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"Did she talk to you about it?"
Laurie scoffs. "What do you think?"
I suck in a shallow breath. It presses on my lungs, sharp and heavy all at once. "She wants space. I just want to know if she's okay."
Laurie sighs. "Listen, Luke, I'll be straight with you. I like you. You're... different. And you're very attractive, and I can tell Alyssa appreciates that. And I think it's good for her to have a boyfriend who isn't in TV. We're fucking crazy, and we need saner partners to help even us out."
"Laurie--"
"I'm still talking." She clears her throat. "I like you. A lot of things about you are good for Alyssa. You help pull her out of her head, you know? And she really needs that."
I like where this is going, but I can sense that "but" coming.
"Thanks," I say.
"And, when things are good with you two... I've never seen her that happy."
"That's all I want."
"Yeah, me too. Well, for Alyssa." She pauses. "But, when things aren't good with you two, she's utterly miserable. She's despondent. She mopes when you're gone for more than a day or two. She'd deny it, but she does."
"Really?"
"Yeah, she's gotten better. Going to her acting classes, entertaining my dumb ideas about how to get out of the house. She's even taking art classes. Painting or something."
"She didn't tell me."
"Well, you should have asked."
"How is she doing right now?"
"She's okay," Laurie says. "She's staying busy."
"Did she say anything about me?"
"Are you kidding? You're all we talk about." She laughs at her own joke.
It's business as usual.
"Laurie--"
"No, she hasn't said anything. I asked her what was wrong, but she shrugged and said she didn't want to talk about it. I asked how things were with you and she, can you guess--"
"Said she didn't want to talk about it?"
"Bingo!" Her voice drops to a more serious tone. "What happened, anyway?"
"Honestly? I'm not exactly sure."
"Don't be such a fucking guy," she says. "I'm sure you know. You probably just don't want to admit you were wrong."
"It's complicated."
"I'm sure you did something. I can tell you are this nexus of drama. It swirls around you. I mean, you did intentionally start an affair. And you did break up with her when she was on set." Laurie clears her throat. "And if you do anything like that again, I really will kill you."
I know better than to argue with Laurie.
"Can you tell me anything?" I ask.
