“You just told me I have dick breath. Not a smart thing to say before you ask for a favor.” She stirred her coffee and smiled slightly, being playful in the way I liked. Last night was a shitshow, but instead of making the situation worse, she tried to lighten it up.
“I meant it as a compliment.”
“Oh, I’m sure you did.” She took a seat on the couch, both of her hands cupping the large mug. “You know you don’t need to ask me for a favor. I’m your wife. Ask me to do anything, and I will.”
I moved to the couch beside her, slightly taken aback by the loyalty she’d just shown me. Her submission was beautiful; her obedience was a fantasy. Just months ago, I couldn’t even get her to let me rub her feet, couldn’t even get her to take my phone calls, but now she responded to me like we were friends, partners. “It’s about Ash.”
She inhaled a deep breath, the sound slightly audible in the silence. She couldn’t keep up her visage of joy at all when he was mentioned. She ran her fingers through her hair once more, her gaze tilted to the floor. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out last night. I never knew a man could be more stubborn than you, but he is your brother…so I guess it’s no surprise.” She brought her steaming cup of coffee to her lips, taking a long drink, licking her lips when she was finished. “You want me to talk to him alone, don’t you?”
Sometimes I forgot how smart she was. “Only if you feel comfortable.”
She continued to stare at her coffee. “Do you trust him?”
I set my coffee on the table and shook my head slightly. “I don’t trust anyone.”
“I hope that doesn’t apply to me.” She set down her mug.
I turned my gaze on her, touched by the genuine hurt in her eyes. “You are the one exception.”
The corner of her mouth rose slightly. “I trust you too…more than I thought I could trust anyone. So, if you think it is safe for me to go, I will. You would never put me in harm’s way.”
“No. I don’t think he’d hurt you or take you. If he did, he knows I know everything about his operation. I’d burn it to the ground with everyone inside. And even if that weren’t the case, I don’t see him doing that anyway.” My brother wasn’t a good guy, but sometimes, I guess he was just misunderstood. He got into this business because of my father. If that had never happened, I imagined he would’ve done something much better with his life. When we were growing up, he was always curious and adventurous. If he found a stray animal, he always took it to the shelter. The only reason there was darkness in his soul was because our father put it there. “You should be safe.”
“Alright. What do you want me to do?”
I grabbed her phone and typed in the number on the keypad. “Call him.”
“You want me to fix this over the phone?”
“No. Ask to have lunch with him. Or dinner. Whatever. I don’t give a fuck.”
“And what if he says no?”
I gave her a hard stare. “Don’t let his answer be no.”
She turned her gaze back to the phone, and after a moment of trepidation, she hit the send button. She put the phone to her ear and let it ring.
I was close to her side, so every single sound over the line was audible. My elbows rested on my knees, and my hands were joined together. The sunlight came through the open window. It was a beautiful day at the end of summer. As newlyweds, we should be doing fun things, not trying to fix the past.
Ash answered. “Yeah?”
Sofia kept her confidence in her voice, never wavering even though she only knew this man as a formidable foe. “It’s Sofia.”
A long pause ensued over the line. “I’m never gonna get rid of you, am I?”
“I’m a lovely person, so I don’t see why you’d want to.”
“True,” he said with a slight chuckle. “But you aren’t lovely enough in this case.”
Sofia continued the conversation. “Are you free this evening?”
His joy was palpable. “Asking me out? I’d be happy to take you to bed.” His smile was so loud over the phone that I could picture all of his white teeth. “My brother isn’t enough for you… No surprise there. I’ve had a lot more practice.”
“I assure you that’s not the case. I’d just like to have dinner with my brother-in-law.”
“For pussy talk?”
“I wouldn’t call it that…but yes.”
“And you think a bottle of wine and a tight skirt will change my mind?” he asked.
“No, but maybe a bottle of scotch will.”
There was a pause, as if he were intrigued. “You gonna drink scotch with me, sweetheart?”