Imperial Bedrooms - By Bret Easton Ellis Page 0,50

it," he says and suddenly he's a different person. "You've done this so many times before, Clay. I mean, come on, dude, it's a joke. Yeah, you tell people shit, but have you ever really gotten anybody anything?" he asks sincerely. "I mean, you promise shit and maybe you get them closer but, dude, you're lying all the time - "

"Julian, come on, don't - "

"And what I found out is that you really won't do anything for anybody," he says. "Except for yourself." The gentle way he says this forces me to finally turn away. "This, like, delusional fantasy you have of yourself is ... " He pauses. "Come on, dude, it's a joke." He pauses again. "It's kind of embarrassing."

I force myself to grin in order to lighten the moment and not scare him away.

"Why are you smiling?" he asks.

"It must be a pretty good act," I say. "This ... fantasy I have of myself."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you bought into it," I say.

"I never thought you'd actually fall for her."

"Why did you think that?"

"Because Blair told me how cold you could be."

Can you drive?" Julian asks as the elevator heads down to the garage. "Or do you want me to?"

"No, I can drive," I say. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Julian says. "Let's just get this over with."

"Let him have her," I whisper.

"We're leaving tonight," he says.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not telling you."

Driving along Sunset I keep checking the rearview mirror and Julian sits in the passenger seat texting someone, probably Rain, and I keep turning on the radio and then turning it off but he doesn't notice, and then we're crossing Highland and the Eurythmics song fades into a voice from the radio talking about the aftershocks from an earthquake earlier, something that I slept through, and I have to roll down all the windows and pull the car over three times in order to steady myself because I keep hearing sirens all around us and my eyes are fixed on the rearview mirror because two black Escalades are following us and the last time I pull over, in front of the Cinerama Dome, Julian finally asks, "What's wrong? Why do you keep stopping?" and where Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood intersect I smile at him coolly as if this is all going to be okay, because in the condo I felt like I was sinking into a rage but now, turning onto Hillhurst, I'm feeling better.

Outside a building past Franklin that's surrounded by eucalyptus trees Julian gets out of the BMW, and starts walking toward the entrance just as I receive a text that says don't get out of the car, and when Julian realizes I'm still sitting in the driver's seat he turns around and our eyes lock. A black Escalade pulls up behind the BMW and flashes its headlights over us. Julian leans into the opened passenger window.

"Aren't you coming in?" Julian asks, and then he's squinting at the headlights through the back windshield before they go dark and then he looks at me and I'm just staring blankly at him.

Behind Julian three young Mexican guys are climbing out of the car into the circle of light from a lamppost.

Julian notices them, only mildly annoyed, and then turns back to me.

"Clay?"

"Go fuck yourself."

The moment I say this Julian grabs the door I've already locked and for one moment he leans far enough into the car so that he's close enough to touch my face, but the men pull him back and then he disappears so quickly it's as if he was never here at all.

On Fountain my phone rings and I pull over somewhere after passing Highland. When I answer the phone I notice that my seat is soaked with urine and it's a call from a blocked number, but I know who it is.

"Did anybody see you bring him here?" Rip asks.

"Rip - "

"No one saw you, right?" Rip asks. "No one saw you bring him here, right?"

"Where am I, Rip?"

The silence is a grin. The silence seals something.

"Good. You can go now."

Rain falls into my arms screaming.

"You drove him there," she screams. "You drove him there?"

I push her against a wall and kick the door closed with my foot.

"Why do you hate me so much?" she screams.

"Rain, sshhh, it's okay - "

"What are you doing?" she screams before I muffle her face with my hand.

And then I push her to the floor and pull off her