AuGUStus! nods, noticing that we’re eating the breakfast that was probably for him. “Did your friend meet Julia?”
I assume Julia is the maid, but I’m focused on the fact that he called me Levi’s friend.
“Dad,” Levi says again, this time as a warning.
“Sorry, sorry,” he says, waving his hand like we’re flies and he’s annoyed. “Your girlfriend. I have a massive hangover.”
“Dad, she’s sitting right here.”
“Hi,” Mr. Orville says to me, like he’s four years old, like he has no manners or training in social awareness.
“Hi, Au—” I swallow the unfinished word and my laugh. (Oops.) “Mr. Orville.”
“Did you sleep well?” He pours himself a glass of orange juice and slips a cinnamon roll onto a plate. “I trust Levi gave you a tour?”
“We haven’t gotten to that yet,” Levi answers for me.
“You should have done it at sunrise,” his dad continues. “Best time of day.”
Levi’s expression burns; he’s not even trying to hide it anymore. “You think we were actually going to be up at sunrise after the night we had?”
I’m frustrated because I can’t quite put my finger on how to help him. He looks so irritated, like he’s lost his will to persevere. I remember what he said about his dad before we started dating: “He’s not the monster under my bed.” And I wonder if that’s true. I wonder what Levi would say right now if I asked him about it. Maybe he isn’t afraid, but everything I’ve seen so far has brought me to one conclusion: Augustus Orville is a monster.
Mr. Orville looks at his son closely before shrugging. “Why’d you take the Maserati?” he asks. I can’t tell if he’s put off or genuinely curious.
Levi’s eyes widen in disbelief. “If you have a problem with me using your gas and miles to go pick you up an hour away, then you’re going to have a problem for a long, long time.”
“Seriously, kid? I’m messing with you.”
Levi’s jaw tightens. “Whatever.”
“Whatever?” Mr. Orville smirks. (It’s the nastier version of Levi’s.) “Okay.”
As if to give himself something to do, just for the sake of distraction, Levi puts our empty plates into the sink. Then he asks, “How’s Patricia?”
“Penelope.” His father looks down into his empty glass. “It’s not that hard to remember, Levi.”
Levi doesn’t answer.
“And she’s good,” Mr. Orville finishes.
“Where is she?” Now Levi’s just asking for a fight—it’s in his eyes when he looks at me. I also see his apology, and I squeeze his hand sympathetically.
“She left early. She had to pick up her husband at the airport.”
And just like that…everything in the room goes still as death.
“Hey, Dad?” Levi’s livid, barely under control. “Can I speak to you in another room?”
Mr. Orville says nothing as he turns and walks out. Levi follows without even looking at me. I know I’m not supposed to butt into their private discussion, but I can’t help it: I wait for them to close the door before I stand just outside, ear pressed to the wood. (Remember what I said about sometimes not feeling bad about eavesdropping? Well, this is one of those times.) “This has to stop.” Levi’s tone is muffled, but I can hear each word.
“I’m a grown man. I don’t need my own son to tell me what to do like I’m a child.”
“I’m not telling you what to do.” Levi says it like he’s trying to keep his voice level. “I’m asking you to respect some boundaries—boundaries that are important to me.”
“I didn’t know you had any,” Mr. Orville snorts.
“Well, since the basic boundaries for any human being are unclear to you, I’m putting some up right now. Call my girlfriend by her name. It’s Bee, okay? Think about me calling your girlfriend Patricia—I know her name is Penelope. It’s a million times worse when you refuse to acknowledge Bee, who actually means something to me.”
“Oh, Penelope means something to me.”
“You’re sick.” Levi’s starting to lose it, and he’s not the only one. My fingers itch with anger; I want to do some damage.
“You think Bee means something to you? You’re nineteen. You’ve got a lot of life left to live, a lot of people to meet, and you think you’ve struck gold.”
“Oh, I definitely have. Bee’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“You think that girl is going to make you happy? Keep you happy? I thought that about a girl named Suzie once, and she did nothing for me.”
“That’s exactly the problem!” Levi says, a little too loudly. (I’m cringing so hard that my face hurts; I’ve never heard Levi yell before.) “It was all about you. It was never about me, or Mom, or our lives together. It was about you and your money and your girlfriends and wanting a bigger house and nicer cars and wealthier friends.”
“Shut up, Levi.”
(Oh, I’m definitely going to kill him.) “I’m in love with Bee,” Levi says, and suddenly the breath in my lungs whooshes out. “I love that girl so much, I don’t think she even knows how much yet. I’m just figuring it out and I’m glad I have a lifetime ahead of me to discover it.”
I’m in love with Bee. It takes me completely by surprise. I know we love each other like friends do—best friends, inseparable. But in love is different. In love is big and loud and new and it makes my knees wobble and my hands shake.
He continues. “I don’t want you around her if you’re going to act like an asshole about…everything. It’s one thing when it’s just me; I can ignore it. But I’m drawing a line when it comes to Bee, and I don’t want you to cross it.”
His dad is quiet for a moment. “I can’t believe you—so na?ve. I definitely didn’t raise you.”
Now it’s Levi’s turn to be quiet. “Maybe I am,” he finally says. “Na?ve. I’d rather be simple and be like Mom than have no heart and be like you. Excuse me.”
I hear his footsteps headed toward me. I scramble backward, but I’m too slow, and he sees me standing there like a lone animal on a highway. He sighs.
“I’m sorry,” we say at once.
“What did you hear?” he asks, clearing his throat.
“Everything,” I blurt. (I may be an eavesdropper, but at least I’m not a liar.) “Okay.” He rocks back on his heels and stuffs his hands in his pockets. “Then I should probably explain some things.”
“No, there’s no need.”
He glances at me.
“Unless you want to tell me just how much you love me.” I attempt to smile, but oh, my face hurts as much as my heart does.
“A lot.” He says it like he’s reciting his favorite lyrics, with care and emotion, like he can’t quite explain how they truly make him feel. (I’m crumbling.) “More than I expected or imagined.” (I’m breathless.) “You’ve surprised me in every possible way.”
I don’t touch him. I want to, but I don’t.
“We’ve wasted a lot of time here,” Levi says, and holds out his hand for me to take. “Come on. Let’s go see your dad.”
Chapter 34