The Right Side of the Wrong Bed || Bruno Mars

Chapter 46

Faye

There was the edge of the cliff and below it was the city that seemed only a reflection of the night sky with all those flickering lights that peppered its extent. There was the wind quietly listening to our hearts' conversation. There was the radio faintly playing Christopher Cross inside the car. And then there were the two of us sitting next to each other on the hood of his car under the shade of a tree, feasting our eyes on the world below us.

"I've got a lot of explaining to do," said he. "But I need you to provide me the questions and I'll answer them all."

I pulled shut his jacket that I was currently wearing to keep me from the cold. "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else right now with Gabrielle?"

"Well, earlier tonight I was in Los Angeles. I was with her celebrating her birthday-"

Something quickly struck me. "Wait. A dinner on a yacht, is it?"

He looked at me skeptically. "Yeah," he nodded. "Just early this evening, we were on a yacht-"

"And you left her," I butted in again.

"Well..." He avoided my eyes for a moment of hesitation- "Yeah. I told her the truth. I told her about the dream even if she'd think I'm insane."-and then fixed them back. "She asked me to leave and I did even if that makes me the most horrible person. To think that I did such a cruel thing to her on her birthday." I felt a pinch of guilt hearing his words.

"I asked Meredith to get me to you and she activated the portal for me. I snuck in the party. I was searching for you in the crowd when a man found me hiding behind this tall plant at the bottom of the stairs. I think that was your Dad. He looked at me in shock and asked, 'Have I seen you on TV before?' And I was like, 'I'm your singer for tonight, sir.' He said, 'Marilyn must've hired you.' And I just played along like, 'Ah, yes. Miss Marilyn.'"

I bit my lips stopping a bubble of laughter. "You're mad," I was able to say.

"What else do you wish to clarify, your majesty the Swan Queen?" He smiled cheekily.

I looked away and pursed my lips to the side muttering, "Hmm..." Then I opened my mouth and said, "Why did Bruno Mars turn me down?"

He shifted uncomfortably. His chest rose as he inhaled soundlessly and decided to stare down. "He got scared."

"Of what?"

"I got scared for Gabby." He was toying with the ring around his pinky finger, occupying himself. "She caught us kissing at the party, Faye. I told her I was sorry and wanted her to break up with me already but she only started screaming and trashing the hotel room. It was traumatizing. I had to beg her to calm down. She only did after a few minutes. She cried like crazy and begged me not to leave her. I decided to stay with her. I got scared thinking that she might end up getting ill. Remember in the dream, she had gone into a mental health facility?" Gradually, a frown was starting to form on my face. "For her sake, I decided not to see you anymore thinking that you'd learn to forget me anyway because you have him, and it's better that way."

"What made you come back?" I asked, eyes bright with eagerness.

He gazed into the distance. "I thought hard and realized that Gabby would be better off without me. Look at what she has become in the dream. Even though for a while, she had a down fall because of our break up, eventually, she became way successful and happy with another guy. That's, perhaps, until I showed up and fucked up her life again." His eyes were on his fingers again as he toyed with his ring, feeling uneasy. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

There was only silence for a few seconds until I spoke, "You're a good guy, Bruno," making him glance at me.

He grinned, shyly cocking his head down. When he gazed back, he asked, "What else does the queen wish to know besides that this asshole is batshit crazy about her?"