from Denise.
"He's not the man you think he is, Lila. You really need to be careful with him."
"What the hell do you know about Harry?" I snap.
Chase looks like he's about to say something, then stops himself. He's quiet for a moment. "Just don't forget how we met. How easy it was for him to risk losing his girlfriend in a poker game."
"Oh I won't forget that," I say, my anger still boiling. "Just like I won't forget the equally sleazy move of the asshole who tried to win a girlfriend in a poker game!"
This time it's Chase who shakes his head. "Lila, you don't understand..." He takes a step toward me and touches my arm, but I shake it off.
"What the hell is going on with you and Denise," I demand again. I refuse to let him try to maneuver the conversation away from the real subject.
"There's absolutely nothing going on between Denise and me, Lila, I promise you."
I want to believe him, but things still don't add up. Yet his sincerity softens my anger a little bit.
"So why did you want to meet with her? She said it was your idea." I wince as I admit to actually talking to her.
"You spoke to her? Lila, what did you say?"
"I asked her why she was still after you. She said you called her for a private get together. Is that true? You told me that you guys don't see each other socially. What the hell, Chase? What am I supposed to think here?"
Chase sighs, and then takes a step back to lean against the couch, rubbing his head with his hands. "Shit, Lila, it's not what you think."
"I told you, I don't know what to think. I need you to tell me what's going on."
"Denise is just fucking with you. You're right, she is a bitch. But she has good taste, and I guess I trusted her to help me with something when clearly that was a bad idea."
"What? What was a bad idea?" My mind is racing through all sorts of bad ideas, each one worse than the next.
"It was supposed to be a surprise." He says with another heavy sigh.
I'm totally confused now. I don't even have any more words, I just stare at him, waiting.
"I wasn't completely honest with you last week," he says. Here it comes. He's going to admit to still having feelings for Denise. They're still fucking. Or maybe they're in love. Shit, they don't have a child together do they? I reach out to put my arm onto the wall to steady myself, waiting for the knockout blow.
"You know that dress that I brought up to the room last week, the one that I said I had to stop and buy for you since I thought you would look stunning in it?"
What? What the hell does that dress have to do with his secret love child?
"That's not how it happened," he continues. "I wanted to take you out, and I wanted to get you a dress, but I honestly don't have a clue what would look good on someone without actually seeing them in it. I went into a shop downstairs and had one of the sales women recommend something based on a picture I took of you and had on my phone."
I know I'm staring at him dumbly now, but I can't stop myself. I'm completely confused. Who the fuck cares about the stupid dress?
"Anyway, my point is that I don't really have great taste in buying really nice things for someone like you. So I needed help with that dress. And then the other day I decided I wanted to get you something else. That's why I met with Denise. She has great taste in jewelry, far better than mine. I asked her to meet with me to go over what I wanted to get for you, and she was going to pick something out. I'm sorry, it was supposed to be a surprise."
I collapse back against the wall, closing my eyes as the realization hits me. The only asshole in this room right now is me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Even with Chase trying to reassure me that it's no big deal, I can't help feeling like a complete fool for the rest of the night, and the feeling hasn't been shaken by the next day, either. Each time I apologize for being a lunatic
"He's not the man you think he is, Lila. You really need to be careful with him."
"What the hell do you know about Harry?" I snap.
Chase looks like he's about to say something, then stops himself. He's quiet for a moment. "Just don't forget how we met. How easy it was for him to risk losing his girlfriend in a poker game."
"Oh I won't forget that," I say, my anger still boiling. "Just like I won't forget the equally sleazy move of the asshole who tried to win a girlfriend in a poker game!"
This time it's Chase who shakes his head. "Lila, you don't understand..." He takes a step toward me and touches my arm, but I shake it off.
"What the hell is going on with you and Denise," I demand again. I refuse to let him try to maneuver the conversation away from the real subject.
"There's absolutely nothing going on between Denise and me, Lila, I promise you."
I want to believe him, but things still don't add up. Yet his sincerity softens my anger a little bit.
"So why did you want to meet with her? She said it was your idea." I wince as I admit to actually talking to her.
"You spoke to her? Lila, what did you say?"
"I asked her why she was still after you. She said you called her for a private get together. Is that true? You told me that you guys don't see each other socially. What the hell, Chase? What am I supposed to think here?"
Chase sighs, and then takes a step back to lean against the couch, rubbing his head with his hands. "Shit, Lila, it's not what you think."
"I told you, I don't know what to think. I need you to tell me what's going on."
"Denise is just fucking with you. You're right, she is a bitch. But she has good taste, and I guess I trusted her to help me with something when clearly that was a bad idea."
"What? What was a bad idea?" My mind is racing through all sorts of bad ideas, each one worse than the next.
"It was supposed to be a surprise." He says with another heavy sigh.
I'm totally confused now. I don't even have any more words, I just stare at him, waiting.
"I wasn't completely honest with you last week," he says. Here it comes. He's going to admit to still having feelings for Denise. They're still fucking. Or maybe they're in love. Shit, they don't have a child together do they? I reach out to put my arm onto the wall to steady myself, waiting for the knockout blow.
"You know that dress that I brought up to the room last week, the one that I said I had to stop and buy for you since I thought you would look stunning in it?"
What? What the hell does that dress have to do with his secret love child?
"That's not how it happened," he continues. "I wanted to take you out, and I wanted to get you a dress, but I honestly don't have a clue what would look good on someone without actually seeing them in it. I went into a shop downstairs and had one of the sales women recommend something based on a picture I took of you and had on my phone."
I know I'm staring at him dumbly now, but I can't stop myself. I'm completely confused. Who the fuck cares about the stupid dress?
"Anyway, my point is that I don't really have great taste in buying really nice things for someone like you. So I needed help with that dress. And then the other day I decided I wanted to get you something else. That's why I met with Denise. She has great taste in jewelry, far better than mine. I asked her to meet with me to go over what I wanted to get for you, and she was going to pick something out. I'm sorry, it was supposed to be a surprise."
I collapse back against the wall, closing my eyes as the realization hits me. The only asshole in this room right now is me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Even with Chase trying to reassure me that it's no big deal, I can't help feeling like a complete fool for the rest of the night, and the feeling hasn't been shaken by the next day, either. Each time I apologize for being a lunatic
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