Page 61 of The Arrangement

“Hey, I opted to take lunch early so we wouldn’t have to worry about getting cut off like last time. How are things? Is the shop doing well?” Andy asked, the sound of movement clear from his side of the phone.

I smiled at the symmetry. “The shop is doing great. Actually, picking up lunch myself.”

There was a noticeable pause, then, “You didn’t answer my other question. James, are you okay?”

“Not really,” I admitted, my throat tightening unexpectedly.

“Fuck,” he hissed, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps, then a door closing. “Sorry, I was just getting somewhere more private. Huh, this is the same supply closet where… Never mindthat. I’m sorry, I meant to follow up about your TMI thing and got sidetracked with an article. I’m assuming this is still about that?”

I let out a harsh breath and wiped the back of my neck where sweat was already beading. Damn humidity. “Honestly, your guess is as good as mine.”

“That doesn’t sound ominous at all. Okay, let’s start at the beginning. Without going super into detail, tell me what’s been going on.”

I turned down Church St. to make my way toward Sandra’s Place for the sandwiches I’d ordered ahead and filled him in on how the week had been going so far and Marc’s peculiar standoffish behavior. “I’m sure I’ve done something to upset him, or maybe I’m reading too much into things and he really is distracted with the shop. I just… I don’t know.”

“Yeah… that doesn’t sound like it. Back up further. When we talked before, you were upset after having sex with Marc. Why?” Andy asked.

I paused outside the restaurant and debated the wisdom of having this conversation inside. Deciding against it, I doubled back to rest against the wall in the shade. “Upset isn’t the right word. More like in my head. Not to get too into it, but the sex was amazing. I haven’t… I haven’t felt that connected to someone in a really long time.”

“Let me guess, that freaked you out.”

I huffed an ironic laugh. “That’s putting it lightly.”

“Okay. So, great sex, then what?”

“Then I was in my head. I hoped maybe a walk or something would help. But then I saw that he’d added the army ribbon to a bouquet that he’d made, and it was so beautiful and it had buttercups, and then I was talking to you, and then he was so weird afterward, and—”

“Hold up.”

I screeched to a verbal halt at Andy’s interruption. “What?”

“Back up. You said you went for a walk or were going to go for a walk, but ended up talking to me,” he repeated, as if that wasn’t what I’d literally just said.

“Yeah, and the bouquet,” I added.

“Forget the bouquet.”

I snorted. “I think you’re underestimating what this thing looked like. Here, I’m sending you the picture.” I quickly shot him the photo before my heart could do more than flutter at the image.

“Okay,wow, that’s… holy shit, that’s impressive,” he said, making me feel rather smug, “but that’s not my point. James,whendid you go for your ‘not walk’ and end up talking to me?”

“I already told you—the following morning. Not even morning, really. Little hard to sleep when your brain won’t shut up,” I grumbled. Wasn’t he paying attention at all?

“Heaven save me from big lugs,” he muttered. “James, I’m going to say this very slowly. So, what you’re telling me is that you had what you viewed as deep, meaningful sex with someone you’re completely enamored with,” he paused and I already knew I didn’t like how this was going to end, “and then you let that person wake up alone. Did it ever occur to you that it might have been just as meaningful for him?”

“I mean, I’d hoped so, but clearly I’d read that wrong,” I huffed, my frustration getting the better of me.

“Let me finish.” I snapped my mouth shut, even though I kind of wanted to tell him off for being a bossy little shit. Andy’s sigh was a cross between put-upon and something I couldn’t put a name to. “Assuming it meant as much to him as it did to you, what sort of message do you think it sent waking up to find you’d gone?”

My heart plummeted to my stomach. Why did it sound so simple when Andy said it? “I wasn’t… I didn’t… Do you really think that’s why he’s been off?”

“I can’t speak for Marc specifically, but it’s a big part of what led to me and Mitch not talking for four years. I mean, it’s more complicated than that, but it played a role. You won’t know unless you ask.”

“Okay, I’ll give it some thought. And, Andy? Thanks for talking with me. It’s nice feeling like I have a brother again.”

“Anytime, big bro. Same here,” he said before signing off.

I pocketed my phone and went inside the shop to pick up our order, where, by some twist of fate, I’d gotten here before it was ready. On the upside, that gave me more time to turn over Andy’s words. If he were right, then I’d inadvertently given Marc the impression that I thought what we had was casual when the reality was the furthest thing from it. Which begged the question: What was I going to do to fix it?