Chapter 29 Episode 29

Her persistence is starting to get irritating. But a part of me also just wants to get it off my chest. Again, I don’t tell her the whole truth. Just a version of it. Just a bit. “He’s just playing mind games with me.” “He does,” Freya exclaims. “Oh my—” I turn towards Chris’s quiet greeting and stand up with relief. I give him a tight hug before turning towards Freya. She’s looking up at Chris with barely concealed annoyance. “You must be the best friend,” she drawls. I step in for introductions. “Freya, this is Chris. Chris, this is Freya.” They shake hands and Chris slides into the vacant chair between us. He grabs the menus I’ve forgotten about. “Have you ordered yet?” “We’ve been busy chatting,” I say, just as Marianne reappears. “You guys good to go?” she asks. Freya looks at me. “Why don’t you order for me? You know this place well.” “I’m good with that, too,” Chris agrees, putting the ball in my court. So I run the gamut, ordering a stack of pancakes, a breakfast skillet, and a breakfast burrito. Everyone gets a bit of everything. The moment Marianne steps away, Freya glances towards Chris. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” she remarks. He gives her a cryptic half-smile that has me tensing a little. “Wish I could say the same about you.” I kick him under the table, but he doesn’t so much as glance at me. “Jessa said you moved into her building?” “A few weeks ago,” Freya says. “We only met recently, which is probably why you haven’t heard much about me. But Jessa and I became fast friends.” Why does he sound so… disapproving? “I’ve been through something similar,” Freya continues. “So I feel like I can help out our girl here.” “Um, listen, Chris,” I say quickly. “Freya knows about… my problem.” His eyes go wide. “You told her?” “Don’t worry,” Freya says quickly. “Her secret is safe with me.” “I should hope so,” he says, turning to me. “J, what are you thinking telling a perfect stranger about—” “Hey,” Freya interrupts. “I’m not a stranger anymore. I had her back last night.” “Last night?” he says without looking at Freya. “What happened last night?” I’m quickly realizing that this brunch was a mistake. Neither Freya nor Chris have any context. I should have met with them separately, eased them into this first meeting. My decision-making has really not been stellar lately. “Listen, I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to worry you,” I say, grabbing his arm. “Anton… he’s been visiting me.” “The f**k does that mean?” Chris hisses. “He hasn’t hurt me or anything—” “But he’s threatened to?” he guesses. My eyes fall shamefully to my fingers resting on Chris’s forearm. “Yeah. He wants his phone back.” “Well, then give it the f**k back to him,” Chris says immediately. “I’ve hidden it away, but I can get it out for you.” “Ohh, you have the phone,” Freya says, putting the pieces together. “Got it.” Chris throws her a glare before turning it on me. “What the hell were you thinking, J?” “I was thinking perfectly fine, thanks,” I say, getting defensive. “I trust Freya.” Annoyance flickers across his face. “Fine. Trust her all you want. But that doesn’t take care of your other problem.” “It’s not the problem, Chris—it’s the solution. He needs that damn phone. It’s important to him. He said as much to me. He’s not going to hurt me as long as I have it.” “But he will keep dropping in unannounced and scaring the bejeezus out of you? Gee, what an upgrade.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “Just give him back the phone, Jess.” Freya and I exchange a glance. Of course he catches it. “What? What is it?” Freya speaks before I do. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to return the phone.” Chris’s eyes go wide as he turns to me. “And you agree with that?” “Jesus, Jessa. You’re not a stupid person, so why are you acting like one right now? The man is dangerous. You’re playing with fire.” “Maybe that’s what she likes,” Freya murmurs under her breath. I throw her a warning glare, but thankfully, Chris didn’t hear her this time. “Chris, I know you’re worried. But honestly, I know what I’m doing. I’ve thought this through.” “Doesn’t look like it! He’s not some small-time tough guy. This man has resources at his disposal. He’s a f*****g mob boss.” “Bratva don,” I correct without even thinking about it. He looks like he’s about to bite my head off so I continue before he has a chance to. “And he’s not going to hurt me.” “How do you know that?” “Because he’s got the hots for her,” Freya adds unhelpfully. Chris goes quiet for a second. “Excuse me?” “A little tonsil hockey goes a long way,” she adds, trying and failing to contain her laughter. I turn to Chris, who’s looking at me with an expression that I can only describe as abject disappointment. “Have you—did he—is there something going on between you and this guy?” “No! No, of course not. I just… it just so happens that there was a kiss. Before I knew who he was,” I hurry to explain. “Jesus,” Chris growls, running his hand over his face. “Jesus f*****g Christ, Jessa.” “I didn’t know who he was!” I insist. Instantly, the memory of last night blazes across my memory. The way Anton gripped my legs. The way he threw one over his shoulder so that he could torture me with the promise of pleasure, only to withdraw at the last possible second. “Has anything else happened between the two of you?” Chris asks. I stare at him, ready to lie, but I hesitate the moment my eyes meet his. It’s always been hard for me to lie to Chris. He’s known me for too long. “He’s gotten under your skin, hasn’t he?” “Have you seen the man?” Freya asks. “He’s drop-dead gorgeous.” He turns to Freya. “How have you seen him?” “I noticed him leaving her place late one night.” “Late?” Chris growls, turning to me. “I don’t think he’s the kind of guy who sticks to business hours, Chris.” “What the hell are you doing, Jess?” he demands. “Just answer that. What the hell are you doing?” “Chris, please… just hold on to the phone for a little longer, okay? I need you to trust me.” “I do trust you. I just don’t trust your lousy-ass judgment,” he snarls. Marianne appears suddenly with a large tray in hand. “Ahoy, everybody. Brunch is served.” “Something came up,” Chris says, getting to his feet. “I won’t be staying.” “Call me when you’ve come to your senses,” he says sharply. Then he stalks off. I can’t even follow him with Marianne in the way. I look after him helplessly, feeling my stomach drop into my shoes as he disappears out of the café. Marianne ignores the tension and puts down three plates loaded with brunchy goodness. It smells heavenly, but I no longer have an appetite for any of it. “Enjoy!” she says with false brightness before she retreats. Waitresses are trained to avoid these kind of awkward landmines, and Marianne has been in the game for a long time. “s**t,” I groan, dropping my head into my hands. “Hey now,” Freya says quietly. “Don’t let him get to you.” “He did get to me. He’s my best friend, Freya!” “I know, but he’s wrong about this. Giving up that phone is a bad idea.” She pauses for a beat, then adds, “It’s obvious why he wants you to do it, though.” Freya looks at me with an amused expression and reaches for the bright orange mocktail between us. “Oh, honey, don’t tell me you don’t see it?” She giggles a little and takes a long drag of her drink before she deigns to answer. “Your surly best friend has feelings for you. Probably has for some time now.” I stare at her for a long time. “That’s… crazy.” “No, it’s not,” she says confidently. “I know when a man is interested in a woman. And that boy thinks you’re the hottest thing walking. He thinks that if you give up the phone, then Evil Mr. Bond won’t be paying you any more visits. He’s just clearing the way.” “No. No, that’s not it. Chris is looking out for me.” “Oh goodness, don’t be naive. Open your eyes, Jessa. Why do you think he got his panties in a twist when the kiss got brought up?” “He’s protective. Thanks for that, by the way.” She shrugs. “You told me he was your best friend. I assumed he knew. And even if he didn’t, I assumed you wouldn’t mind telling him.” Sighing, I fall back against my chair. “I still don’t think you’re right about this.” “Did he have a problem with any of your other exes?” “Well… yeah. But that was different. He was right about all of them.” “Or maybe he was just jealous?” she suggests. I think back to all my previous boyfriends and Chris’s reaction to each and every one. He’d never exactly been crazy about any of them. Not even the ones that turned out to be mostly decent. “You’re seeing it now, aren’t you?” she presses, as relentless as ever. I shake my head. “I can’t deal with that right now.” “No, no, of course not. You’ve got hotter fish to fry.”