Chapter 25

Remy

Four months later, everything was still going marvelously. Julie even joined him in a quick business trip to New York, and a few weeks after that, they went down to Austin, to a music festival.

No one had any clue about their relationship, except Mark and Nina, of course, but they minded their own businesses.

“Sorry hon,” she said over the phone, her nose sounding completely stuffed up, “there’s no way I can stay at your place tonight, I feel like crap.”

“Do you want me to bring you something?”

“It’s fine, I’ve already taken some Tylenol.”

“I could bring you chicken soup if you want—”

She laughed, “No, I don’t want you to get sick. Besides, my mom is coming over tonight, I’ll be fine.”

He didn’t reply. There was a brief silence.

“It’s been four months.”

“I know.”

“I don’t know how much longer I can take it.”

“So what do we do?”

He clicked his tongue. Not being free to tell anyone made him furious.

“Let’s just wait a bit longer, then we’ll see.”

“Wait for what? Let’s just leave.”

“You know they’ll find us. Anywhere we go.”

“So we stay like this forever?”

“We wait.”

Silence again.

“Business is booming,” she said, and that meant her family’s influence in the city was growing too. That was making it more difficult for him.

Pressure had been through the roof. His father berated him because he hadn’t come up with enough information to take the enemy out. Time was against him. It was just a matter of what, a month or two before they started trouble again?

“No, babe. We tell them and we deal with it, like grown ups. I don’t care if they want to kill me. I’m tired of hiding.”

“But Remy, I—”

“Do you love me?”

Butterflies in his stomach. He blurted out the question like a fucking idiot. They hadn’t said it out right, but he couldn’t wait any longer. Was this real? Or was he manipulating her into saying the words?

“I—”

“No,” he interrupted, “I’m sorry, don’t say it. I don’t want to pressure you into doing what I want. I want us to make this decision together.”

She didn’t answer.

“Besides, I want you to tell me face to face, this is too easy for you.”

“Too easy?”

“Yeah, you have to do it right, not like this. Come on Julie, who says it over the phone?”

“You’re the one who asked!”

“Also, texting it doesn’t count so don’t even think about it.”

She laughed.

“I’d never do that and—”

“I have to stop you before you do it, honey. Remember, I heart you, that doesn’t count either.”

“Remy you’re an ass!”

“And you love me for it—”

Shit, he blurted it out again. He really didn’t mean it this time. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

She was speechless.

“Uhm… sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“Of course you didn’t you ass!”

He’d heard people say how women look beautiful when they’re angry, and he always thought how stupid that sounded. But with Julie… crap, he wasn’t even looking at her and he just wanted to hug her, to have her in his arms.

“I’m going to hang up now, okay, Mister Dumbass?”

“That’s like, the lamest insult I’ve heard.”

“I know. But you love me anyway, so chill out.”

He trembled when she said it. She got him good.

“You’ll have to enjoy the evening without me.”

“Oh, darling,” he replied in the most dramatic tone he could fake, “I wish evenings without you could be enjoyed—”

“You’re a dork,” she said with a laugh, then coughed two times.

“That sounds serious.”

“The doctor said its nothing, just a cold.”

“All right.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

“Call some friends, go to town, get drunk, you know, the usual.”

“Remy…”

“Just kidding, dear. I don’t know, it’s drizzling, so probably just call Mark and stay at home, watching the Bulls game.”

“Excellent, talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

“Sure.”

And with that, they hung up. Every hair in his body was still bristling, in the rush of the conversation, they almost said they loved each other.

“No,” he uttered out loud, opening his texting app, “it’s not happening over the phone. No fucking way.”

***

“No fucking way, man,” Mark said, “we’re going out tonight.”

“Dude, I wanna chill.”

“You pussy whipped motherfucker,” Mark said, almost offended, “I haven’t seen you for ages and now you want to stay home? It’s Friday for Christ’s sake!”

Mark had arrived about an hour earlier, they drank a beer or two, watched the game, but still, staying home was boring as hell.

“There’s this new place man, reviews say it’s awesome, it’s kind of a sixties inspired, Cuban themed bar.”

It didn’t sound like a bad idea.

“I’m not in the mood of being a wingman.”

“Come on, you know I’m not into that sort of thing anymore.”

“Really? So, it’s gotten serious between you and Nina?”

Mark averted his eyes and stepped to the door, trying to hide away his embarrassment.

“Oh shit. Mark, the ladies man, finally in love.”

“Shut the hell up, man. I just said I don’t want to pick up a girl, not that Nina and I are together or whatever.”

“You sure about that?”

“I mean—”

“You’re not together. So I can introduce her to my friend Evan.”

Mark pressed his lips harder than ever, he turned bright red, he balled his hands into a fist, but didn’t reply.

“You’re too easy, man. But don’t worry. I get you.”

“What, you’re in love, too?”

“Fuck you.”

“Remy the I-don’t-give-a-fuck-about-anyone Morgan, in love. Have you told her?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, I know. I haven’t seen you like this in like… ever. Don’t you try to—”

“Wait. You said too.”

“I said what?”

“You asked if I was in love too.”

That shut him up. He’d given himself away. Remy grinned from ear to ear. Gotcha, motherfucker.

“You wanna go to the fucking bar or not?” Mark finally said.

It was only nine thirty in the evening. He didn’t need to ask. Of course he was going.

***

The nightclub looked like taken from a scene from Godfather 2, when the Corleone’s had business in Cuba, just before the revolution.

An incredibly relaxed, happy mood. Some people even dressed the part, with cool fifties and sixties-style suits, the girls with tight red dresses, ready to kill.

Remy and Mark sat at the bar, an eight-man-band played salsa and mambo songs, with trumpets, marimbas, bongos, a trombone, and even a piano.

Mark asked for a mojito, Remy just had another beer.

“What’s up?” Mark asked over the music.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re a bit quiet, and you didn’t give me any shit for getting this.”

He raised his mojito and drank.

Remy shrugged, “that’s what you like bro, go for it.”

“Hey, you’ve grown, I like the new Remy.”

Remy laughed, “Fuck off.”

I have to bring her here. This place is awesome.

He couldn’t take her off his mind.

“Man, I have to leave.”

He put his half-full beer on the bar.

“What? Why?”

“I just remembered I have to do something—”

“Oh, come on, man! We just got here!”

“Sorry bro,” Remy said taking money out of his wallet, leaving it under the bottle of beer, “I owe you one.”

“You’re going with Julie, right?”

Remy turned back to look at him, shouldering his way to the front door. He smiled and shrugged, Mark just raised his Mojito.

“Good luck, bitch,” he said.

Remy needed to see her. Life was boring without Julie.