As he puttered around waiting for the kettle to boil, he practiced what he might say. Why are you on my couch, Ed? Bonnet not good enough for you? Or maybe Is your life's wish to torment me? He couldn't really put to words the weird mix of anger, resentment, love, and straight up want that bubbled inside of him as steadily as the water in the kettle.
He brought two mugs to the couch, placed them on the coffee table, sat, put his hands in his lap, and stared at the rising steam. âYou OK?â Izzy asked.
âWhyâd you run out of work today?â Ed asked, rubbing her nose. Izzy glimpsed her emerald green nail polish. She had dark circles under her eyes, like she'd tossed and turned all night, and he knew she had, because he knew she couldn't fall asleep when she couldn't breathe through her nose.
âDon't be stupid, Ed,â Izzy said, grabbing his mug and drinking. Then, he handed Ed her mug.
She let the steam waft near her face but didn't drink. âI know that your fetish isâŚwhat it is,â she said. âBut I wasn't trying to like. Tease you or anything.â She sipped, swallowing like her throat hurt.
Izzy snorted. âYou're always teasing me. You finally want me now that we're divorced and you've moved on.â
Izzy looked up and saw that Ed was tearing up again. She looked down into her mug, then wiped her eyes with her wrist, leaving a smudge of eyeliner. âI never didn't want you, Izzy.â
âThe murder-suicide attempt kinda suggested otherwise.â Izzy took another swallow of tea, and it burned his tongue.
Ed sniffled. âI get it. I'm really sorry, Izzy. I've apologized to you. Iâve stopped using. Stopped running. Got on meds and went to therapy. And I know it can't ever be enough.â She took another sip of her tea, still not looking at Izzy.
Izzy leaned over and snatched a tissue from the box and handed it to her. She blew her nose, and then the crying really got going. Izzy took her mug and placed it carefully on the table. She was too fucking lovely when she cried, and Izzy also knew as he grabbed more tissuesâ
âHehISCHHH! HehKCsshhhh! Eh-hihschoo! Fuck.â Ed laughed sadly, taking the tissues from Izzy and wiping down her shirt. Crying always made her sneeze, even when she didn't have a five-alarm head cold.
âHow did you get so fucking sick?â Izzy asked.
âStede gets these two-day colds and I get them for a week,â Ed complained. âOr Jack, or Anne. Who knows. I feel like a third of the city has this stupid cold right now.â
âYou really shouldn't go to work sick,â Izzy said, gruff. âNot for my sake but yours. The acquisition is gonna happen now. And if it didn't, Bonnet can suck my left nut. Wouldn't be your fault.â
âWill you hold me, Iz?â Ed asked, looking up at him with her shimmering, pink-rimmed eyes. âJust hold me and rub my back? You can do whateverâget off, use your vibe, Iâd like it. But I'm achy and just want to be held.â
âOf course I'll fucking hold you,â Izzy said. He stood, holding his hand out to her.
When she stood, he pulled her into an embrace. She buried her face in his shoulder.
âMe too,â he said, kissing her collarbone under her turtleneck. âI never didn't want you.â
âWish it had been enough,â she said softly, then sniffled.
âOh, you'll never be rid of me,â Izzy said. He put his ear to her chest and listened to her heartbeat. âYou know too many of my fucking secrets.â