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“Are you?” I tip my head and narrow my eyes at her. “You’re part of the problem, you know?”
She gasps and stares at me in surprise.
“I get that he was super quiet when he was younger. That you protected him.” I sniffle and flop backwards on my pillow. “I get that you don’t wanna see him get hurt. But he’s a grown man, Chloe. He’s had more women than you and I together have had guys.”
“Who would wanna sleep with him?” She squeezes her eyes closed and shakes her head.
“Look at him,” I tell her. “He’s a beautiful man. And sexy as hell.”
Chloe flinches. “He asked a few girls out when he was in high school. They all said no. He asked some girl to prom. That was a no. He went out with some emo girl when he was in college. She was always high. Like she couldn’t bear to be around him if she weren’t.”
“I get that,” I remind her. “But he’s twenty-nine years old now. He’s out there living a hell of a fun life while he’s running away from all of you because you won’t let him be himself.”
“I do, too. He’s a musician. I get—”
“He’s a composer,” I correct her.
“But he plays music. He can play, like, every instrument there is. I told you his IQ is freakishly high. And that makes him…a little…different.”
“It makes him intense,” I offer. “But that’s not a bad thing. And he’s a composer. First in his heart, he’s a composer.”
“So how do I not let him be himself?”
“You refuse to see anything other than that kid he used to be.”
“Skye, all we ever talk about is his music. It’s an obsession for him—”
“He doesn’t want to share his personal life, his social life, with you. Because you baby him.”
“He doesn’t have a personal life!” Chloe snaps.
“He lost his virginity when he was fifteen. To a college freshman.”
“What?”
“There was a bartender named Natasha when he was nineteen. He liked her rack. And she gave him scotch. Taught him a thing or two that women like.”
Chloe dips her head and pushes her fingers back through her hair.
“And he’s really good at things women like.”
“No.” Chloe shook her head. “I can’t. You can be in love with him, but you can’t say those things to me. I don’t wanna know about that.”
“I knew going into this…thing…with him.” I lick my lips and swipe at my eyes again. “I knew it was just another crazy thing for him. No strings attached. And I was okay with that. He’s charming, Chloe. He’s funny, and he’s sweet, and there’s even something attractive about him when he’s moody. But he’s not interested in the kind of life I live.”
“What kind of life is that?”
“Plain Jane.”
