AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She peers out of the door, now calm and serene. “She wants to meet me?” Lila smiles like I just proposed, something that won’t ever happen. “Yes, of course we’ll go!”
I unmute the phone and tell my mom, “We’ll be there. It’s next weekend, right?”
While I get the details on the party, Lila curls up next to me with a glass of wine as if nothing happened twenty minutes ago. That’s her fourth glass of the evening, so round of applause for not one, but two alcoholics in the apartment. When I hang up with my mom, she rubs her hand over the crotch of my jeans. What fucking sucks about this situation is that my body betrays me every damn time. How my dick can still harden for her not long after being hit is beyond me.
“You know, this would be a wonderful time to propose and surprise your family,” she says sweetly. Have I mentioned she’s been wanting to get married for the last six months?
I give her my standard response. “I’m not ready yet, Lila.”
She removes her hand with a huff. “You’ll have to be ready at some point, babe.”
/> “Well, today ain’t that day. If we’re going to talk about this shit, you’re going to have to pour me another shot.”
“You’re an asshole, FC.” She stands and walks back to the bedroom, slapping the back of my head on her way.
Before I get too comfy, I switch my phone to silent. The last thing I need is for Idaline to message or call me and Lila roar out of the bedroom again. I smile at the thought of her being jealous of someone neither of us have ever met.
Idaline and I have known each other for twelve years. My middle school wanted us to write to kids at a school in South Carolina, a pen pal of sorts. Idaline was mine. She still is, I guess. We started with letters, then emails, then texts and phone calls. She’s only about an hour away from me now; I know because one night when Lila kicked me out, Idaline called me and I almost asked her if she was ready for us to meet.
We’ve talked about it a lot over the years, but we’ve never made concrete plans to do it. We do send birthday and Christmas gifts; I had to get a separate post office box once I moved here, just for mail from Idaline, because it didn’t take long to realize Lila was the jealous type. She only discovered Idaline in my phone now because I’d forgotten to delete the latest text thread.
Idaline is easily my best friend and my closest confidante. After twelve years of talking nearly every day, it’s no surprise really. But Lila is ruining my friendship with her. I’ve had to be strategic when I talk to Idaline and I’ve talked to her less since moving here. She knows I have a girlfriend, so at least we can both blame it on her. One thing Idaline doesn’t know about is the hell I go through living here. Just like with my family and friends, I don’t talk about my relationship with Lila.
Before I can place my phone on the table again, it lights up with a text from Idaline.
Idaline: Fredrick Clark?
I smile, happiness filling up my soul for the first time today. The feelings I get when she texts, the happiness, the elation, the pure, untainted joy, are something I hope never goes away. One reason Idaline and I connected was because we both have old family names, only I go by FC, the first letters of my first and middle name because I don’t like either of them. Since Idaline doesn’t know anyone who knows me to find out what they could be, it’s one of her life missions to figure out what they may be. I’ve told her she’ll never ever guess it, but she sends about a guess a week.
Me: No for both.
Idaline: Darn it.
I crave to hear her voice, or to videochat with her and see her face, but that’s simply not possible right now.
Me: Can I call you on my lunch break tomorrow?
Idaline: I’m having lunch with my boyfriend. I’m sorry.
She even includes a sad face, which makes me smile. The woman is sweet.
Me: No worries. I’m taking my girlfriend home to meet the family this weekend.
Idaline: Oh, that sounds serious. Looking forward to that? And to going home?
Me: Sure.
Idaline: Totally believe you.
Me: I know you do. Talk to you tomorrow.
She doesn’t believe me, but that’s okay. I wouldn’t believe me either.
“You had to hit me this week, didn’t you?” I grumble as Lila attempts to apply makeup on and around my eye to cover the bruise there.
“It was an accident,” she insists, as if she truly believes rearing her fist back and hitting me on purpose was an accident. “If they can still tell, we went to a bar and you got into a fight protecting my honor.”
I almost snort. She can protect her own honor. There’s no way I’d get into a fight over her.
