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What should I do? I asked myself this as I paced around my apartment. As hurt and angry as I was about what I’d seen earlier between Darby and Arianna, I was also concerned about him. Would he be comforted by her? Maybe she was at his apartment right now, offering solace and support with her body.
My stomach churned at the thought of them together.
I went to the window and opened it a few inches to let some of the cool autumn air into the room. Breathing deeply of the pine-scented evening, I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against the window frame.
A sudden knock on my door startled me. Hustling to the door, I yanked it open with unnecessary force. Rob Wright stood in the hallway, dressed all in black jeans and a turtleneck. He wanted to look like Steve Jobs, I guessed.
“What do you want?” I didn’t need to pretend to be nice or to act as if I liked him. He’d shown me who he was at dinner. How betrayed I felt by Darby at the moment made no difference in my opinion of Rob.
“I saw the news.”
“And?” I raised both eyebrows.
“I called Darby, but he’s not answering his phone. I’m concerned.”
“Okay.” I glared at him. Apparently, he wasn’t getting the hint, because he didn’t move.
“Can I come in? I’d really like a chance to talk to you. Clear up a few things.”
“Fine.” I stepped back to let him inside, then shut the door behind us.
“I thought he’d be with you,” Rob said.
“We had a fight. You might want to ask your fiancée why.”
Rob rubbed his eyes. He looked terrible, unshaven and red-eyed. “Yeah, about that—she’s a complicated woman.”
“Complicated? Is that what we’re calling it?”
He paled and sank down onto my couch. “She has some issues.”
“And what are those exactly? That she’s a total narcissist and a liar?”
He sighed and looked around the room as if he wanted a drink. I didn’t offer him anything.
“What are you doing with her?” I asked. “Other than you seem to love besting Darby. Is that what this is for you? A way to win?”
He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. “It might have been at first. Darby and I used to compete in a lot of ways, including girls. They always loved him and thought I was a total nerd. I went to college and reinvented myself, you know? So I could be the one the girls noticed. When Arianna showed up in his life, I was floored by her. Absolutely besotted.”
“Besotted?” What a weird word to use. A pretentious word, just like him.
“Obsessed. Was it because I wanted to steal her from Darby? Maybe. But I fell for her. Hard. I’ve never been as consumed with a woman in my life. I had to have her.”
“Even though you had to betray your best friend to do it?”
“Even then.” He splayed his hands over his kneecaps. “I’m not proud of it. In fact, I acted like a complete ass last night because I’m deeply ashamed. Especially when I saw how well he was doing. With you and his work. He found a home here, and God knows he needed one after his father.”
“I saw them kissing.” It came out like a confessional.
“You saw her attempting to kiss him,” Rob said. “There’s a difference.”
“How do you know that?” A twinge of hope rose in me.
“I have people who keep an eye out for her,” he said. “More security than anything.”
“But also your spies.” This guy was as psycho as his girlfriend. They deserved each other.
“I guess you could call it that. If you were feeling unkind.”
