Part 15 (1/2)
”Jared doesn't give anyone anything, let alone his energy. Like I said before, I don't think his problem is just a wounded ego. I think he likes you, a lot actually.”
I gave him a doubtful look. ”I fail to see how you could make that conclusion when he barely speaks or looks at me. He asked me to join his consort collection, yeah, but that's just about s.e.x. He's been sulking ever since I said no.”
Evan pointed a finger at me. ”But, see, that's the thing with Jared. He's never really liked a woman in more than a physical sense. So he doesn't know how to handle it. He just knows that he wants you and probably thinks that if he screws you it'll all make sense.”
”So you're attuned to him, are you,” I mocked playfully.
”It's a twin thing. Actually, when we were human we were really close. There wasn't a part of his life that I didn't know about, and vice versa. We did almost everything together.”
”What changed?”
”Jared.” He didn't say it with bitterness or even disappointment, but understanding. ”As soon as he was made Heir he totally changed. His ego was more inflated than ever before. He loved the attention and the respect and the rewards and the power that came with it all.”
”So he forgot about you, kind of left you behind?”
”Oh no, nothing like that. He wanted me to live the high life with him. He had the power to give it to me, he had the girls to share...but I wasn't interested. He never took it personally, he respected that even though he didn't understand why I didn't want that kind of life.”
”You are a bit of an enigma.”
”I am?” He sounded amused.
”I get that power and attention isn't what you feel you need in life. But everybody feels that they need something; little or big. And yet you just plod along, but always smiling. Even though you've never been short of offers from women you've turned them down, though I'm told that in the very beginning you were almost as bad as Jared. I've never once seen you even harmlessly flirt with anyone. Should I a.s.sume that there was a woman from your human life who you can't forget?”
He smiled and then scrutinised my face. I got the idea that he was wondering how much or how little to say on the subject, whether or not he could trust me. I tried to a.s.sure him with my smile that he could.
Finally he made a puffing sound and sat down on the lawn outside the rear of the Mansion. ”You know Luther has visions, right?” he asked. I nodded and I sat beside him. ”Has Antonio ever asked you if you wanted to have one via Luther?”
”Yeah. I didn't understand it, though.”
”In mine, I was in the rainforest somewhere, and I was waiting really anxiously for someone, worried they were in danger. Then Jared and two women appeared, and I almost collapsed in relief. One of them had blazing red hair and pale blue eyes and the most amazing smile you've ever seen. My emotions in the vision weren't very clear, but I could feel that she was mine. Since then, I couldn't bring myself to be with another woman, it would have felt like I was being unfaithful. That might sound weird.”
”No, no it doesn't at all. You're waiting for her. It's really sweet.”
”After time just kept dragging on and she never showed, I was starting to think that maybe she was never going to. That maybe I'd made some sort of decision somewhere along the line that had changed the future. But then you came, and you can't imagine how much optimism flowed through me.”
”What do you mean?”
”You were the other woman in my vision. You and Jared brought her to me.”
My eyebrows jumped up. ”Oh.”
He laughed. ”Yeah, oh.”
Well I really didn't know how I felt about that.
”Spooked?” he asked, amused.
”Sort of. You've never told Jared about her,” I realised.
”He wouldn't understand. He's always loved himself too much for anyone else to have a chance,” he added jokingly. It truly wasn't an insult, more of a playful comment. He was so close to Jared and yet so far apart. It made me sad. ”I knew that if I told him he'd laugh about it and say she must be a really good screw for me to feel that. I didn't want to hear that, I didn't want him to taint it.”
”Don't worry, I'm not going to tell him or anyone else.”
”I know.” It was said with utter confidence and trust. ”You know that Jared's a little unhappy about how much we talk and stuff, don't you?”
”My guess is he's worried you'll manage to get in my pants when he couldn't. That would be a huge blow to his ego.”
Evan laughed. ”Yeah, it certainly would.”
”But I've never once felt like you were coming onto me.”
”In my vision, I could feel that I was relieved you were okay. That I cared about you just like a sister, the sister I never had. And I do, already.”
”And I think of you as a brother.”
His expression was so cheery. I guessed that hearing me say I felt that way was making everything click into place for him, giving him even more optimism that this girl would soon be in his life.
”You didn't say the brother you never had. So you had a brother? Any sisters?”
”Nope. My mum and dad were workaholics, totally obsessed with the business they ran that didn't even make any money, and they barely had time for me, let alone any other kids. I was a big disappointment to them because I wasn't driven to follow in their footsteps and join the c.r.a.ppy family business. I have to say though it seems like an appealing future now, but no sense in dwelling.”
”Hey, you've done okay for yourself in your new life. So far you've got the big job, the flashy apartment, the hefty salary. All that's missing is the husband. Anyone wanting to be your husband would either have to be incredibly turned on by being challenged, or quite content to be submissive in every way.”
”The latter wouldn't be interesting.”
”Well I know of one person who fits the first.”
”Say your brother's name and I'll whip you senseless.”
”I was going to say Max,” he giggled. ”I'm not going to root for Jared when I know what he wants is for you to be a consort, you're better than that.”
”That's what I said.” I was nice to hear someone tell me that there had been reason and rhyme to my choice. After the way Jared had overreacted I had occasionally wondered if I was being fussy or stupid because whether I was his consort or just a casual s.h.a.g, the result was still the same; s.e.x and nothing else.
Of course Fletcher had supported my position but he also believed that I needed a good one-off s.h.a.g to burn off all the aggression and horniness so he wasn't all that bothered who that s.h.a.g was, even if it was Jared. If Jared's own brother thought he was being idiotic, then maybe I wasn't being as harsh as Jared thought.
Chapter Nine.
(Sam) The hammering at my apartment door switched my posture to confrontational. I could only think of one person who would be so p.i.s.sed off with me that he would knock like the rent man. But when I swung the door open, my face a mask of aggravation, I was met with a scene that I would never have guessed at.
”Coach!” crooned Denny.
”Hey,” greeted Stuart.
”I was kind of hoping we'd have got you at a bad time like a naked time.” Typical Harvey. Max dug an elbow into Harvey's ribs.
”What're you all doing here?” I asked.