Page 53 of The Sounds of Her
“Who is Hannah?” Brooke asks.
“Our publicist.”
“That’s because she wants to get into your pants.”
“Not helping,” Jenna shakes her head at her husband.
“Dude, all of that is no reason to jump into something like this,” Adam ignores Jenna and looks at Brooke again.
He’s always had a weird relationship with Brooke. They like each other, that isn’t an issue, but there is this stupid fucking rivalry over Jenna.
Neither of them will ever hurt her and it’s been done tongue in cheek, I’m not a hundred percent convinced Adam will ever agree to anything Brooke says. This is serious.
I have the strongest urge to protect her. My best friend doesn’t mean any harm, but the way he is talking and acting right now is pissing me off. It’s not like Brooke and I are going into this with our eyes shut. I get why he’s asking questions, why Jenna is suggesting a different way to handle it, but what harm can it do?
“What if they’re right?” Brooke says.
“No, fuck that,” I get back up again. “You need this to make your parents back off. I am not gonna suffer for helping you out. You’ll come to Australia with us, and when I get back to New York, we carry it on long enough that they drop it.”
“Or lose everything. Whichever comes first.”
“Honey,” Jenna gets up and goes to her friend, wrapping her arms around her.
I get a pain in my chest watching how vulnerable Brooke is. Adam watches them too as Jenna steers her out of the room. He at least has the decency to look sorry about saying his shit in front of her.
“Do you have to be such an asshole?”
“I don’t want to be the bad guy,” Adam sighs. “But nothing good can come of this.”
“You say it like we’re doing something illegal. It’s not a big deal. What are you worried about?”
He shrugs and I watch him rubbing his wedding band.
“What?” I laugh. “You think one of us is gonna catch feelings? Fucking hell, do you even know me, or her? We’re doing each other a favour. Once the initial part is over, I’ll be on another continent.”
“And when you get back to New York and have to carry it on, what then? Is she going to move in with you?”
“People in new relationships don’t just move in together.”
“You are the ones saying it has to appear serious. And people who are serious move in together.”
“So she can move in,” I shrug.
“With Nick living there?”
“You’re irritating me.”
“I’m playing devil’s advocate. If you want to pull it off, this is what you need to think about.”
“There is no need for you to point any of this out,” I snap. “It’s not permanent, it’s not real and nothing is going to come of it.”
“Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself.”
“Get out of my ass.”
“I see things differently.”
“Like a chick.”