friend to be okay with this, but instead, Julia’s jaw tightens.
“You got married without me,” she states.
“It wasn’t like that.”
Julia stands from her chair. “Yes. It clearly was.”
“Where are you going?” Viviana stands too, but unlike her friend who stands tall with strength, Viviana’s shoulders slump forward. This is a much different version of the girl I saw go head-to-head with her father.
Her friend crosses her arms at her chest. “I need air. I need to think.”
“Please let me explain. We needed to keep it quiet.” Viviana steps closer to her and lifts her hand, but Julia shakes her head.
“Still, I’m not just anyone,” Julia says, and for some unexplainable reason, I feel the need to defend her.
“I don’t know you, Julia, but I know that my wife cares deeply for you. You can’t blame her for this. This was done for her protection, as well as yours. I insisted that she marry me.”
“That’s well and good, but I still can’t deal with this now.”
“Please,” Viviana pleads again, but she’s still not deterred.
“Not now. You are supposed to be family. You are my only family besides my brother, and I wasn’t there with you. Listen, I’ll get over this. But right now, I need to be alone.”
“I understand,” Viviana whispers.
Without another word, she turns back to the door and leaves.
We are both quiet.
From where I’m sitting, I have my head cocked to look at her. Her head is down, facing the floor. She’s staring deeply at it. It’s as though there is something interesting there.
Of course, there isn’t. She is just lost in a train of thought.
Standing, I walk in front of her. Blocking her gaze with my body, I grab her by her hand.
“What are you doing?”
“We’re leaving.”
She shakes her head. “Don’t we have to pay?”
“No,” I tell her.
“Okay . . . Can we just go home?”
“No.”
Two thoughts pop into my head.
The first is, I don’t like seeing her like this. That thought gives me pause. She’s nothing to me other than a means to an end, so why do I care?
The second is, justifying why I care. It doesn’t feel genuine, and that thought bothers me.
I can use this to build trust.
For some reason, that idea feels wrong. But I refuse to let that stop me. Instead, I push forward with the plan.
Use her weakness to my advantage.
“Where are we going? I don’t want to ice-skate.”
Good. Thank fucking God because as much as I want to lure her in, ice-skating is not something I want to do.
If this hadn’t happened, I was already trying to formulate a plan on how to get out of it. This way, she thinks she decided.
Which works better for me.
I lead her outside, and then we start walking uptown.
This time, the walk is longer, and the air is getting colder. She pulls her jacket tighter against her chest.
“Do you want to grab a cab?”
“Nah. I’m good. A bit cold but not too bad.”
I shrug off my own coat and place it over her shoulders. She’s so tiny, it’s swimming on her.
Viviana stops walking.
She turns her body, pivoting until she is facing me. Her eyes are wide. She resembles a little girl trying on her father's clothes. That's how small she is. I don’t think I ever realized the size difference.
“How tall are you?” I ask, and she looks at me like I’m crazy. My question takes her completely off guard.
“Five foot two. Give or take. Why?” The moment she answers, I realize how dumb the question was. I knew the answer. I was just so preoccupied by her that I forgot all about her file.
“Because my coat is huge on you.”
“Well, it’s not my fault you’re like a giant.” She rolls her eyes at me, and I laugh.
“No. I’m definitely not a giant.”
“Then how tall are you?” Her perfect brow arches.
“Me. I’m six foot two inches.”
“That’s still a foot taller than I am. You didn’t have to give me your coat, by the way. I would have been okay.”
“You were cold, and that’s what a gentleman does.” At my words, she sucks in her cheeks as though she is mocking me.
“And you”—she pauses—“consider yourself a gentleman?”
“What else would you consider me?”
“Not that.” Her eyes look up and to the right as if she is trying to figure out the perfect insult to fling at me. “Maybe the word asshole would better fit.” She grins at her words, clearly proud of herself.
“You are so funny.” At that, she giggles. The sound is refreshing after