I pause. “When did he say that?”
Trix inhales sharply and holds it. “I mean, obviously he wants to make you happy. He’s always wanted that.”
I study her face. She looks at me, but her sharp eyes can barely maintain eye contact with mine. “Trix, did you know about this?” I ask her.
Nora shifts on her cushion, curious for the answer.
Trix hesitates before exhaling hard. “Okay, yeah,” she says. “Fine. I knew.”
My heart clenches, hurt and betrayed.
“Wait, you knew Robbie was the secret admirer?” Nora asks.
Trix sighs. “He told me.”
“When?” I ask.
“I don’t know, like...” She pauses. “Two months ago?”
My jaw drops. “You knew about this for two months and you didn’t tell me?!”
“He made me promise not to.” She winces. “He used Omerta on me.”
“You thought it was okay to keep this from me because he used a secret mafia handshake? You’re my friend, Trix!”
“I’m his friend, too, okay? And I made him swear that he’d come clean to you someday! And he did, didn’t he?”
“Oh, well.” I shrug my shoulders. “I guess that makes it all okay.”
She scoffs. “Come on, Melanie. This isn’t that big of a deal.”
“Right...” Nora says, desperate to keep the peace. “Sure, Robbie was a little flawed in his methods, but—”
I push off the couch as a lump forms in my throat. “So, all those times I talked about the admirer, you two were just laughing behind my back?!”
“No!” Nora says. “Mel, that’s not true.”
“Has all of this just been some big joke to you guys?”
“No!”
“Yes,” Trix says, glaring at me. “I think it is a joke how you constantly throw your hands up, saying you’re done with Robbie, but you always go back to him. Always. Every single time. Doesn’t matter what he did or how much you whine about it, you crawl right on back because you know that no one else will put up with you the way he does. So, yes, actually, I do think this is a joke. Everyone does.”
Nora’s mouth sags. “Trix...”
I grab my things off the couch and walk away, too hurt to look at her anymore.
“Melanie, wait,” Nora says as she stands.
“No, it’s fine,” I say by the door. “She’s right. I’m the problem. No one wants to put up with me. Not him. Not you guys. Suddenly, leaving Chicago doesn’t feel so difficult anymore.” I look down, shaking my head as I open the door. “Bye. Sorry I interrupted your dinner.”
I walk out, ignoring Nora’s pleas as I slam the door.
Thirty-Eight
Robbie
“Hey, guys,” I say to my aquarium.
The goldfish swim around, catching food and playing with bubbles.
“Looks like fun.”
I take yet another deep breath, still trying to shake off last night. I haven’t had a night that bad since my first month sober. Both times, I held a bottle in my hand. I was ready to throw it all away. Both times, the pain of losing Melanie was still fresh and raw.
But I’m not out yet.
This, too, shall pass.
A fish pauses near the front and twitches around as if he’s looking for something.
I smile. “Yeah, I miss her, too, buddy,” I say.
My door opens. I turn to check, scoffing at Trix as she strolls inside.
“I should really lock that more often,” I muse.
She closes the door behind her and plops her back against it. “So, I fucked up,” she says.
I smile. “Did your father’s nemesis knock you up again?”
“Ha-ha,” she says, sighing. “Melanie found out about the secret admirer.”
“Yeah, I know,” I say. “She’s pissed, but don’t worry about it. She’ll come around.”
She pushes off the door. “I’m not so sure this time, Rob.”
“I am. If I know Melanie like I know Melanie, then all she needs is a few days to cool off.”
“Gonna take more than a few days…”
“Why?” I ask.
“Because...” Her shoulders drop. “I accidentally told her I knew about it.”
I pause. “You did?”
“Yeah.”
“Why did you do that? I purposefully kept your name out of the conversation.”
“I didn’t mean to!” she says, edging on panic. “It just slipped out while I was trying to defend you.”
“You defended me?”
“Yes! Of course.”
I swoon. “Aww.”
“Rob.” Trix stares harder. “This is serious.”
“Okay, so...” I abandon my fish. “What happened? What did she say?”
“She stormed out on us,” she says. “I’ve never seen her so upset before, and that includes that time you punched that priest.”
“Never gonna live it down,” I mutter to myself.
“I tried calling her all night, but she never answered. I’m going over there now, but I thought that maybe we could talk to her together. I don’t know. I just feel sick — sicker than usual lately.”
I nod, letting it sink in. One of my favorite talents is my ability to know what Melanie Rose is thinking at all times. It’s exceedingly easy to figure out when she’s only pissed off at me. Now that she’s mad at her friends, there’s no way for me to know exactly what she’s thinking right now. My gut twists with a feeling of helplessness.
Not my favorite emotion.
“All right,” I say, deciding. “You’re right. We should go apologize now.”
“If she’ll even talk to us,” she says, her voice weak.
I pause beside her. “She’ll talk,” I say as I put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“How do you know?”
“I just know.”
“But how do you know?”
I swallow the lie. I have no fucking clue.
“Let’s go,” I say.
Trix and I climb the stairs, making our way up to Melanie’s condo in silence. As we reach the third floor, we pass by two men carrying a couch. A very familiar couch.
Melanie’s couch.
I quicken my pace down the hall, my stomach twisting as I see another man walking out of her condo pushing a dolly stacked with boxes.
“Shit,” Trix says behind me.
I barge into the condo. “Melanie?”
My stomach drops. It’s almost empty. The furniture is gone. The aforementioned couch, her chairs, the TV. Her writing desk, along with her adorable stacks
