren’t chatty people, though he’d become a lot more open since reuniting with Will. Today, though, there wasn’t anything I was particularly excited to share. If anything, it was another reminder of just how shitty I’d let things get. And that certainly wasn’t anything to brag about.
We finished our meals, helping to clear the table and clean up, then returned to the deck to relax a bit longer before heading back into the city and preparing for the week.
“How was the bonfire last night?” Will asked. “Sorry we missed it.”
Will and Sammy had been at a charity dinner in the city that Will had been obliged to attend as part of his work responsibilities. My eyes shot to Rafi, willing him not to bring up TJ. Or Steven, for that matter. Rafi loved to gossip, but I really didn’t want to get into any of that with my brother.
Surprisingly, it was Elise who brought up TJ. “Rafi had a few too many. Thomas brought him home. In fact, we have to go pick up his car after this.”
“Man, you’re a father now. You can’t be doing that shit anymore.” Will playfully smacked him on the shoulder.
“Ugh. I wasn’tthatdrunk. Just drunk enough that I shouldn’t drive. I was beingresponsible.”
“Who’s Thomas?” Sammy asked.
Rafi’s eyes flashed to mine, and for once, he seemed unsure how to answer. His hesitation drew Sammy’s attention, though, and he followed Rafi’s gaze to me. “Who’s Thomas?” he repeated.
I let out a sigh. “He was my roommate in college. We dated briefly.”
