that, let’s go back to your friend. What happened?”
I sigh and bring him the glass, clinking the edge of mine against his.
“It’s a long story.”
“I have all night.”
“I’m pretty sure you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all night,” I point out.
“I came here to be with you,” he says. “The how and the why? It doesn’t matter. Come here.” He takes my hand and leads me to the couch, sitting me down with him next to me. “Helen, right?”
I take a big sip of my wine and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Yes. Helen.”
“And Helen, she’s the one still friends with your ex-husband?”
I’m surprised Alejo remembers that. I must have mentioned her a long time ago.
“Yes. I mean, her husband is best friends with Stewart. I actually met Helen through my ex-husband. So, she has claim to him.”
“Claim to him? I don’t follow.”
“Meaning, it’s not exactly fair of me to make a fuss over the fact that she’s friends with him if she was friends with him first.”
“Right, but was she really friends with him, or was her husband?”
“Her husband was.”
“And does she know all the shit that cabrón put you through?”
I nod. “She does.”
“And she’s still staying friends with him why? I mean, maybe I don’t understand the dynamics of female friendships since it seems rather complicated. But if you were to ask my opinion, I would say this Helen is not your real friend.”
I let out a long, noisy breath through my nose, feeling a pang in my chest. “I know. And I know I should say something to her, but I’m just…I don’t like confrontation and she’s so strong-willed and sharp-tongued that I don’t stand a chance. She has to be the alpha in every room she’s in.”
“Okay. She’s those things and she’s also not your friend. If she were your friend, she would not stay friends with him. She may have to see him and tolerate him, but it sounds like it’s more than that, no? Or you wouldn’t be upset by it. I think she can’t be trusted.”
“Maybe it’s more like…I’ve been closed off with her and she’s very demanding. High maintenance. Envious, even. Sometimes I think she’s trying to be friends with Stewart to somehow make me jealous of her. It sounds so absurd.”
“But you think those things so they can’t be absurd.”
“Oh, believe me, I have some pretty crazy thoughts.”
“Actually, Thalia, you are extremely level-headed. Annoyingly so.”
I smack him again. “It’s called maturity.”
He laughs. “Is it? No, it’s not quite that. It’s just you like to really analyze things before you do them. You think deeply and keep your feelings close to your chest. You’re the opposite of me. But perhaps I make you a little loose and you make me a little grounded, and it all works out.”
I give him a soft smile. “Yeah.”
“So, what are you going to do about her? Have you said anything to her? Did something happen that made things worse?”
I give him a furtive glance. “She found out about us.”
He winces. “Ouch. I take it that did not go well.”
I shake my head, reliving the disappointed look in her eyes when she saw our text messages. “No, it didn’t. She doesn’t understand.”
“That’s her problem then.” He pauses. “Did it feel good to tell someone, though?”
“Yeah, it did. Even if I didn’t like what she had to say.”
“And so now what? You had a falling out?”
“I really don’t know what it was. But I think it was the beginning of the end. In some ways I think she does really care about me and worries about me, but in other ways…maybe she just uses me to feel better about herself. Because she’s still married and has her life together and I’m just kind of…”
“Finding out who you really are and what you really want,” he fills in. “That’s what you’re doing, and you should be proud of it. Not everyone in life gets that chance. Most people die without knowing the person they are inside.” He leans over and cups my face with his hand, gazing into my eyes. “I know the person you are, even if you don’t. And I think she’s amazing.”
My throat grows hot and tears burn at the backs of my eyes.
“Thank you,” I whisper before he leans in to kiss me.
Thank you for knowing me. Thank you for still being here.
“Now,” he says as he pulls away, kissing me briefly on the forehead. He sits back and