The Truths Behind the Life of Maeve Sun Lively

86

YOU WANT TO HEAR MY thoughts on it?" Mason poured himself a glass of water, sighing and loosening his tie with one hand around his neck as he sat down. "I think she should just tell him. When I called her to the party so you two can talk it out, I didn't know that much about the details. But now? Yeah, she should tell him. If she keeps doing this, just saying, it won't end well."

I rubbed at my eyes, trying to contain the stress that was so obviously spilling out of me, carrying it with me and invading almost everything I touched. It felt like wherever I went, there was a sudden shift in the mood where people wanted to back off and stay away from me. I wondered if it was because I looked almost the way I felt: gloomy and annoyed.

"Well, you also never liked her." It was around eleven p.m., Mason had just come back from some kind of work. I? I was just the companion who needed helping, and so he came over to our house. Though I liked to think that it was fully me, he most likely also got over here because Cameron, who after all, lived with me now.

Mason laughed, all seriousness from his usual fitting gone. "Right. We did have a fight over it and the both of us almost died."

I grinned. I liked this him, relaxed and able to joke about things that would usually put him on edge. Maybe because he also came back from a small party where he had to drink at least a glass or two to show respect.

"Still, even if I didn't like her, you like her. And you're my favorite person."

I rolled my eyes, just in time as Cameron came into the kitchen, steam rolling off of him from his shower. He looked handsome by all means, and I could see Mason staring at him in both awe and hunger to touch him.

Cameron flicked over his wet hair, a towel being the only thing that covered his privates. I was thankful for that. "What did I hear? Your favorite person?"

Mason got up from where he was sitting, going up to give Cameron a kiss along with a cheeky grin. "We were talking about you of course."

Cameron breathed in Mason, half chuckling. "Well I am flattered. I love to be your favorite person." He glanced away from Mason to give me a sideways smug. "Not that I didn't know that already."

I pretended to retch and barf out air vomit, getting up from where I was occupied. But in all honesty, I was happy to see the two of them together and so in love with each other despite the distance that had pulled between them over the years.

"I'll leave you lovebirds to it," I said, leaving them alone even though they probably didn't even hear me while they talked and caught up with each other, staring at each other passionately all the while.

Me and Cameron had different rooms, but oftentimes we slept together for company. There's this loneliness that comes in pretending to be in a marriage with someone you don't love, that is something I had not anticipated. But of course, there were also not a lot of people going into fake marriages, or if there was, it wasn't exactly something that was broadcasted and the type of thing you'd find on those magazines where they give you advice like: "Don't know why he isn't touching you anymore? Here, try these..." None of that.

My room was chilly, the glass walled window right next to my huge bed gave the view of the pool that glowed in our yard. A neon green and blue. I rummaged through a cabinet I kept nearby, pulling out one of the bottles in it. Brandy.

I took out the cupped together squared shot glasses and chose the biggest one on the pile, putting the rest of it away. I walked over to the window, the pool glittering and in a rather mesmerizing view. I poured the Brandy into my shot glass and took a sip. And then another after that to relish it and feel it really settling into my body.