Page 162 of On His Mind

“What bag?”

“The bag you just tucked over there.”

I look at the corner. I look at him.

“Pers.” Stanley leans forward. “You’re gonna love it. It’s the centerpiece. If I tell you now, you’ll hate it, but in twenty years when you’re married to the girl, you’ll be smiling about this moment.”

Married?

I scoff, “Fuck off.”

“Can’t,” he says, throwing his hands. “That’d require me not to care.”

I look around. “How much did you spend on this?”

“Nothing is worth more than love, Pers.”

“I’ll pay you ba—”

“Ah. Ah.Shh.” He puts his hand up. “We’re focusing on the task at hand.”

“I’m serious. Let me—”

“Shhhh.Shhh shh shh.” His finger comes closer to my face. “Do you hear that? That’s the sound of the task at hand.”

I sit back.

He knows what he’s doing. I can hate or love him for it. Right now, I’m just annoyed and in debt to him. I hate being in debt to people.

“She’s going to know it’s not me,” I say because it’s worth mentioning.

Stanley’s hands come down off the chair.

The rest of the guys go quiet.

He looks at the table for a second. At the shirts, and the rhinestones, and the glue.

“I can take all of it back,” he says. “Every bit. It’s all returnable. If this makes you feel worse instead of better, I’ll load it in the car right now, and it’s gone, and we never talk about it again.” He shrugs one shoulder. “But don’t feel bad that we’re helping. It’s a community thing.”

“It’s not a community thing,” Blue says. “It’s personal.”

Stanley snaps his eyes to Blue. “It’s a community thing. We want our brother to be happy.”

“I’m saying be careful.” Blue sets his fork down. “She’s not a girl who wants a scene. You do all this—” he tips his head at the bags “—in front of her friends, and it goes wrong, you don’t just lose her. You embarrass her. In front of everyone.” He looks atme, not Stanley. “She’d hate that more than she hates what you already did.”

The table sits with that for a second.

“Yeah, and did we even ask if he wants to get back with her?” Rowan says, closing the fridge.

Stanley whips around and points at him. “Of course, he wants to. You’re not in a relationship, so you don’t get a vote. That’s the rule. A solid one. You’ve never had a girlfriend.”

Rowan laughs and waves him off.

Benson tips his chin at me. “Why don’t you just reach out to her? See if she’s willing to talk. Before any of ––” He gestures at the entire table and Stanley. “This.”

Blue nods.

I scratch at my jaw. My face feels hot. “Maybe. Yeah. Just — put a pause on all of it.”