to get together there.”
It was then that I had to fill them in on my situation. I didn’t give them all the details, just that I had married Enzo in a marriage of convenience for our families; it was loveless and we were hardly ever civil with each other, but I was stuck.
They were a little more than shocked, but after Chandra had picked her jaw up off the floor, she came around and hugged me tightly. Luke joined in shortly after. That was how they ended up being my best friends.
*****
I had warned Luke that my “home” was lavish, probably more than anything he was used to, but when he walked in for our first study session, he whistled like they do on TV. He actually whistled. “Holy shit, you weren’t kidding.”
“Nope.” I hung my head in shame.
“Hey, don’t do that. If I were you, I’d be using and abusing.”
“Somehow, I doubt that.” Luke was an honest guy; a nice guy who worked hard for everything he got. He was so far from Enzo; I figured that if they were magnets, they would repel each other. If Luke had been single and not one of my only friends, I would have been crushing on him big time, but the way he treated me was brotherly, and I needed that more than I needed anything else.
Luke was a miracle worker and within a few hours, I was actually starting to understand the material we covered.
“You have to be a teacher, Luke,” I announced.
“So I’ve been told. But I dream of other avenues.”
“Like what?”
He looked around the room as if he was making sure no one was around to listen. “Promise you won’t tell anyone?”
“Promise,” I nodded.
“I heard there is some team at Disney that is solely devoted to imagining and creating and all that awesomeness.”
“Is that right?”
“I’m going to be working there one day, you’ll see.”
“Will you get me free tickets to the amusement park?”
“Most definitely.”
“All right, then, I approve.”
We laughed and then called it a day. It was while I was walking Luke out that my dumb luck struck again.
“Thank you so much, Luke.” I hugged him at the door. And as we embraced, the door swung open and in came Enzo. My eyes met his over Luke’s shoulder and I watched them go from bland to confused to angry in a matter of seconds.
I had given Luke and Chandra the PG version of my life, okay, maybe the PG-13 version, but I hadn’t prepared Luke for the full frontal assault known as Enzo. I became instantly embarrassed and worried. I was afraid Enzo would scare Luke away and I was frightened of Enzo’s reaction as well. I pulled away from Luke.
“Enzo,” I spoke his name calmly as I had done several times before when we passed each other in the house as two neighbors would.
His lips twisted as he fought to contain himself, but this was Enzo; there was no containing him.
“What the fuck is this?” He geared the question toward me but spun toward Luke immediately. “And who the fuck are you?”
“I’m Luke,” he responded, his cheery disposition not wavering any.
“I don’t give a fuck if you were the pope. What are you doing here?” Luke opened his mouth to reply, but Enzo swung back to me and spoke again. “You’re bringing your boyfriends to my house? To my house? I don’t keep track of your movements, I don’t keep you on a leash as I probably should, and this is how you repay me? You bring some fucking douchebag to my home for a daytime fuck session?” He was seething and I tried to interrupt to explain, to stop his tirade, but he was on a roll. “You,” he pointed at Luke, “get the fuck out of my house. I never want to see you here again.”
“No,” I yelled over Enzo’s voice. “He’s my guest, and if he leaves or goes is our decision, not yours. I don’t tell you not to bring your whores around; you don’t tell me who I can invite here.”
“This is my house!” Enzo roared and stepped into me. Luke moved closer as
It was then that I had to fill them in on my situation. I didn’t give them all the details, just that I had married Enzo in a marriage of convenience for our families; it was loveless and we were hardly ever civil with each other, but I was stuck.
They were a little more than shocked, but after Chandra had picked her jaw up off the floor, she came around and hugged me tightly. Luke joined in shortly after. That was how they ended up being my best friends.
*****
I had warned Luke that my “home” was lavish, probably more than anything he was used to, but when he walked in for our first study session, he whistled like they do on TV. He actually whistled. “Holy shit, you weren’t kidding.”
“Nope.” I hung my head in shame.
“Hey, don’t do that. If I were you, I’d be using and abusing.”
“Somehow, I doubt that.” Luke was an honest guy; a nice guy who worked hard for everything he got. He was so far from Enzo; I figured that if they were magnets, they would repel each other. If Luke had been single and not one of my only friends, I would have been crushing on him big time, but the way he treated me was brotherly, and I needed that more than I needed anything else.
Luke was a miracle worker and within a few hours, I was actually starting to understand the material we covered.
“You have to be a teacher, Luke,” I announced.
“So I’ve been told. But I dream of other avenues.”
“Like what?”
He looked around the room as if he was making sure no one was around to listen. “Promise you won’t tell anyone?”
“Promise,” I nodded.
“I heard there is some team at Disney that is solely devoted to imagining and creating and all that awesomeness.”
“Is that right?”
“I’m going to be working there one day, you’ll see.”
“Will you get me free tickets to the amusement park?”
“Most definitely.”
“All right, then, I approve.”
We laughed and then called it a day. It was while I was walking Luke out that my dumb luck struck again.
“Thank you so much, Luke.” I hugged him at the door. And as we embraced, the door swung open and in came Enzo. My eyes met his over Luke’s shoulder and I watched them go from bland to confused to angry in a matter of seconds.
I had given Luke and Chandra the PG version of my life, okay, maybe the PG-13 version, but I hadn’t prepared Luke for the full frontal assault known as Enzo. I became instantly embarrassed and worried. I was afraid Enzo would scare Luke away and I was frightened of Enzo’s reaction as well. I pulled away from Luke.
“Enzo,” I spoke his name calmly as I had done several times before when we passed each other in the house as two neighbors would.
His lips twisted as he fought to contain himself, but this was Enzo; there was no containing him.
“What the fuck is this?” He geared the question toward me but spun toward Luke immediately. “And who the fuck are you?”
“I’m Luke,” he responded, his cheery disposition not wavering any.
“I don’t give a fuck if you were the pope. What are you doing here?” Luke opened his mouth to reply, but Enzo swung back to me and spoke again. “You’re bringing your boyfriends to my house? To my house? I don’t keep track of your movements, I don’t keep you on a leash as I probably should, and this is how you repay me? You bring some fucking douchebag to my home for a daytime fuck session?” He was seething and I tried to interrupt to explain, to stop his tirade, but he was on a roll. “You,” he pointed at Luke, “get the fuck out of my house. I never want to see you here again.”
“No,” I yelled over Enzo’s voice. “He’s my guest, and if he leaves or goes is our decision, not yours. I don’t tell you not to bring your whores around; you don’t tell me who I can invite here.”
“This is my house!” Enzo roared and stepped into me. Luke moved closer as
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