Page 122 of Red King
It’s her!
No.
No. No. No. No.
Nooooooooo!
Why me? Why?
“Hi, Pais!” Lexi beams at me. She’s wearing a summer dress and looking freaking gorgeous.
How does she do it?
I look down at the sweatpants and oversized T-shirt I slept in last night. And yeah, they do look like I slept in them and smell like I slept in them, too. Lexi looks a million times better than I do, and I didn’t just push a baby out of my vagina.
Her eyes are bright. Her skin is clear. Her boobs are about triple the size they were, and her waist is just as tiny as it was before. How? I mean, really. She can’t be human.
“I’m so happy to see you.” She comes in for a hug.
A hug.
I hug her back, using just one hand, which I tap a few times on her back.
“Hi, Lexi. Congrats on the baby.” I peer into the stroller. He’s under a blanket. There isn’t much to see except for a tiny blob.
“Thanks so much. He’s already sleeping through the night.”
He can’t be more than five or six weeks old but sleeping through the night. That’s ridiculous. I’ve never heard of that happening.
“What? Really? That’s amazing. You must have a ton of milk.” I point at her breasts and then quickly drop my hand because it’s slightly rude. “You look like you do.” Why am I still talking?
She laughs. “You’re right…I do. I have two tons.” She points at each of her boobs in turn and laughs. “I’ve been pumping and donating the extra milk to babies in need.”
Of course she is.
Not doing that!
Arghhhh!
I need to be nice. She deserves nice. Iwillbe nice.
“I heard a rumor that you were back. What happened?” She looks concerned. “You’re too good at your job to have been fired. Did you hate it there?”
“I resigned,” I mumble, wishing I didn’t have to talk about this…again.
“Oh, no! How come? What made you do that?” Her eyes are filled with concern. “Did something happen?”
I got caught having sex with my boss and had to leave.
I can’t say that.
The silence has grown decidedly uncomfortable. Lexi starts fiddling with a button on her dress.
I need to come up with something…anything. “I missed Reese. You know the guy I’m dating? I missed him so much that I had to come back to be with him.”
I’m a terrible person.
I deserve to be alone for being such a liar.
