Not one of my secrets. That is one place I can trust Ian.
He doesn't share secrets.
I finish my drink. Leave it there.
Move into the restaurant.
Eve spots me first. She blushes the second she sees me. Then she waves, trying to cover her fuck, I'm busted expression.
"Hey, Ty!" She stands. Greets me with a hug. "You look great."
"He knows we were talking about him," Ian says.
She laughs. "All good things, I promise."
"Asking about my sex life?" I release her.
"It's been forever," she says. "I have to wonder."
"Three weeks is forever?" I ask.
She nods. Takes her seat. "When you live five blocks away? Yes. I have to wonder how you're spending all that time."
"He's not going to tell you unless you get him drunk." Ian stands. Hugs me hello. "How much did you hear?"
"Enough," I say.
"Eavesdropping arsehole."
"I learned from the best."
He smiles with pride. That brotherly pride I so rarely see.
It warms me everywhere.
Erases every ugly feeling in my gut.
He motions for me to sit. When I do, he hails the server. "Bourbon?"
"Manhattan."
Ian smiles. "Of course."
"What, of course?" Eve asks.
"That summer, it was all you drank," Ian says. "I thought it was his when-in-Rome bollocks."
"Manhattans in Manhattan?" Eve looks to me. "That's not what he means."
"White Claw in Long Island," I say.
She laughs. "What do we drink in Manhattan?"
"Craft cocktails that sound like aromatherapy," I say.
Her laugh gets louder. "Oh my god, it's true."
"There's a lot of lavender," Ian nods.
"You like the lavender," she says.
"It pairs well with gin. I'm a sensible man." He waits for the server to arrive. Orders another round. "And one for your girlfriend?"
I nod.
He passes it on. Waits for the server to leave. "Are you going to tell us anything?"
"What would I tell you?" I ask.
"What you two have been doing," Eve says.
"They're fucking." Ian raises a brow, daring me to expand. When I don't, he continues. "What else would they be doing? Playing Scrabble."
"You picked Scrabble on purpose," she says.
"Of course." He traces the lines of her tattoo.
Of course. In the book, the commander invites the protagonist to his office for a secret tryst. She thinks he wants sex, but he wants to play Scrabble.
In a world where women aren't allowed to read, it seems kinkier than any sex.
It's the perfect thing to say. Ian knows his girlfriend well.
They’re perfect together.
"Ty's girlfriend won't like me if I go on about Margaret Atwood all night." Eve turns to me. "Or will she? Is she my new best friend?"
"Ty is a snob," Ian says. "It would suit him."
I'm not sure if she's read The Handmaid's Tale or not. It's a classic. It's possible. But Indie is more of a film viewer than a reader. "She's a musician."
Eve's eyes light up. "Really? What does she play?"
"And does she like Green Day?" he teases her.
"Guitar," I say. "She writes songs."
"Is she good?" Eve asks.
"Amazing," I say.
"And you two… is it true? That you had a fling a few years ago?" she asks.
"We did," I say.
"They fucked all summer," he says. "It was all he did."
Eve smiles. "Was it serious back then?"
"No," I say. "It was only supposed to be that summer." That was the only reason I could let go. Ask for what I wanted. Offer her what she wanted.
Because I didn't think I'd have to face her again.
Because I didn't think I'd have to face myself.
"But…" Eve motions for me to continue.
So I do. I tell her one version of the story. How I missed Indigo after we parted. How I thought of our time together.
Thought of how I'd fucked her.
Sometimes, even when I was with Rory. Because we didn't want the same things.
And I know Eve knows that.
I've been pissed around her enough times, I've told her.
I tell her how I thought of Indigo even though I was committed.
And how I found her when I came back to New York. I didn't mean to fall for her, but I did.
That's close enough to true.
Or maybe entirely true.
I'm not sure.
Eve hangs on every word. Until movement at the entrance grabs her attention.
Indigo steps into the restaurant in a deep navy jumpsuit.
Her hair in a neat line.
Her blue eyes lined in charcoal.
Her lips Bordeaux.
She looks dramatic, bold, sexy as fuck.
And like her.
The version of her dressing up to impress my family.
As if this is a normal dinner.
And we're really in love.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Ty
"Always nice to see you, Ian." Indigo extends her hand.
My brother shakes. "Sweet of you to lie."
She laughs. "How would you know?"
"You two had to put on clothes for this," he says.
She blushes. "It is a shame. True." She turns to his girlfriend. "You must be Eve. I've heard a lot about you."
Eve stands. "About my hair?"
"Mostly." Indigo smiles. "It's fierce."
"Yours too." Eve offers a hug.
Indigo accepts.
It's strange, watching my brother's girlfriend hug my fiancée.
A ghost of a possibility.
I met Rory after his divorce. After he gave up on love. He tried to support me, but he couldn't hide his doubt.