well. Enzo’s eyes swung toward him, and he eyed how closely Luke was standing next to me with contempt.
“The deed says differently,” I retorted very calmly. I had gotten him there; I knew it, and by the way his eyes practically bugged out of his head, he knew it, too.
“Fine, little girl. You want to be a slut in your own home, you go do that. See if I fucking care.” He got in Luke’s face and I could see Luke trying hard to keep it together. “You had better watch yourself.”
He stormed past us after having the last word, bumping into us on purpose.
“I … uh … I think you should get out of the house,” Luke responded calmly while rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “I have no clue what the hell that was, but I think we both need some time to process. Let’s get out of here, yeah?”
I nodded to keep from blurting out the truth about everything.
“Right, well, let’s go to my place. I’m sure Chandra would love to hear about this.”
I followed him to his place, and it was tiny like he had said, but it was cozy, homey even. I ended up hanging out a lot.
After Luke had recalled the events to Chandra, and she gasped at appropriate times, I cried.
“I’m so sorry!” I repeated. “I’m so sorry you had to witness that!”
“Chandra used to make me watch her cheesy soaps all the time, Paige. This was nothing.” I laughed through my tears and then proceeded to explain all the details about Enzo and my relationship, minus the wedding night.
“Interesting,” mused Chandra. “Sounds to me like someone was jealous,” she added.
“No … well … hmm.” Enzo’s reaction did seem a bit like someone had a touch of the green-eyed monster. I knew it wasn’t because he wanted me and couldn’t have me; it was because he wasn’t the center of someone’s universe. It also probably had to do with the fact that he didn’t have that ultimate claim on me like a true husband.
“I think I like that look.” Chandra smiled. “You’re up to something, aren’t you?”
“You might not like it after I tell you my idea.”
“Try me.”
“I’m going to continue to make Enzo jealous and I’m going to use your boyfriend to do it. That is if you both are okay with it,” I added meekly.
“That’s a fantastic idea!” Chandra exclaimed.
“It is?” Luke asked. “It sounds pretty bad to me.”
“Oh, hush you. You’re going to help our girl, and that’s the end of it.”
“Do I get a say?” he asked.
“No,” answered Chandra just as I said, “Yes.”
“What does this jealousy thing entail?” he asked me.
“Not much, I don’t think. You’ll have to come to my house when Enzo’s there, but that shouldn’t be an issue since we’re studying together. We might have to hang out a few times, but we do that anyway.”
“Hmm,” he pretended to ponder. “Sold. Luke Duzay, fake boyfriend extraordinaire.”
That was the beginning of Operation: Make Enzo Jealous.
Ten
Enzo
“That stupid … fuck … she … goddamn slut …” I was alone in my room, throwing things and couldn’t even form a coherent thought after seeing Paige with her boy toy. I had also realized I was stuttering out loud when I passed the mirror and caught a glimpse of my mouth moving. Great. Paige was making me go crazy. If I hadn’t known better, I’d say I was jealous. But I didn’t get jealous and I certainly didn’t get jealous over Paige. It was a matter of principal. It had to be because I didn’t know another reason I was reacting this way.
I was her husband, dammit! I knew she hated me almost as much as I hated her. The first and only time she had said it was a punch in the gut. It was one thing to know it and another to hear it. I don’t even know why it tore me up so much. Maybe because no one hated me, well, other than my father. And even then, I didn’t think he hated me; he was just disappointed in me.
“The deed says differently,” I retorted very calmly. I had gotten him there; I knew it, and by the way his eyes practically bugged out of his head, he knew it, too.
“Fine, little girl. You want to be a slut in your own home, you go do that. See if I fucking care.” He got in Luke’s face and I could see Luke trying hard to keep it together. “You had better watch yourself.”
He stormed past us after having the last word, bumping into us on purpose.
“I … uh … I think you should get out of the house,” Luke responded calmly while rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “I have no clue what the hell that was, but I think we both need some time to process. Let’s get out of here, yeah?”
I nodded to keep from blurting out the truth about everything.
“Right, well, let’s go to my place. I’m sure Chandra would love to hear about this.”
I followed him to his place, and it was tiny like he had said, but it was cozy, homey even. I ended up hanging out a lot.
After Luke had recalled the events to Chandra, and she gasped at appropriate times, I cried.
“I’m so sorry!” I repeated. “I’m so sorry you had to witness that!”
“Chandra used to make me watch her cheesy soaps all the time, Paige. This was nothing.” I laughed through my tears and then proceeded to explain all the details about Enzo and my relationship, minus the wedding night.
“Interesting,” mused Chandra. “Sounds to me like someone was jealous,” she added.
“No … well … hmm.” Enzo’s reaction did seem a bit like someone had a touch of the green-eyed monster. I knew it wasn’t because he wanted me and couldn’t have me; it was because he wasn’t the center of someone’s universe. It also probably had to do with the fact that he didn’t have that ultimate claim on me like a true husband.
“I think I like that look.” Chandra smiled. “You’re up to something, aren’t you?”
“You might not like it after I tell you my idea.”
“Try me.”
“I’m going to continue to make Enzo jealous and I’m going to use your boyfriend to do it. That is if you both are okay with it,” I added meekly.
“That’s a fantastic idea!” Chandra exclaimed.
“It is?” Luke asked. “It sounds pretty bad to me.”
“Oh, hush you. You’re going to help our girl, and that’s the end of it.”
“Do I get a say?” he asked.
“No,” answered Chandra just as I said, “Yes.”
“What does this jealousy thing entail?” he asked me.
“Not much, I don’t think. You’ll have to come to my house when Enzo’s there, but that shouldn’t be an issue since we’re studying together. We might have to hang out a few times, but we do that anyway.”
“Hmm,” he pretended to ponder. “Sold. Luke Duzay, fake boyfriend extraordinaire.”
That was the beginning of Operation: Make Enzo Jealous.
Ten
Enzo
“That stupid … fuck … she … goddamn slut …” I was alone in my room, throwing things and couldn’t even form a coherent thought after seeing Paige with her boy toy. I had also realized I was stuttering out loud when I passed the mirror and caught a glimpse of my mouth moving. Great. Paige was making me go crazy. If I hadn’t known better, I’d say I was jealous. But I didn’t get jealous and I certainly didn’t get jealous over Paige. It was a matter of principal. It had to be because I didn’t know another reason I was reacting this way.
I was her husband, dammit! I knew she hated me almost as much as I hated her. The first and only time she had said it was a punch in the gut. It was one thing to know it and another to hear it. I don’t even know why it tore me up so much. Maybe because no one hated me, well, other than my father. And even then, I didn’t think he hated me; he was just disappointed in me.
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