Chapter 4
Brian leaned in, his breath carrying the warmth of the soup and a trace of his usual aftershave.
If this were before, I probably would've melted right then and there.
But now, even through all that, I could still smell that sickly sweet perfume clinging to him, no matter how hard I tried to ignore it.
I looked into his eyes and suddenly smiled.
It wasn't a happy smile or a sad one. It was a calm, almost unsettling smile, so unfamiliar, even to myself.
"Yeah, three years," I repeated quietly.
My gaze flicked to his neck, and I asked, pointedly, "Why is it so red here? Allergic reaction?"
He instinctively reached up to touch his neck, and when his fingers brushed the mark, his eyes flickered for just a second, but he quickly pulled himself together, looking a little annoyed and embarrassed.
"Ugh, don't even get me started. Some bug bit me at the office this afternoon, and it was so itchy I kept scratching it. Must've broken the skin. Can you believe there are still bugs around in winter?" he said.
Seriously, he got all the bases covered. Coworker borrowed the car, bug bite on the neck. Flawless.
I nodded, didn't ask anything else, and picked up my spoon again. "The soup's getting cold."
He seemed to let out a breath, his voice turning even softer. "Go ahead, eat up. Tomorrow's New Year's Eve. Let's really enjoy it.
"Oh, and my mom called earlier, said she misses you and wants to know when we're coming over to visit."
"Yeah," I replied, but inside, that frozen wasteland kept spreading, getting thicker and colder.
The soup was warm, but it didn't warm me up inside.
After dinner, he volunteered to do the dishes, humming a tune, looking pretty cheerful.
I sat down on the couch, pulled out my phone, and tapped on that extra pink app icon.
No password needed; it was already logged in.
The profile pic was a selfie, chin tilted up, makeup on point, and her eyes had that flirty, come-hither look.
Username: Chloe. Her latest post was just half an hour ago: a shot of the city lights outside the car window, captioned: [Thanks for the VIP ride, and trust me, it's not just the seat that feels cozy.]
The location tag showed she was at a fancy mall right near our place.
I tapped into her photo album and scrolled down. There weren't many, but every single one was a showstopper.
There were mirror selfies at the gym, showing off her curves; perfectly staged shots at fancy restaurants; and a close-up of a delicate hand resting on the steering wheel, and I instantly recognized the logo.
That was Brian's car, no doubt about it.
And then there was a photo of two hands, fingers laced together on the center console. One was strong, knuckles sharp and familiar.
That was Brian's hand, and there was no mistaking that watch he always wore.
The other hand was slender, nails painted that same rose-red. In the corner of the photo, you could barely make out a blurry reflection in the passenger window, a woman's silhouette.
The posts were spread out over the past two months. Not a lot, but every single one was subtly flaunting something, like she was dropping hints for someone to see.
I closed the app and deleted it.
Then I grabbed my phone and shot a quick text to someone I hadn't hit up in forever: [Need you to look into Chloe Hart, female, about 24-26, probably local. As fast and detailed as you can. Same deal as always.]
They fired back almost right away: [Got it. Rush job, extra charge.]
I said: [Sure.]
I put my phone down just as Brian came out of the kitchen, drying his hands. "Who are you texting?"
"Just a coworker, needed some project stats," I said, keeping my face totally chill.
"Still working even during the holidays?" he said, settling in next to me and reaching out like he always did, trying to drape his arm over my shoulders.
I got up. "I'm pretty tired; gonna take a shower."
He paused, his arm left hanging in the air, then managed a smile. "Alright, go ahead. I'll just see what's on the holiday show tonight."