She never played on Sundays. Sundays were for cleaning, working on songs, and getting ready for the week ahead. But the way he’d said it was so tempting, she couldn’t help but lean forward and press her lips to his. The kiss was deep and fast, her hands coming to both sides of his head before she abruptly stopped and pulled away, blushing. “I’m sorry. I…forgot myself.”
“I see.” He stood in silence for a minute, just looking at her, until she heard the bus pulling up, and then he winked. “So…I’ll call you?”
She finally smiled, overcoming her shyness long enough to drop another quick kiss on his lips. “Yes. That would be great.” Then she got on the bus and rode off, leaving Chris behind.
…
Someone was in the kitchen when Minh crept in. She knew Gali had a couple of clients at this time on Saturday mornings, which meant that it had to be Daria. For a moment, she panicked, wondering what she would say if Daria asked her where she’d been last night.
With your brother was not exactly something she felt comfortable sharing.
But all thoughts of discomfort fled when Daria came out of the kitchen, still wearing her pajamas and puffy-eyed as though she’d been crying.
“Daria?”
“Minh. Hey.” Daria’s voice broke on the last word.
“Oh my God, Daria. Are you okay?” Minh came forward and put her hands on Daria’s shoulders.
“I—no. I mean, I will be.” A tear slipped down Daria’s cheek. “Mark texted me last night.”
“The asshole who cheated on you and left you homeless?”
She nodded. “That’s the one.”
“What did he say?”
“He wants me back.”
“What? What did you say?”
Daria shook her head. “I didn’t reply. I tried but—” she sucked in a breath and shook her head.
“Hey. C’mere.” Minh opened her arms and pulled Daria close.
“I really loved Mark. A part of me still does.” Daria sobbed into Minh’s shoulder.
“I’m so sorry. I can’t believe he did that to you. And then he texted about wanting to get back together?”
Daria lifted her head and snorted. “Yeah. What a dick move. I guess the hotter, better thing didn’t work out, and he decided to settle for me again.”
Minh frowned. “You’re not anyone’s version of settling. You’re beautiful and brilliant.”
Daria gave a wry laugh. “Well, thanks. But I don’t feel like it right now.” She sighed. “Maybe this is just the Reichert lot in life, to date jerks who cheat.”
Minh frowned. The Reichert lot in life? That didn’t sound promising.
“I don’t know who’s worse,” Daria continued. “Mark, or Kendra. That’s Chris’s ex. He was with her for two years when he was still working at Gilroy. When he started getting frustrated with his job and seeing all the things he could do better, he told her some of his ideas and she took them to another studio owner, who stole them.”
“Oh my God. That’s awful.”
Poor guy. To care for someone who then betrayed him…
Was that why he was the way he was? Was not caring a form of protection after being hurt by his former girlfriend? His words from earlier in the week popped into her mind. I’m not a pushover, just waiting for someone to come along and hurt…
Me. She was sure that’s how he would have finished that sentence, back on Monday when he’d called to offer her the job. The way he dressed, the risks he took, his brash, seemingly uncaring manner…
It was protection. She was sure of it.
Daria walked to the recliner and plopped down. “Yeah, apparently she was using Chris to give information to this other guy. I don’t think that was her plan all along. But when something better came along, she went for it. At his expense. She was a couple of years older and really pretty, and I think that for Chris it felt like some kind of validation. He was kind of a geek in high school, and Kendra was his first long-term relationship. I think that he held on to her for longer than he should have because of that.”
“That’s…despicable.” Minh was outraged on his behalf.
Daria shrugged. “Yeah. But in a way, it lit a fire under him that he didn’t really have before. I mean, he was always smart and had great ideas, but when Kendra messed him around, he quit his job and started Phantom.”
“Like, he had to prove something,” Minh offered.
“Yeah.” Daria nodded. “That’s exactly it. But now he’s really skittish. He refuses to get serious about girls, and he doesn’t care at all about doing what other people think he should do, or want him to do. It’s like Kendra took it all out of him.”
Daria sighed, the sound so deflated that it nearly hurt Minh to hear it.
They stayed like that, silent, for a while longer. Daria lifted her head and looked up at Minh. “Speaking of Chris, why do you smell like his cologne?”
Damn. So much for avoiding awkwardness.
…
“Dude, I’m beat.” Vinnie groaned the words out as he collapsed into one of the chairs.