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“Why’d you put Carly Adler in my apartment?”
He doesn’t answer right away.
“There are other corporate apartments that are empty. Why?”
“Aiden, I…”
I wait. Silence.
“Honest to Christ, Dad. I’ve had it up to my eyeballs with the bullshit in our family. Can you just give me a fucking straight answer?”
“I… like her for you.”
“What?”
“She…she’s…I thought you might like her. You’re just like me. So bloody much like me. She’s exactly what I would’ve gone for at your age.”
“Dad…”
“Hear me out. You asked, I’ll tell you. She’s pretty. Smart. Real. That girl has something. I see something in her that’s rare nowadays for girls that are that attractive. Her work ethic. Her tenacity. Without being calculating. You know? Alice sent her the wrong apartment key and was telling me she was going to fix it and I had an epiphany. I told her to leave it and keep mum about it. I know you’re not happy to be here. I thought… I thought she’d be an incentive. A fun distraction having a pretty girl in your apartment and maybe you’d start dating her. Maybe wanna be home longer. I guess… I guess it was stupid. I want my son happy. I want you home.”
“It’s not as simple as planting a pretty girl in my apartment, Dad.”
“I know it’s not,” the weight in his voice hits me in the gut.
I glance at my wrist and see it’s 6:55. I should go change so I can meet my brother.
“I gotta go. I’m meeting Auz for dinner.”
“Oh?” Dad sounds surprised.
Not surprising he’s surprised. I haven’t exactly spent much time with my family lately. When I’m here, I always make sure to see Adele and Braeden, sometimes Austin, but it’s been a while since my brother and I decided to do something together. Because I’m so filled with guilt over what I know. Or, what I might know.
“Yeah. See you at the office tomorrow. Don’t be shocked if Carly asks you to move her. I’ve been a bit of a dick.”
He barks out a laugh. “You? I don’t believe that for a minute!”
I laugh.
He laughs.
“That’s a nice sound, my boy.”
My laughter dies.
“Gotta go. See you tomorrow at the office.”
“You will. Bye, Aiden.”
“Bye, Dad.”
I stare out at the city for a few minutes and then decide the walk to Buchanan’s will do me good. I head into the master bedroom and move through the space until I hit the bathroom.
It’s still warm, humid, the bathroom mirror fogged up. There’s a mess of my bathroom shit all over the place, and it smells like peppermint and something else. Something floral, feminine. Been a long time since I’ve smelled feminine smells in my bathroom. I undress and get into my shower and see all her stuff is still here. Her shampoo. Conditioner. Bodywash. Purple glittery razor. Giant pink netted sponge thing. I’m thinking about her peeling off her clothes in here, naked in here, picturing her beautiful tits.
I grab the bath net thing and put it to my nose. Oh, great. My eyes roll as I catch a glimpse beside her conditioner bottle. She took a shower with my fuckin’ pocket pussy right there lying on the shelf beside her hair shit. It’s just sitting there. She had to have seen it. My head rolls back as I chastise myself.
Naw. Fuck that. This is my space. Her fault for comin’ in here.
