Page 85 of The Spare
Henry went to boarding school in Switzerland until high school. After his experience, their parents decided Sloan wouldn't go to boarding school. She went to one of the most exclusive private schools in Manhattan. One of the most interesting things I learned while becoming so successful was just how ignorant the upper crust of society could be.
It was nauseating and made me glad I went to public school in a boring suburban town.
“That story, about the fight and everything with Julian,” she began. My muscles tensed. I had tried my best to keep my promise and let things be when all I wanted to do was find him and put him in the ground.
I nodded. She leaned against me, her head on my chest. “I broke up with him because he made me feel like that girl again, the one who was ashamed of her own name. And when I go to events like these, I feel like I don’t belong. Then I remember just how hard I tried to make sure I never would.”
“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” I dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “But from my perspective, you’ve always fit in. And if it's something that makes you happy, the hell with everything else.”
It was a massive simplification of everything she was going through, and if she really didn’t want to go, I was happy to stay home. But I wanted that to be a choice she made because of what she wanted and not what she thought was expected.
She walked a tight rope between meeting and defying expectation every day of her life. All I wanted was to give her a place to land when she eventually got tired.
She was still for a few moments longer and looked up at me nervously as if she was about to say something. She stopped herself, then smiled. “Let’s go.”
* * *
As expected, Sloan had an amazing time. After the part of the festival where everyone ended up covered in an array of colors, she ran to me, throwing her arms around me with an excitement that reminded me of when she finished racing the McLaren.
“Careful.” I reluctantly stepped back and peeled her arms off me. “You’re going to get us caught.”
“And we’ve been so good all day.” She swept the powder-filled hair out of her face. Her laugh made our attempt at concealing our relationship worth it.
My heart swelled at the smile she gave me. “I make no promises once we get home.”
“I’m going to grab some jalebi, and then we can go?” She looked around and gave me a sly peck on the cheek before running off.
Once she was out of sight, I looked at myself and smiled. I attempted to dust some of the power off and failed horribly.
“Xander’s brother, right?”
Jay walked up beside me the second Sloan walked away. We had briefly greeted him politely when we arrived, and he introduced us to people who ran in similar circles as we did. But largely, to my relief, Sloan and I spent the day together.
Sloan was like Xander, always making friends. While I found it tedious, I played along because it made her happy. “Sloan told me she’s seeing someone, so you can stand down.”
He didn’t know we were together. I had no reason to dislike him...other than the fact he made it known that he wanted to sleep with my girlfriend. “Her request to leave her alone isn’t enough? You need the threat of someone enforcing it?”
His lips thinned, and he smiled. “You’re taking bodyguard duty very seriously. I wonder, how’s her boyfriend feel about your…protectiveness?”
“I don’t often concern myself with how other people feel.”
“Whatever you say.” He shrugged with a knowing smile. “Well, whatever secret you two have, I have no vested interest in revealing it, so as I said earlier—you can stand down.”
I didn’t respond. I simply turned back to look in the direction Sloan would be coming from any second. Xander was right. It was hard to hate this guy, but practice made perfect.
He turned to walk away but left me with one comment that left my jaw on edge. “I always figured it would be Xander.”
Never mind. Hating him would be easy.
It would be a while before statements like those didn’t piss me off.
* * *
We arrived at my place exhausted, covered from head to toe in an array of colors, but seeing the fire that lit Sloan’s eyes filled me with a second wind. “Want to help me change?” She walked a few steps ahead. She didn’t turn back for an answer.
Something came over me in that moment. I was filled with a rush of deep yearning, an ache to tell her something. I didn’t follow her. Instead, I grabbed her hand and pulled her back to where I stood.
She looked up at me with surprise. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, I said it.
