Diplomacy

jacket pockets?
    “Who is she, Lucas? Do I know her?”
    No, but you know him. “Lucy, it’s not what it seems….” His voice trailed off as he watched her turn around and head off into the kitchen.
    He closed his eyes. If he was completely honest with himself, he wanted her to know, but then she’d ask who it was and the last thing he wanted was for her to find out it was Jack. He couldn’t let her find out it was Jack.
    Lucas got up and slowly walked into the kitchen, where an unopened pizza box was sitting on the table.
    “You ordered pizza,” he stated rather sheepishly.
    “Don’t change the subject.” She was looking at the floor, her arms still crossed in front of her. Lucas could feel her eyes on him, her gaze sharp enough to pierce his skin. “I followed you half way across the world, left behind everything I knew to come to this… this… impossible country. And now I find out I can’t even trust you enough to leave you to your own devices for two fucking days. You said you had to work, you were going to spend the weekend working with Jack and….” She was breathing heavily as she stopped mid-sentence and Lucas could see her mind working. He tried to look neutral, tried not to show his fear, but he just knew she was putting two and two together. And no matter what, that couldn’t happen; she couldn’t find out about Jack. He was going to have to lie outright to her.
    “Please tell me it’s not… Oh Lucas, please tell me you didn’t…
    you and him… you corrupted him? He’s a married man, Lucas, and you D i p l o m a c y | 95

    seduced him, didn’t you?” Her rage turned into something else. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Was it pity? Disgust?
    “No,” he answered. “It’s not what you think. Don’t be so stupid, Lucy.”
    “I thought it was over, Lucas. I thought you weren’t going to fall for men anymore. But you… I saw you with Jack and I saw the way you looked at him. I couldn’t believe it… didn’t want to believe it, because you were with me, and the boys… the men were all in your past. You told me it was all in your past!”
    “Luce, please, you have to believe me. Jack has nothing to do with this.” His voice was quiet, strained in an effort to keep himself calm.
    “Well, you would cover up for him, wouldn’t you? Your precious American Ambassador. I wonder what his perfect wife would think about this. I wonder what would happen if I told Maria what her husband had been up to all weekend.”
    Lucas regained his composure. If she thought she was going to blackmail him, she had another thing coming. “I don’t believe you, Lucy. I must congratulate you on your imagination though. You find some condoms and you immediately assume I’m screwing Jack. Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? You might as well jump to the conclusion that I’m screwing his perfect wife. That’s just as likely, Lucy!” Lucas looked at her, hoping he would see doubt in her face. His breathing steadied as he saw her calm down.
    “I was looking for change, for the pizza guy,” she said. “He couldn’t change a fifty Euro bill… and there they were, Lucas, right next to your wallet. Why would you have them in your pocket? Why would you buy condoms if you didn’t intend to use them?” He put his hand on her arm, but she pulled away.
    “It was late and I was tired. I missed you, and, ok, I admit it, I went cruising. But nothing happened, Lucy, I chickened out.” He hated lying, but then again, he had been lying for a long time. Not as blatantly as this, but still…
    “But you wanted a man again,” she sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. “Why, Lucas? Why was I not good enough for you any more?
    Why now?”

    96 | Z a h r a O w e n s

    She brushed passed Lucas on her way out of the kitchen. He could hear her opening drawers and doors in their bedroom, so he followed her.
    “Lucy? What are you doing?”
    She closed the bag she was stuffing and tried to get past Lucas, but he blocked her way. “If you believe for one second I’m sharing a bed with you ever again. Now please step aside.”
    “Luce…”
    “You’re... you’re disgusting, my father was right all along. Just stay away from me, you make me sick!”
    Lucas took a step back, letting her pass.
    “I’ll collect the rest of my things tomorrow when you’re at work.”
    “Where are you going, Lucy?” Lucas asked, surprisingly calm.
    Lucy narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. “As