Currents

Twenty ~ Disclosure

Twenty ~ Disclosure

"I went round to Brent's last night."

I looked up from my lemonade. Mia had said it in a very matter-of-fact voice, but I sensed a deeper meaning behind it. Sure enough, she soon embroidered on her initial statement.

"I'm telling you because I don't want to be stuck in the middle," she said. "You both mean a lot to me, and I'd hate to keep secrets from either of you."

I sighed and placed the glass down on the table, resting my head in my hands and rubbing at my temple. "I feel awful."

"You're just trying to be a good person, Rose," she said softly. "Have you spoken to Alastair?"

"No. I don't want to talk to him. He's part of the reason I'm in this horrible position."

It had been three days since I found out about his second—that I knew of, anyway—night with Daisy, and this time I wasn't ready to forgive quite so easily.

"Did Brent say anything else?" I asked, straightening up in my seat again.

The diner chair creaked as I moved. My bare thighs stuck to the plastic, but I hardly registered the unpleasantness of it.

"He said you were very comforting when he spoke about his brother. That's about it, though. I don't know if he wanted to talk or if he just wanted company. You're up to your usual tricks of avoiding the beach, so..."

"How can I go back down there after this? I was so torn. Part of me wanted to tell him I felt the same, but I also didn't want to lead him on. He crumbled, and I'm not used to seeing him like that. I'm used to seeing him being strong and blunt and not showing any signs of emotion. I've seen this different side to him and—"

"You're falling for him."

I tilted my gaze towards the tabletop, suddenly fascinated by the decoration on the plastic surface. To distract myself from Mia's suggestion, I traced a pattern with my index finger.

"You don't care what I told him?"

My eyes widened, and I snapped my head up to look at her. It had never occurred to me that Mia would have these same conversations with Brent, relaying information back to him in the same way she did with me.

"I said you'd been in this conflicting position for a while. You're attracted to him, but you want to remain faithful."

"And that's it?"

Talking about my attraction to him wasn't too bad; I'd made that obvious. With a shudder, I recalled again that evening by my front door.

She nodded. "Oh, and I may have told him I didn't agree with the faithful attitude."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay. And does he agree with it?"

"I think he finds it endearing that you've been proving him wrong. He likes that you're turning out to be a nice person. Unfortunately, it probably makes him want you more, but he won't make you cheat on your boyfriend. He respects and understands that decision."

I sighed and picked up my lemonade again, my mouth dry. Unable to bear the thought of Brent anymore, I turned the conversation to her.

"Have you spoken to Austin? Or Brooke?"

"I've spoken to Brooke a bit," she replied. "I wanted all the facts, how many times it had happened and stuff..."

"They told me twice, including my party."

She nodded. "Yeah. Same."

"And how are you feeling about it now?"

"I don't blame Brooke for it," she said. "I can't hate her for liking the same guy I do."