Read Online Hollywood Ass. by Jonas Eriksson - Free Book Online Page A

be up anyway, lifting weights, jogging or just studying himself in the mirror.
    I excused myself from the table and walked to the side while B was thumbing away on her phone.
    “So you found her, but she doesn't want to go home?” A half-shouted into my ear. His reaction was rough, but still understandable.
    “She wants to stay a few more days to relax and clear her head. I wouldn’t see it as a big deal.” This was my attempt at taking some weight off of the situation, after all, this was all she was trying to do. Take a little vacation. With other men.
    “Is she going crazy, Darryl? Is that what's happening? Because this doesn't sound like a very sane person to me.” I had heard this resigned tone in his voice far too often by then and it had become a big worry for the soundness of their marriage. He was slowly giving up and B needed to show him he had no reason to.
    “She's better now. I think she just needed some distance from the incident. I wouldn't be too concerned at this point.”
    “It’s kind of hard NOT to be concerned when your wife fucks off to another country without telling you.”
    “I understand that. She does too. But I don’t think stressing her to come home when she feels like this is the way forward. You told me to go here and find her and I did that. Now she wants a few more days in the city and I think the easy way is just giving it to her. You’re busy anyway.”
    It was when I said this that I realized I really wanted to spend some more time with B in Rome. We had a nice chemistry here and I thought I had seen lots of the “old” B since the other night. I wished I could have bottled up this good feeling of sanity in case it evaporated when we came home.
    “Okay, if this is what she wants, I’ll give her the space. I’ve always been understanding when it comes to her wishes. But I need you to really keep an eye on her, I’m worried she’ll do something stupid. I haven’t seen her like this before.”
    “You have my word on that. I’m sure we’ll be back in LA in no-time, re-energized and ready for a new start.” This wasn’t really true, I had no idea what the outcome of this trip might be, but I had to come up with something positive to say.
    After I finished the phone call I had a hard time telling whether I should be impressed or scared by how casually A dealt with his wife’s emotions, wasn’t he worried enough to come for her? Why didn’t he talk directly to her? And why didn’t she talk directly to him? Had things gotten so bad they needed me as a mediator for everything? At that point I didn’t know.
    When I got back the table I didn’t want to tell B about my gloomy prediction, I needed to help her maintain her refreshingly good mood.
    “So what did he say?” B jumped at me like a starving dog.
    I sat down and took a sip of sparkling water, “Well, he supports you and whatever you need to do to feel good about yourself again. He says you should take your time and that he loves you very much.” I said, with lots of icing on top.
    B made a wheezing sound to this. “If he was still passionate about me he’d come here himself and drag me back to him. He’s a changed man, Darryl.”
    “Well, in all fairness, you left him without a word and went to Rome to hang out with another man, friend or whatever. So let’s try to see this in a balanced way. I think you have both changed and it’s time to either get used to the situation or deal with it. Hiding from each other won’t exactly help, although I understand your need for a break.”
    B ’s voice traveled up a pitch, “Balanced way? I don’t think there’s anything balanced about human relationships? Only single people talk like that.”
    That hurt. It really did. I hated being reminded of how lonely I was, because most of the time I thought I was fine. I decided to take a step back and get us to smoke the peace pipe.
    “You might have a point. All I’m saying is that I think he’s being an adult in