Unexpected Truth

by Cecilia Fyre

  “It’s okay,” she said. It came automatically. She couldn’t berate him, he was suffering already, and the fact that it was his own fault didn’t make it better. “Come here.”

  They shuffled around until they could lie in each other’s arms. He smelled of booze and too many cigarettes. Lea tried not to care.

  “I’m sorry, doc,” he whispered. “I don’t mean to hurt you.” His voice was slurred with sleep. “Don’t—”

  "Don't what?" she asked, but the only answer was deep regular breathing. He'd fallen asleep. Had he wanted to tell her something?

  Lea wondered what it could be. So many secrets. Would she ever be able to tell him hers?

  9

  It happened again, and this time it was worse. Ricco didn’t even like her, which made it just pathetic. She was at the Montreal comic con with him, and he had gone with it when she suggested bluntly they go up to his hotel room and fuck.

  He knew she didn't like him either, and he had no trouble kicking her out the moment she had put her clothes back on. It wasn't like she had far to go, her room was just on the floor below. He closed the door firmly behind her, then went back to the bed as if in a trance and let himself fall onto the mattress backward. Burying his face in his hands he exhaled shakily.

  What the fucking fuck has gotten into you?

  He should have gone to dinner with his colleagues when the convention finished for the day. Then Bev wouldn't have had a chance to pin him down as she did. She'd been after him for ages. There had been a lot of resentment on her part when she'd been written out of Hell Riders, and attending these events to rile up her former colleagues made her feel better. While they were in bed together he had let her rant about how the powers that be at the studio had mistreated her. He’d fucked her a second time just to shut her up.

  Self-indulgent casual sex had been a big part of his life for years. For many people he was merely a notch on the bedpost, and he had absolutely no beef with that. He’d scratched many an itch over the years. But things were different now, and he couldn’t just keep going as if he were still single. He had the most amazing girl waiting for him at home.

  He hadn’t left it well with Lea before he had been off to the event in Montreal. Something had changed after that night in LA when he’d gotten so unbelievably wasted. There was a gap between them now that hadn’t been there before. And he could hardly bear looking her in the eye, after what had happened with Aurora. Now, this… Ricco groaned and rolled over, burying his head in the pillow.

  Fuck!

  Saturday at the con was a lot more exhausting than Friday had been. The crowds were huge and everyone worked non-stop to get through the massive autograph lines. But cons were just like that, and Ricco was used to existing on fumes and caffeine on these weekends. Lea would be appalled if she could see his eyes. When he looked into the mirror that night they were nothing but red, raw slits. Thanks to his trusted Ray Bans, though, nobody had seen them all day.

  He’d successfully avoided running into Bev all day. Now he sent Jon a text. He’d told Stuart that he wouldn’t join the others that evening either, which had brought him some raised eyebrows. But he just couldn’t face people right now.

  Jon never liked those gatherings either, so the chances were good that he was chilling in his room a few floors down.

  You eaten yet? Ricco texted.

  Nope. Wanna grab a bite? came back a few seconds later.

  Room service at mine? I can’t stand another minute among people.

  Be there in 5.

  Jon grimaced when Ricco opened the door. “Baby, your eyes must be hurting something fierce.”

  Ricco shrugged. “I’ve put some drops in. It’s okay.”

  “You’re not getting a migraine, are you?” Jon looked concerned. Ricco couldn’t blame him. Of all the people at the con, Jon would be the first person he’d call if his head was playing up.

  “I’m not, I promise.” Ricco chucked a menu at his friend. “Here, choose us some salty, fatty shit while I change my shirt.”

  They shared a large pizza with everything. Jon liked culinary experimentation, though Ricco drew a line at pineapple and meticulously picked out every piece from his slices and pushed them over to Jon. They sat leaning against the headboard of the king-sized bed, the sports channel on very low in the background. When they’d finished, Jon moved the pizza crust and the rest of the detritus onto the desk and poured them each another glass of red wine.

  He climbed back onto the bed. Grinning, he tugged playfully on Ricco’s unruly hair which had come out from under the baseball cap for the first time that day. “You’re growing quite the Wookie, baby.” He leaned into Ricco's shoulder with a sigh. "I miss that crazy-ass biker gang, y'know? All of you guys up here in the sticks. But you, I miss most of all.” He put his hand on Ricco’s leg, letting it trail up until it rested near the crotch.

  “Jon, no.” Ricco’s voice was tense, and he hated the whiny quality. But it got Jon’s attention. He withdrew his hand and scooted around until he could look Ricco in the face. “What’s up, babe?” He glanced at Ricco’s crotch. “He’s up for it. You’re clearly not?”

  Ricco didn’t answer right away. He played with a loose thread in the bedsheet, vying for time. He needed Jon’s help, but it was hard to acknowledge to himself what he had done, never mind say it out loud. He took a deep breath. “I…did something stupid, Jon. Something really fucked up.”

  “Is this about your new girl?” Jon asked. “Linda, or whatever?”

  “Lea.” Ricco looked down at the glass in his hand. “I cheated on her, Jon.”

  There was a pause. “Is this why you don’t wanna fool around?” Jon sounded tense.

  Ricco still didn’t look at him. “I can’t, Jon—”

  “It’s never stopped you before,” Jon pointed out, an edge to his voice.

  “It has when it got serious. With Carla, and…and a couple times since.”

  “So this is serious? It’s the real deal?” Jon sounded unhappy. Ricco looked at him. Tears stung the backs of his eyelids.

  “Please, Jon. I need your help. Lea, she’s different. She really is, man…and I fucked up.”

  Jon gave a sigh. He scooted back into his spot and took Ricco in his arms. “All right, all right. I’m gonna take your word for it. She’s clever, I give her that.”

  “You got no idea, Jonny…”

  “Okay, I get it, she’s special.” He twirled Ricco’s hair in his fingers again. “Now, what happened?”

  “I slept with two other women.”

  Jon gave a low whistle. “Two?! At the same time? Cuz if that’s the case I’ll say congr—”

  “No, different times.” Ricco nearly choked on the words, but he had to get it out.

  “Christ, Ricco, you having a midlife crisis?”

  Jon had to be joking, but maybe he was right? Maybe Ricco was scared of getting old. He sighed. “I don’t know, Jonny. I don’t know why I slept with them. I didn’t mean to.”

  There were a dozen obvious jokes Jon could’ve made about that, but he kept quiet. Ricco’s heart became a little lighter. This is why we’re friends, this is why I trust him. Ricco didn’t say anything else. He didn’t have to. Jon would know what to do.

  “You serious about that doctor?” There was no hint of teasing in Jon’s voice.

  Ricco didn’t need to think twice. “A hundred percent serious.”

  “Then you gotta tell her, baby.” Jon’s voice was gentle.

  People found Jon brash and unfriendly, but they didn’t know him. Ricco did. That spiky exterior was Jon's way of dealing with the craziness of life in the spotlight. But when someone asked for help, Jon never hesitated. And he’d never tell Ricco what he wanted to hear, just to make him feel better. He was much more likely to kick Ricco's ass if he needed it.

  “What if she breaks up with me?” Ricco whispered.

  “Listen, baby.” Jon’s voice was grave, and Ricco craned his head to see his face. Jon held h
is gaze, unsmiling. “If she breaks up with you, tough shit. Frankly, you deserve it. It’ll hurt, but you’ll get over it. But from what you’re saying, if you don’t tell her now then you’re nothing but a little shit. You’ll keep cheating, and you know it. And you’ll destroy this anyway, cuz you won’t let yourself be happy. It’ll eat you alive.”

  “Should I call her right now?”

  “Oh, baby, you never done this before, huh?” Jon sounded exasperated, but his hands still stroked Ricco’s hair.

  “I never told none of them, no.” Ricco swallowed before he could go on. “I’d just pick fights until they broke up with me.”

  “Real mature.” Jon sighed. “No one likes the bad news phone call, baby. She needs to see your face, man, see you’re real sorry.”

  “I am real sorry.”

  “Yeah, but she don’t know that,” Jon explained with the patience of a saint. “So you need all the weapons at the ready. Tears, quivery lip, that sorta thing. Meet her as soon as you’re back in the city.”

  Ricco wasn’t convinced. “What do I say, tho?”

  “Doesn’t matter, I promise,” Jon said. “Just make sure you’re really fucking sorry.”

  “I am!” Ricco said with as much emphasis as he could.

  Jon tugged on his hair, grinning. “Good. Might just work, then.”

  “Hey doc. Sorry I’m calling so late.” Ricco bit his lip nervously.

  Lea sounded puzzled but awake. "Hey darling. No worries, I'm working."

  “I thought you might be.” He let out a breath.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, worried.

  Ricco said quickly, “Yeah, I‘m fine.”

  “Good.” She exhaled loudly. “Why’re you still up, though? It’s one am there too. You’ll be exhausted tomorrow.”

  “I’m about to turn in.”

  “You better,” she said, stern now. “Long day?”

  “Yeah. Was fun tho.” He hesitated. He had to get this nailed down now. “Listen, are you free Monday night?”

  “I am,” she said. “I’ve got Monday and Tuesday off. Shall I come over?”

  “If it’s not a pain in the ass.” Was he still hoping for a way out of this confession?

  She said impatiently, “Course it’s not, why would it be? I’d love to come over, I haven’t seen you since last weekend.” She paused, then asked again, “Ricco, be honest. Is everything okay?”

  He had to bite back the confession that suddenly wanted to bubble up. With difficulty he said, “Yeah, sure. We can have a nice night in. And I’m free Tuesday too.”

  “Great, it’s a deal.” She sounded so happy. “It’s a date. Shall I feed the cats Monday evening?”

  He pushed all guilt aside. “That’d be great, thanks.”

  “No problem. What time will you be home?”

  “Around seven,” he said. “If all goes as planned.”

  “Great!” Her smile was audible. “See you then. Miss you!”

  “Me too.” It was true, but it gave him a guilty pang anyway. “Bye, doc.”

  10

  At four pm on Monday, Lea let herself into the penthouse. She’d come early to feed the cats and make sure that nothing was missing from the cupboards. She wanted their evening, and the next day, to be perfect, and ideally, they wouldn’t have to leave the house.

  And for the evening to be perfect they would have to have a perfect dinner, too.

  For a few days now Lea had been experiencing cravings. Nothing outlandish, but the last two days she hadn’t been able to get a particular seeded bread out of her head. Back in London, she used to make it herself. She’d scoured several European delis for the right flour and seeds, and tonight she planned to make the bread to have with their dinner.

  Lea was unhappy with how Ricco and she had left things after LA. There hadn’t been much time to talk before he had been off to Montreal. A few days apart had confirmed that she cared for him and missed him. Sure, he’d been an ass in LA, but if, like she thought he would tonight, tell her what had made him distant and angry, they could work it out. And she had to tell him about the pregnancy. Whatever happened tonight, she’d tell him. No excuses this time.

  Lea fed the cats first. They seemed happy to see her, but then she was bribing them with food, so who knew. Then she lined up all the ingredients she would need for the bread. She was just about to turn on the oven to pre-heat when there was a knock on the door.

  She straightened up. Who would be knocking upstairs who hadn’t rung the doorbell downstairs? Maybe it was a neighbor? Carmine, perhaps? She felt guilty for not even considering to knock on his door when she’d arrived to say hello.

  Lea went downstairs, past Carl lurking on the bottom step. She shooed him up the stairs so he wouldn’t escape, then opened the door a crack. “Err, hi, can I help?”

  The woman outside the door was blonde, skinny, and pretty. She clutched a box and seemed vaguely familiar. When her eyes alighted on Lea they went from friendly to cold. “Oh… isn’t Ricco home?” She had an accent that Lea couldn’t immediately place.

  Lea didn’t care for the way the woman was looking her up and down, eyes lingering on her old, washed-out top with a barely suppressed smirk. With a jolt she noticed that the woman wore the same Love necklace as her. That fact gave Lea an uneasy prickling in the pit of her stomach. Reflexively, her hand went to her neck. An eager intern at work had fixed the clasp for her the other day.

  The woman noticed Lea’s hand moving and her smirk turned into a frown. Hoping to end this quickly Lea cleared her throat. “How did you get up here?”

  “A neighbor let me in, she recognized me.” That clearly made her happy. She noticed Lea’s confusion and drew herself up. “I’m Anna Becker, I was in a movie with Ricco last year.”

  Anna Becker, the German actress who had been linked to Ricco in those gossip rags Lea had scoured.

  “I brought some things for Ricco.” Anna lifted the box. “Can I come in?”

  Without thinking, Lea stepped aside, and immediately wished she hadn’t. With a toss of her hair, Anna walked past her.

  “Ricco’s not here,” Lea said in a last-ditch attempt to head her off. “He won’t be home until late tonight.”

  Without a word, Anna made straight for the stairs. Lea hurried after her, the bad feeling in her gut intensifying. Upstairs, Anna put the box on the dining table and gave Lea an expectant look.

  What does she want? Am I supposed to offer her a drink? And then what? Gossip about Ricco?

  With an effort, Lea suppressed her irritation. “I, uh… I’ll tell him you came by?”

  Ignoring her, Anna turned and looked at the photos on the wall. “These are good,” she said. “Are you up there somewhere?”

  “No.” Lea clenched her fists.

  “Do you know what that necklace costs?” Anna asked, changing the subject without sounding very interested in an answer.

  Lea squared her shoulders. She wouldn’t let that woman intimidate her. This was Ricco’s house, and Lea was here at his invitation, unlike that skinny sourpuss. “As it happens, I do.”

  “You know,” Anna drawled. “I always wondered why Ricco wasn’t interested in starting an affair with me.” She looked Lea up and down again then turned back to the photographs on the wall.

  She touched one of the portraits of Ciaran as a toddler. Lea squared her jaw. If Anna noticed her hostility, she didn’t let on as she continued, “Now I know. He’s obviously into plain and dumpy at the moment.”

  Lea held her breath. She couldn’t believe this famous, elegant woman could be this nasty to a perfect stranger. Ricco could have no idea what his co-star was really like. But Lea was no shrinking violet. “Leave. Now.”

  “Don’t worry, I am.” Anna took her time, strolling back toward the stairs. “I won’t be seeing you again. This will never last.” Momentarily, Lea was too stunned to move. Then she hurried after Anna. She wanted to make sure this woman was well and truly gone from the apartment.


  Halfway down the stairs, Lea’s foot collided with something soft. Carl hissed, then yowled. Lea scooted aside, trying to avoid the cat.

  Somehow, she managed, but she also missed a step. She was falling, groping for the handrail and knowing she'd never reach it. She tried to get her hands under herself. Headfirst, she crashed down the stairs and landed, sprawling, at Anna's feet.

  Pain seared through her hip. Her ribs screamed when she drew a breath. Her elbow had grazed the wall hard and was throbbing. Numb with pain and shock Lea just lay there, too dazed to move.

  There came a derisive laugh from somewhere above her. “Clumsy to boot. My, what a catch!”

  Tears of pain obscured Lea’s vision. The bright color of Anna’s coat whipped from sight, her heels clicking on the marble hall floor. The door stood open. Lea still couldn’t move, the pain in her hip, her ribs, her side throbbing with every heartbeat.

  A purring noise near her head. She craned her neck to see where it was coming from. Carl moved into view, belly to the floor, making for the door.

  “No…”

  Shit! Talking hurts.

  The cats escaping was the last thing she needed. Biting down on her lower lip Lea sat up, then, using mostly her right arm, pushed herself across the hallway floor until she was close enough to grab the door. She pulled herself to her feet. Carl’s whiskers twitched as he sampled the cool air in the hall.

  “Nonono, sweetheart,” Lea gasped. She leaned down to grab the cat. A sharp pain shot through her side and she gave a yell. Carl froze and Lea managed to push the door shut.

  Hand pressed into her ribs Lea leaned against the door, panting. The pain radiated into her belly. Tears ran down her face.

  This was bad.

  But maybe, if she lay down for a while, things would be okay. Yes, take some Advil, lie on the bed for a few minutes and she’d be just fine.

  Lea limped toward the bedroom on unsteady legs, Carl at her heels.

  11