“We good?”
“You still owe me six dollars.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
I stalk out of the café and get in the car. The drive to the motel is a short one like everything else in this town. When I arrive, Sophia is dragging one of her suitcases out the door. She stops giving me a withering look, then proceeds to go back inside, I’m assuming to get her other one. Taking in a deep breath, I let it out slowly then get out of the car. She meets me in the doorway, her other bag in her hand.
“What are you doing?” I ask with resignation in my voice.
“Leaving.”
Sophia places one hand on her hip and kicks it out, looking extremely angry. Reaching up to touch her, Sophia blanches and takes a step back, indignation on her features.
“Don’t you dare.”
“Why are you leaving?”
“You announced to the world that you aren’t in love with me!” screeches my charming girlfriend.
I turn, walk outside, grab her bag, bring it back into the room and slam the door.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Smiling at her, I sit on the chair near the door, elbows on my knees. “Did you or did you not have your people leak that we’re getting married?”
“What?” Sophia is trying to look confident, but there’s a tremor to her voice.
Leaning back, I steeple my fingers and cock an eyebrow.
“I did it for us,” Sophia roars.
Laughing, I shake my head, and in this small motel room, it seems to echo around us. Sophia flops on the bed, staring at me as though she’s only seeing me for the first time.
“You did it for you.” I sigh and sit forward. “And I get it, I do, but this is something you should have run past my people and me. I like you, Sophia, what we have is—” And I stop. I want to say good, but it’s not.
“I think the word you’re looking for is great. Fantastic. Fabulous.” Sophia’s pretty face is twisted in anger.
“The sex is good.”
“Fuck you, Kris.” A tear rolls down her cheek, and she brushes it away.
“We’ve only been seeing each other for three months. No, I don’t love you. But in time—”
Sophia cackles like a witch and shakes her head. “We both know you’ll never love me. I don’t know if you can love anyone.”
I move to sit on the bed next to her and take her hand. “How about we get through this week, and you can announce to the world what a horrible bastard I am and dump me. You can say whatever you want, within reason, and I won’t deny or confirm a thing.”
“You’d do that?” Her mouth turns up on one side, a smile in the making.
“If you’ll stay.”
“Done.”
If nothing else, Sophia is a survivor.
“I’ll get the room next door, it connects to this one. No one will know.”
Sophia shakes her head. “Someone will know.”
“I know the owner, no one will know.”
Sophia nods, stands, and puts her suitcase on the bed. “I’ll unpack while you do that.”
I’ve always known Sophia was using me as a stepping-stone, but I had no idea she could be this cold. Standing, I make my way out of the room and head for the manager’s office. Hopefully, he’ll be willing to keep his mouth shut, so the whole world doesn’t discover this secret.
***
It’s amazing how well I slept, not sharing a bed with Sophia. For the past two months, I’ve survived on three or four hours of sleep, but last night, I got eight good hours, which tells me I need her out of my life. Sophia is a professional, so working with her on Powerful shouldn’t be a problem. It’s four thirty in the morning, and I’m dressed with my new gloves on heading to the docks. It’s only a short walk from the motel, so I decide to leave Sophia with the car.
Opening the door to the motel, the cool morning air mixed with the smell of the sea hits me, and I realize how much I’ve missed it. After our little discussion yesterday, I decided I needed to leave Sophia alone, so I went out and purchased a pair of overalls and a black t-shirt. Somehow, Armani on the docks doesn’t seem appropriate. Not that anyone down there would know a brand name if it hit them in the face, and they don’t need to. These are honest, hardworking folk who do a hard day’s work seven days a week if need be.
My father is already