Trouble Triangle (Tyler's Trouble Trilogy) (31 page)

I shoved a spoonful of rice in my mouth so I wouldn't have to answer.

She leaned in. "I told you, your time's running out. I think it's about time—"

"This all looks very cozy," Holly interrupted, stepping to the end of our table. "Mind if I join you?" She sat down before we had a chance to answer. Debbie and I looked at each other. Holly placed her napkin on her lap then sawed into her roast beef. She took a bite. "
Mmm
…delicious," she cooed. "But you know what it could do with?"

"Oranges and mint?" I offered.

"Don't be ridiculous. Coconut and some dates." She looked at me. "I'll make it for you some time, lover. You'll taste the difference."

"I'm sure I will." Nervousness jumped in my stomach, not knowing what Debbie might do or say next. I tensed up.

Debbie lowered her head to conceal her smirk. After feverishly wiping her mouth, she spoke. "How's your dad, Holly?"

"Totally awesome. He rocked the
Blaisdell
Center and really likes Tyler." She playfully rested the side of her head on my shoulder for a moment then jerked back upright. "So, Debbie, any new girlfriends?"

Debbie's foot brushed up against mine. "Actually, I've been playing it straight, if you must know. I've been seeing this guy. He's really cute. Six foot, thin but muscular, brown hair and the eyes so blue you could swim in '
em
." She leaned back and rubbed her finger over her lower abdomen, just above the right side of her crotch. "And he's got the cutest little—
OW
!"

Debbie caught the full force of my boot in her shin. She leaned down and rubbed her leg.

"Are you, like, okay?"

"Yeah." She narrowed her eyes and looked at me. "But sometimes he's a real asshole. He can be a self-centered, selfish dickhead. I'm still working on that part."

"I'd like to meet him sometime," Holly said.

"Yeah, that'd be great. Maybe we could go on a double date or something." Debbie sounded excited and threw me a crooked smile. I didn't know if she was trying to drop me in it, or if she saw an opportunity to have another woman to woman encounter with Holly, with me acting as the side dish. "
Whattya
think, Tyler?"

They both looked at me. I dropped my head and pushed my mashed potatoes around with my fork. "Umm…I don't know. Doesn't sound like I'd get on with him."

"Sure you would," Debbie offered encouragement. "You two are so alike, except for the asshole part, of course. He even
kinda
looks like you. Come on, it'll be fun."

Holly stroked my leg under the table. "I think it would be a good idea, lover. Debbie and I buried the pitchfork and I'd like to see her happy with her new guy." She leaned in, cupped her hand to my ear and whispered. "I want to see her with a guy so I know she's still not lusting after me."

Debbie drummed her fingers on the table. "Care to share your little secret?"

"Oh, she just said maybe we could go go-karting," I offered. "I still don't think it's a good idea. You know, relationships should be just two people. Double
dating's
not a good idea." I sent Debbie a look and hoped she'd be able to interpret my 'Leave it alone' look.

She waved her finger between me and Holly. "Well, you and he
r went out with Mark and Lori."

"Yeah, and look how that ended. See? A disaster. Case confirmed. I think we should keep our relationships to ourselves." I glared at Debbie and talked through clenched teeth. "And not involve other people in our relationships."

Debbie turned her attention to Holly. "Okay, forget him. What do you think, Holly? Shall you and I get together with our boyfriend-
zzz
?"

"Like, sure." She grabbed the back of my head and moved it side to side. "Don't worry about him. I'll talk him round. Why don't we meet at Dolphin's, Friday night, six-thirty? You bring your boyfriend and I'll bring mine. It'll be fun."

Debbie looked at me and smiled big. "I can't wait to see the look on his face when I tell him."

Mark and I met up in the room after work. I sat on my bed while he got ready to go out with Lori. He always wore button down shirts and slacks when he went out with her, never just jeans and a t-shirt.

"Where you guys going?"

He stood in front of the mirror combing his sandy-blond hair. "I'm taking her to the movies. She wants to see
Terms of Endearment
."

I wrinkled my nose. "Bit girlie, isn't it?"

"Hey, if she's happy, I'm happy. Sometimes you just have to do these things. It's a small price to pay to see her smile. She's really cool. I like her a lot."

"I'm pleased for
ya
, buddy. You seem to handle Lori pretty good. Can I ask you for some advice?"

He walked over, pulled up a chair and sat down facing me. "Well, I don't have a lot of experience on how to handle a love triangle, but go ahead, shoot."

"I got a bit of a problem."

"Just one? Is it mental or physical?"

I flipped him the bird. "Shut up. Anyway, Debbie set me up. Me and Holly are supposed to go on a date with Debbie and her boyfriend. Well, that
ain’t
gonna
happen, is it?"

He laughed. "Yeah, like one of those movies where you keep going back and forth between their different booths. At least this way, you'd all be in the same booth and you'd just h
ave to move to opposite sides."

He got up and went to his drawer, splashed on some aftershave then came back over to sit down. "So Debbie finally threw down the gauntlet, did she? Well, can't say I'm surprised. Women like to be the only one,
ya
know?" He made his hand into gun replica and pointed it at me. "Showdown at the Pussy Coral. Bang." He blew imag
inary smoke from his fingertip.

"There's got to be a way around this. Holly would be crushed if I dumped her. Besides, I really like her. But Debbie could rat me out if I dump her."

"Umm…sorry to be the one to tell you this, but you did this to yourself. Debbie was just a passenger hoping that you'd finally choose her. It sounds to me like you're pretty hung up on Holly. But I can tell you, I happen to know that Debbie has really fallen for you. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes. Sounds like it's
gonna
get ugly."

I pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Well, you don't know much about giving advice, do you? That's when I give you one of my problems
and you tell me how to fix it."

Mark stood up, straight-faced and narrowed-eyed. "Look, Tyler, I'm a Fireman, not some guru sitting on top of a mountain answering 'What is the meaning of life' questions. I've given you advice time and time again. You've ignored it every time and just did whatever your dick wanted to do. So don't go trying to lay a guilt trip on me. If you had taken my advice earlier, you wouldn't be in this mess. I told you to hook up with Debbie, but you wanted the hot-looking ditz because she was an easy fuck and you didn't have to work your brain muscles. Deal with it."

I stood up and walked over to him until we were nose-to-nose. "That
ditz
you're talking about is my girlfriend. The last guy to talk shit about her got his jaw busted."

Mark cocked his fist. "Back off, Jack. I'll drop you like a bad habit." His eyes filled with anger. I took a step back and he dropped his fist. "You know what, Tyler? I wouldn't really care, but I consider Debbie a friend. A good friend. And I know how much you've been hurting her. So on second thought, you hang with Miss shit-for-brains and leave Debbie out of it. I'll talk to
her and convince her she's better off without you. There. That's my advice." He turned around and walked out, slamming the door as he left.

I felt bad. I'd have to sort this out my own way. I went over to Debbie's dorm and knocked. She answered in a Molly Hatchet t-shirt, tight orange shorts and bobby socks. She did look hot. I pulled out a bottle of rum from behind my back.

"
Yo
ho
ho
, and all that," I said.

She smiled and opened the door to let me in. She gestured toward the table and chairs. "Straight, or with coke?" she asked.

"Coke, if you got any."

She went to her fridge, pulled out a couple of cans of Coke and grabbed two glasses off the top. She sat down and I poured us a drink.

"Cheers," I said and we touched glasses. I took a drink. "Okay, you got us into this, how you
gonna
get us
outta
of it?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Chambers." She took a gulp. "You got yourself into this, how are you going to get yourself out of it?"

"Come on, Debbie. You set me up." I offered her a cigarette, she accepted and we both lit up.

She shook her head. "Tyler, I've been telling you, this has always been on the cards. I called your bluff to pick the muff. Who is it? Me or Holly?"

"C'mon, it's not that easy. I haven't decided yet." I knew it would be Holly, b
ut I couldn't tell Debbie that.

She took a deep drag and slowly blew out the smoke. "Well, Tyler, you treat me like some Shit Street whore. I feel like filth."

"Wait a minute, Debs. You're the one who said no strings, unemotional sex. Can't blame me for taking that at face value."

"No I can't." She sniffled back tears. "I'm a slut, a whore, the other fucking woman. I can't get a guy who loves me for me." A tear trickled down her cheek.

Oh shit. Not waterworks. I got up and put my arms around her. "Hey, don't cry." I held her until the quiet sobs had been reduced to sniffling, then stroked her arms a little while longer before returning to my chair.

She regained her composure and took a drink. "Sorry, you're right. It's all my fault. I should have left you to Holly long ago. The girl who already has everything." She looked at me, tears pooled in her eyes again. "I just thought you might pick me over her in the end. Well, that was a stupid thought, wasn't it?" She smacked her head. "How in the hell was I ever going to outdo the wonderful, gorgeous Holly Knight? You've obviously chosen her." Her eyes pleaded with me to tell her she was wrong.

"Look, Debbie, it doesn't have to end like this. Why don't you get Sanchez to act as your boyfriend for the night and we'll work something out."

Sad eyes were replaced by angry eyes. "For starters, you expect me to show up with a five-foot nine, slightly overweight Mexican with brown eyes, and convince Holly he's the dreamboat I'd been talking about. She's thick, not blind. Not to mention that Sanchez isn't a self-centered asshole as I accurately described."

Boy, first Mark, now Debbie. I took a drag and looked at the floor. The relatively unfamiliar feeling of guilt washed over me. I knew she had been falling for me but chose to ignore it. Not so much ignore as use it to my advantage. Now I sat in danger of losing them both. "I never meant to hurt you, Debs." I looked up and took her hand resting on the table. "I'm really sorry."

Debbie smiled. She took a drink and then a puff. "You know what? I've changed my mind. You're right. I don't want to lose you. This was all my idea. Okay, so I couldn't knock the head cheerleader off her perch. That's just something I'll have to deal with. It's my problem and I just had a thought. That Richardson guy from the weld shop fits your description, I'll ask him out. The four of us will play happy families, Holly will never know, then we'll see what happens. How's that?"

I sat stunned. "Seriously? You'd do that? I mean, is that what you really want?"

She nodded. "Well, it looks like that's the only way I'm going to have you, right? You've enjoyed it, haven't you?"

I nodded.

"So, what the hell. Don't worry about it. Everything will work out. As long as I make you happy in some way, it's good enough for me."

We
leaned
in and kissed.

"If you don't mind, Tyler, I'm a little emotionally drained right now. Mind if we leave it for now?" She stroked my cheek. "Let's just stay low-key until after the date, then we'll get back on track. Is that okay?"

"You sure you're okay?"

She sniffled and nodded.

"You're
the best, Debs. Thanks."

"Good. See you Friday at Dolphin's."

I kissed her and left.

#

I got back to the room and decided to wait for Mark to get back from his date to talk to him. I sat reading a book about the impeachment of Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal. It was amazing how morality was thrown out the window to orchestrate a cover-up. I found it appalling the way he disregarded principles whi
le trying to save his own skin.

Mark came in about eleven. He cast me a glance and undressed without speaking.

"Hey, sorry about earlier," I said. "You were right and I s
houldn't have acted like that."

"I don't really care." He flicked his hand at me. "I just don't like seeing Debbie getting hurt."