of course."
I frown, "Where do you get your asinine ideas from?"
"The same place you come up with your brainwaves of sharing a cabin with a woman you’ve met only once before." He chuckles.
"About that," I crack my neck, "it’s over."
"Oh, yeah?" Damian tilts his head, "Hold on, I'm adding Arpad to the call."
"Don't..." I begin to protest, when Arpad's face appears in a window. "Man, and I thought I was bad at relationships, this has to be a record, even for you," he snickers.
"Fuck off," I growl.
"So, you think it’s over, but it’s not really over?" Damian pipes in.
"I am not going to explain myself."
"What are friends for, if you can’t use our shoulders to cry on… Or not." Arpad’s screen shakes and droplets of water splash the surface.
"Where the fuck are you?"
"On my yacht, enjoying everything life has to offer, unlike you."
"Why the fuck do I take your calls?" I grumble.
"Because you have something on your mind, and need to vent, like a girl?" Damian laughs.
"Because you are heart-broken?" Arpad snickers.
"Okay, bye," I hold my finger over the screen.
"Ooh, someone’s antsy. Did we hurt your feelings? Are you upset you’re not getting married like Saint and Sinner before you?"
"You look grumpy. Not jerking off either, are you?"
I shake my head, "Fuck that, and fuck you two," and fuck the woman who put me in this situation, where I am not able to string together two words. Fucking fuck!
I hear the pattering of paws on the floor, then Max jumps up on the sofa and shoves his face in mine. "Hey," I protest, but he licks my mouth, then turns and peers into the screen.
"Hello, ol’ boy," Damian chuckles. "You keeping Uncle Weston company while he fucks up his life?"
"A woman and a dog?" Arpad chuckles, "Should I fetch your slippers and dressing gown next ol' chap?"
"Jesus, fuck." I am not sure what I’d intended to accomplish through this conversation, but it wasn’t being at the mercy of a mutt and two of my 'friends.'
"At least, I saved the Father from the burden of a virtual wedding." I grouse.
"Speaking of," Arpad drawls, "I'm adding Edward to the call."
No, fuck, no. Why do I insist on calling my 'friends,' knowing I'll be put through the wringer each time?
"Someone mention my name?" Edward’s face flickers onto the screen.
"I was just leaving," I grumble.
"You want to hear this." Edward gazes at me with those clear eyes of his which have seen so much and which have yet managed to retain a modicum of innocence. Enough for him to sleep with his thoughts at night, at least.
"How do you manage it?" I snap out.
"You mean, hold down a conversion without losing my wits?"
"That too," I grunt. "How do you always seem so upbeat and energetic?"
"Umm…Maybe because he has no worldly attachments?" Damian offers.
I stare at the Father, who jerks his chin, "I realized the only way out of the aftermath of the incident, was to be true to myself at all times," he says.
"What if the only thing that can soothe my mind is the one thing I must never have?" I mutter.
"Are we talking about someone in particular or a metaphor?"
"What do you think?" I mutter.
Silence stretches across the space. Neither of the other two assholes respond with an off-the-cuff remark. Thank fuck for that. Perhaps it had been the Father I had been waiting for. Guess that’s why I’d agreed to this call, which was supposed to be about 7A investments and FOK Media—which stood for Full of Kindness by the way—the companies that the seven of us own.
"I think you’re fighting your future," Edward’s tone is serious.
"I make my own future," I insist.
He quirks his lips, "You believe that, after everything you’ve been through?"
"It’s because of everything I’ve been through that I believe it."
Edward tilts his head, "You can’t control everything around you."
"Is that why you took the easy way out and gave up the real world for the spiritual one?"
Edward pales. Damian stiffens. Arpad’s silent disapproval communicates through the screen.
"Fucking hell." I drag my fingers through my hair. "I didn’t mean that Father," I mumble.
"You did," Edward’s voice is calm. "I’m glad you are able to speak your mind. In such matters, clear, concise communication is the only way forward."
"What do you mean?" I peer into the screen, trying to discern his features. "Tell me, Father."
"Some of that honesty you displayed earlier... That’s what you need to bring to your relationship with her."
"Eh?" I shake my head, "You’re making absolutely