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Christopher didn’t mention Calloway. He always picked a random subject to talk about, like work or whatever was on TV. The second things became too quiet, he would pull out a game, anything that could distract me.
But there wasn’t a distraction in the world powerful enough.
“You wanna go for a jog in the park?” Christopher asked when I came home from work.
“A jog?” I couldn’t remember the last time I jogged. It was probably in Calloway’s personal gym in the garage, the one he made so he wouldn’t have to leave me alone. The memory of his protectiveness suddenly made me feel weak all over again.
“Or a walk. Whatever. I just think I would be good to get some fresh air.”
I had no energy to do anything. “I walk around all day at work. I don’t need any exercise.”
“Come on, don’t be lazy. You know I’m gonna bug you until you change your mind.”
That part was true. “Okay, fine.”
“Great.”
We pulled on our gym clothes and running shoes then walked to the park just a block away. We joined a trail and walked briskly as the summer sun slowly faded behind the trees. We passed a few ice cream stands, but neither one of us was interested in the frozen treats.
Christopher talked about work even though he’d already told me most of his stories. It was obvious he was just looking for something to say to keep me distracted.
He was doing his best to make me feel better, and it was incredibly sweet. “Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Christopher. I appreciate it.”
He shrugged as he walked, with his hands in the pockets of his shorts. “What are brothers for?”
“But you don’t need to bend over backward for me. I understand you have a life.”
“Yeah, I know. But I know you would do the same for me if I were crushed like you are.”
Absolutely.
“Staying busy always helps me when I’m down. Going for a walk. Playing a game. All those sorts of things.”
“Yeah…”
Christopher was so absorbed in me he didn’t even check out the pair of beautiful women who walked by in their leggings and t-shirts. He stared straight ahead, focused on me and our conversation. “Have you seen him at work?”
“No.”
“Has he tried contacting you?”
I didn’t want to mention the text messages the night we broke up. “No.”
He nodded like he was agreeing with me, when there was nothing to agree on.
“Don’t tell him off like you did last time, okay?”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
That was surprising. I eyed him as we walked side by side. “I thought you might want to kill him.”
He shrugged.
That reaction was even odder coming from a guy as vocal as Christopher. He always wanted to give his two cents on everything, making sure his voice and his fury were heard. His calm reaction to all of this was strange. “There’s something you aren’t telling me.”
“Like what?” he asked.
“Why aren’t you angrier with Calloway?”
“What am I supposed to do, Rome?” he asked. “You aren’t the kind of woman who expects someone to fight your battles.”
“And I don’t expect you to do that. I guess I’m just surprised that you aren’t more upset.”
He stared at the black asphalt and walked around a snail that was right in his path. “I guess…never mind.”
“You guess what?” I pressed.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said quickly. “This is your relationship, not mine. My opinion is irrelevant.”
“Why do you take that stance now, when you’ve always stuck your nose in my business? Now tell me.”
“You really wanna know?” His eyes found mine as he searched for affirmation.
“Yes.” I could handle anything he said.
“I told you this might happen.”
“That Calloway would cheat.”
“He didn’t really cheat,” Christopher corrected. “He told you what he was into, and you wouldn’t do it. So he found someone else who would. I mean, I can’t say that I’m surprised. If I met a fabulous woman, and she said she would never give me a blow job, I’d probably leave too. I know it’s not the same thing, but I couldn’t be in a long-lasting relationship with a woman who wouldn’t give me what I wanted. Would you stay with Calloway if he wouldn’t do vanilla sex every now and then?”
I stared straight ahead because my answer was obvious.
“See?” he said. “I think the relationship was doomed to fail. I can tell the guy really loves you, but he just needs more. I can’t say I blame him.”
The fact that my own brother agreed with my ex didn’t make me feel any better. “After what Hank did to me—”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” he said quickly. “I totally understand your point of view. I respect it, and I’m sure Calloway does too. But I still don’t blame Calloway for what he did. He did his best but collapsed under the pressure. It happens to the best of us.”
