15-05-2021-052358It-Ends-with-Us

I don’t know why I have an urge to give him the naked truth.
Maybe I just want to see how someone will react when they find out
my own husband did this to me.
“My husband happened. We got into a fight two nights ago and he
head-butted me. Atlas took me to the emergency room. They gave me
six stitches and told me I was pregnant. Now I’m hiding out here until
I figure out what to do.”
Poor Darin is frozen, halfway between standing and sitting. He has
no idea how to respond to that. Based on the look on his face, I think
he’s convinced I’m crazy.
Brad pulls out his chair and takes a seat, pointing at me. “You
should get some Rodan and Fields. The amp roller works wonders for
scarring.”
I immediately laugh at his random response. Somehow.
“Jesus, Brad!” Darin says, finally sinking into his seat. “You’re worse
than your wife with this direct sales shit. You’re like a walking
infomercial.”
Brad raises his hands in defense. “What?” he says innocently. “I’m
not trying to sell her anything, I’m being honest. The stuff works.
You’d know that if you’d use it on your damn acne.”
“Screw you,” Darin says.
“It’s like you’re trying to be a perpetual teenager,” Brad mutters.
“Acne isn’t cool when you’re thirty.”
Brad pulls out the chair next to him while Darin begins shuffling a
deck of cards. “Have a seat, Lily. One of our friends decided to be an
idiot and get married last week, and now his wife won’t let him come
to poker night anymore. You can be his fill-in until he gets a divorce.”
I had every intention of hiding out in my room tonight, but these
two make it hard to walk away. I take a seat next to Brad and reach
across the table. “Hand me those,” I say to Darin. He’s shuffling the
cards like a one-armed infant.
He raises an eyebrow and pushes the deck of cards across the table.
I don’t know much about card games, but I can shuffle cards like a
pro.
I separate the cards into two piles and scoot them together,
pressing my thumbs to the ends, watching as they beautifully
intertwine. Darin and Brad are staring at the deck of cards, when