“She was so down she was practically on her knees.” Referring to Sarah.
Theo denies it and launches into a tirade about being a daddy and some bullshit about respecting women. All I can think about is the message waiting for me from only woman he’s ever loved.
“I gotta bounce.” Theo holds his fist to me.
“Yeah, give Lulu a hug for me.” I set my phone down and get another ding. I feel like I should say something. He needs to be mentally prepared for her come back. When the shit hits the fan, I want to look back and know I tried to give him a heads up.
“Have you heard from Leeyan?”
Theo looks at me crazy. “Not in months. Why?”
I’m avoiding eye contact, so I don’t give anything away.
“Nothing really, I just heard something.” What the fuck would you hear about Leeyan? “You know that dude Andrew, owns the dry cleaners where she used to work?” Good one.
“Yeah. He’s like forty-five and still lives with his mother.”
“I was picking up some shirts, and he mentioned something about her coming home.” I move my shower stuff around.
Theo says Leeyan hated the guy and would never reach out to him.
“Yeah, it’s probably bullshit. That guy is a fucking wanker.” I toss my towel over my shoulder and move towards the showers.
Theo leaves and I bang my head on the lockers. Man, that was harder than I thought it was going to be. I wait until I’m sure Theo has left the building before reading the message.
Leeyan: Staying with a friend. You’re an only child…for the night.
Me: Anyone I know?
Even in text form that sounds desperate.
Leeyan: A friend from Germany.
Leeyan: A female friend.
That doesn’t make me feel any better.
Me: You can always invite her back to the apartment for a sleepover? We can do each other’s hair.
She sends back a crying/laughing emoji.
Leeyan: Don’t worry, she’s not that kind of friend.
Me: Who said anything about being worried?
Leeyan: ;)
Leeyan: I’ll text you later. I left a surprise for you in the freezer.
I play it cool and don’t reply back. When I get home, I go straight to the freezer and find two cartons of So Delicious coconut milk chocolate chip ice cream. I snap a picture and text it to her with a kissy face emoji. I instantly regret my emoji choice. Kissy face, really? A thumbs up would’ve been more appropriate. I consider texting one, then realize that would be weird. I’ll wait until she texts back then decide.
Three minutes tick by and she hasn’t replied back.
An hour later I’m glued to my desk.
With pizza.
I have a stack of prepped meals in the refrigerator, and I’m eating a large pepperoni pizza. It isn’t gluten free. I fold another slice into my mouth and chew it briefly before choking it down.
I’m not just waiting for Leeyan to reply to my message, Antonia is calling tonight. She’s apartment hunting for me. Links to three places were in her last email. The one I forgot to reply to. At least I started my work permit and visa applications. I’ve also gotten through the basics in Rosetta Stone. I can say my name.
Alo, chamo-me, Giovanni
I can ask where the bathroom is, how much a bottle of wine costs— the important stuff. Antonia expects me to be conversation ready by the time I arrive. It took three years for me to learn how to order a burrito in Spanish, so her expectations are a little high.
I close the pizza box and take it to the kitchen. It’s too large for my trash can, so I have to carry it to the garbage shoot at the end of the hall. It’s the pizza box walk of shame.
I check the clock on the stove. Any minute, Antonia is going to call. My stomach turns in nervous anticipation—actually, that might be the pizza. I lean on the counter and take a few deep breaths. I think of the greasy pepperoni, the doughy crust, the cheese…so much cheese.
I run to the bathroom and vomit.
I’ve always been able to puke on demand. Vomiting to stay home from school was my go-to whenever I forgot to do my homework. Now I do it for other reasons. Kneeling on the cold tile floor, face first in the toilet is as vulnerable as I get. I’m not proud of vomiting my meals, but everyone has their demons.
I hear my computer ring, but I’m at the point where I can’t stop. One last heave and I stand up. I grab a towel as I run to answer the call from Antonia.
I greet her in Portuguese.
“Olá. Como vão as coisas?”
“Bom trabalho! Good job, Giovanni.” Antonia is ecstatic. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”
I leave the computer to get a bottle of water and grab the Jameson instead. A shot of whiskey and a freshly empty stomach is not ideal, but fuck it.
“Did you look at the apartments?” She looks down at her phone. “The second one isn’t available until September, but you can pay the down payment now and have it ready when you get here. What do you think?”
I take a shot and place the bottle on the desk. “I didn’t look at it yet.” I should’ve lied. I’m a liar; it’s what I do.
“Gio,” she whines. “Come on.” Her pouty face used to be sexy, but now it’s annoying. She doesn’t look like my fuck buddy—she looks like my boss.
“I promise I will check it out after we hang up. If you say it’s good, I trust you.”
“Good, then send me the money and I’ll put down the deposit for you.” She’s testing me. It’s time to put up or shut up.
“You’ll have the money tomorrow.”
“That’s what I want to hear.” She looks over her computer screen as if someone has walked into her room. She’s sitting at a desk with a large king-sized bed behind her, and whoever strolled in just put a fuck me smile on her face.
“I have to go, Gio. I’ll start the paperwork for the apartment. I’m having your work visa taken care of.”
She must be calling in a favor to push it through.
“Thank you, Antonia. I really appreciate all your help.”
“Don’t let me down, darling, tchau.”
Her call disconnects. I exhale.
I’m walking to the bathroom to brush my teeth when my phone buzzes. Fuck my breath. I pull my phone from the charger and find the text I’ve been waiting for.
Leeyan: Food porn. I love it.
Me: Anytime I read the word porn, I get an instant boner.
That was an overshare.
Leeyan: I’ll remember that.
Me: What time will you be home?
Fuck. I shouldn’t have wrote home. I should have said back. or when will you return. Home sounds too, homey.
Leeyan: Miss me already?
I choose my words wisely and decide to go with a lie.
Me: I might have a ‘friend’ over. Wouldn’t want you to hear it, see it, or smell it.
It takes her four minutes to reply.
Leeyan: I’ll surprise you. ;)
Leeyan: Have a good night.
She didn't fall for it, not even close. I’m an idiot.
Chapter Ten
Fred calls to let me know Leeyan is downstairs. I tell him to let her up. I’ve wasted the entire day waiting for her return. At least I didn’t eat any ice cream. I sit at the desk and pretend to be busy.
“Honey, I’m home!” She sings as the door opens.
“What’s up,” I grunt.
She drops her backpack on the floor, kicks her shoes off, then plops on the couch.
“I’m so hungry.”
“There’s ice cream.”
She leans on the back of the couch, her face resting on the cushions as she watches me. “Did you eat lunch?”
I shake my head no as I click on the links Antonia sent. Clicking and intermittent typing gives the illusion that I’m busy.
“I have work to do.” I motion to the computer. It’s a lie but I need to focus my energy on something other than her.
> “Did you fun last night?” She looks around the apartment.
If I lie again, it proves how weak I am.
“I decided to just chill. How was your night?”
Leeyan grins. She knows my text was a lie and I don’t care. Honestly, I want her to know I was alone.
“It was okay. We went to a Mexican restaurant and had a few pitchers of margaritas. Typical girl’s night.”
She goes to the kitchen and returns with a bottle of water.
“Why are you learning to speak Portuguese?”
“How did you know I was learning?”
“I saw the Rosetta Stone app on your screen.”
“Why were you on my computer?”
The last thing I need is Leeyan snooping around my laptop and accidentally accepting a video call from Antonia.
“I was checking Craigslist for apartments the other day.” She walks back to the sofa.
“You can check Craigslist on your phone,” I inform her.
My phone rings on the coffee table and Leeyan picks it up.
I dash around the desk, over the couch, and snatch the phone from her.
“Do we need to have a talk about privacy?”
“Chill, dude. It’s just your mom.” She pretends it isn’t a big deal.
“New rule: don’t touch my technology.”
“These hands will not go near your technology.” She holds them up and wiggles her fingers. “Unless you want me to touch your technology.”
“I don’t.”
“Never say never,” she whispers.
I answer the call and flick my hand in her direction. She gets the hint and decides to take the trash out. She picks up the pizza box and looks inside.
“Don’t forget that.” I point to her sweater hanging on hook near the door.
“I can’t believe you’re seriously making me throw this away.”
“My house, my rules.” I cringe as Leeyan walks out the door. I sound just like my old man.
Mom answers on the fifth ring.
“Hey Ma.”
“Patanino,” she greets me. “You’re coming for dinner tonight?”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
“It’s your father’s birthday, Giovanni. You have to come. He’s only fifty once.”
“I know how aging works, Ma.”
Leeyan walks back inside and washes her hands in the kitchen sink.
“I’m making pistachio cake.”
My favorite, not Dad’s—it’s a bribe to get me over there.
“Bring a friend. You know how much your father likes Theo, and I haven’t seen Lulu since Christmas.”
Mom loves Lulu, treats her like a grandchild, and Lulu may be the only one she ever has. I’m too selfish to have kids, like someone else I know. Leeyan turns the water off.
“He has to work tonight, and so do I.”
My mother knows I work at Trance, but what I do there is somewhat of a mystery. I tell her I wait tables and greet guests. A quick internet search would provide her with the truth, but Maria Castillo isn’t the kind of woman to google her son.
“He’s your father, Giovanni. You should be here. We have things to discuss.” Her tone isn’t pleasant or demanding; she sounds desperate.
Leeyan is looking through all my cabinets as I debate about whether or not to blow off work. I really don’t want to see Theo and have to lie to his face. I also don’t want to leave Leeyan’s nosy ass alone in my apartment.
“Okay, Ma. I’ll be there, and I’m bringing a friend.”
***
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Leeyan fans herself with the birthday card I picked up at the corner store. “Can you make this any colder?” She fidgets with the air conditioning.
“Can you not touch my car?” I slap her hand away. “Roll the window down—it’s colder outside.”
The fog has rolled in and blanketed my parents’ neighborhood in a soggy mist.
“Do your parents know about me?”
“You mean do they know about you ditching Lulu when she was two?”
“Why is it when a woman joins the army she’s ditching her family, yet a man joins and he’s a hero?”
“Cause life sucks.” I roll the windows up because I’m freezing. “And yes, they know, but we don’t have to tell them who you are. I’ll just say you’re a friend.”
“That’ll work?”
“My parents won’t ask a lot of questions.”
It only takes two loops around the block to find parking. Leeyan is holding the bottle of red wine and the birthday card. Maybe the old man will enjoy it more if he thinks she picked it out.
“You grew up in the Aves, huh?” Leeyan takes a dig at me.
The Avenues are part of San Francisco, but living out here is like a suburb of the city.
“Sorry I’m not cool like you. I didn’t have junkie parents.”
“Whoa, dude. I’m just fucking with you.”
“Sorry, this neighborhood brings out the cocksucker in me.”
We turn the corner onto my block and the first thing I see is the big red and white SOLD sticker on the sign under my tree.
Leeyan sees it too. “Your parents are moving?”
This is bad—really bad.
Across the street is Josie’s house. She doesn’t live there anymore, but her daughter does. Our families have been friends for over twenty years, and they wouldn’t just kick my parents out—would they?
“Wait here,” I tell Leeyan.
I ring the bell, not really sure what I’m going to say. Getting angry won’t help. I’m only here for information, that’s it.
The door opens, and a redhead appears. Her hair is in a knot on top of her head, small tendrils framing her face—the face of my childhood. We learned to ride bikes together, watched scary movies under the covers at my house. At one point in my life, we were best friends.
“Giovanni?” She looks me up and down. “Oh my god, it’s so good to see you!” She steps onto the porch to give me a hug.
“Hey Mags, you look good.”
She pulls away. “What are you doing here?” She looks past me to the street, where Leeyan is shivering in the mist. “Is she with you?”
“Uh, yeah. She’s a fri…she’s my roommate.”
Mags laughs. She isn’t buying it. Before Theo came along, I spent all my waking hours with Maggie. One day I dared her to kiss me and she did. After we kissed, she changed—started wearing makeup and giggling at my stupid jokes instead of calling me a dickwad. She’s the reason I don’t have female friends. Kissing ruined our friendship.
“One of my sorority sisters had her bachelorette party at Trance.”
“You were at the club? Why didn’t you say hi?”
Thank god she didn’t.
“Cause it’s hella awkward seeing your junk bounce around in a G-string. Plus, we were in the private room. They wouldn’t let us go back and forth to the main room.”
“It’s a crowd control thing,” I explain. “The club only holds so many in the main room.”
“You didn’t knock on my door to discuss fire codes.”
Maggie is always to the point.
“The house sold?” I shrug like What the fuck?
“It’s under contract, but my mom thinks the buyers are going to pull out after the inspection. She got a report on the roof and the electrical. It all needs to be updated, and they won’t be able to move in until everything is fixed.”
“But it’s okay for my parents to live there?”
“My mom offered to update the house. They refused to move out, even temporarily.”
My immigrant parents have a fear of moving. I’ll never understand how people can leave their country for America. Once here, they refuse to move to another neighborhood, even if it’s a better place.
“Where are my parents supposed to go when the house eventually sells?” I’m getting heated. I can’t help it.
“They know the situation. My mom gave them first d
ibs on the property, but they didn’t want it.”
“They can’t afford it!” I snap. “What the fuck, Mags? Your family has enough money. Why can’t they just let them stay until…”
“Until they die, Gio? This isn’t about money. Mom is retiring. She wants to sell and move somewhere quiet. Sorry if that’s inconvenient to you.” She starts to slam the door in my face.
“Maggie.” I catch the door. “I’m sorry. You guys have done a lot for them. I appreciate it.”
“Alberto and Maria are family to me, to all of us. Mom wouldn’t sell if she thought it would hurt them.” Maggie places her hand over mine. “Take care, Gio.”
I return to Leeyan and we cross the street.
“I like redheads.” She jabs me in the side with her elbow.
“She was the first girl I ever kissed.”
“I knew she was an ex!” Leeyan socks me in the arm. “She had that look in her eyes.”
“What look?”
“Like she was debating on whether or not she should slam the door in your face or pull you inside and hate-bang you.”
Leeyan is right. If I wanted to, I could have Mags. She came with too many strings. When I eventually broke her heart; it would affect both our families. Who wants that kind of guilt on their conscience?
I open the front door without knocking, something I haven’t done in years. “Ma!” I yell, just like I did when I was kid.
“Patanino!” she calls from the kitchen.
I step into the living room and see my father’s balding head resting against the back of his chair.
“Happy Birthday, Pop.”
He looks back at me and grunts.
“This is my friend, Lee.” I look at her like Just go with it.
When he sees her beside me, he jumps up.
“Hello.” He coughs into his fist. “Sorry, I have a little cold.”
Leeyan extends her hand. “Happy Birthday, Mr. Castillo.”
He shakes her hand. “Call me Al.”
“This is for you.” She gives him the wine and the card.
He looks at the label with an impressed expression.
“I’ll open it now, so it can breathe.” He walks to the kitchen, yelling for the wine opener.
“I brought that same bottle over on Christmas. He said it was too bitter.”
“It’s all about presentation,” Leeyan whispers.
Side Game (Men of Trance Book 2) Page 10
