Perfect

HARRY
When we get to the party, the crowd is thin, barely a few guests.
Well, at least now I know it really is exclusive.
“Are you sure she’s going to be here?” Jamie asks. She looks nervous. Well, she always looks nervous but tonight she looks like she might flee anytime.
I grab her hand, give it a little squeeze. “Jamie,” I say. “You look beautiful.” And for the first time in my life I actually mean the words I’m saying to a girl. I feel like I’m always playing games. With Natalie or otherwise but with Jamie there’s none of that pressure and I can be myself. I feel like I can say anything to her without feeling like I’m being judged. “And as for Natalie, yes, I have it on good authority that she’s going to be here.”
“Okay,” she says and we show the bouncer our passes. “Right this way,” he says and leads us into a grand ballroom that has an exquisite gold décor and there is a Matisse on one wall, and all the guests are dressed immaculately and sipping champagne.
“So,” Jamie asks. “What’s the event?”
“Charity,” I say.
“What kind of charity?”
“Something for men with Undescended Balls.”
“That’s…awful. I guess.”
“No, Jamie, I’m joking. I just got the passes because Natalie was going, I didn’t ask what animal they were pretending to save this week.”
“You think every charity is a joke?”
“Not all of them,” I say. “But this one is. I know because I know the person who organized it.”
“You do?”
“Yes.”
A woman steps up to the podium in a gorgeous white designer dress that I know she had made to the exact specifications of her Pilates-toned body, and she knows she’s turning heads.
“That’s her,” I tell Jamie. “The woman who organized the charity event.”
When she starts talking Jamie whispers in my ear. “You were right,” she says. “She does sound like a bitch.”
I can’t stop laughing.
“Harry, what’s wrong! Why’re you laughing! People are looking at us!”
I try hard to compose myself before they call the bouncers to kick us out, but it’s not an easy feat. “Jamie,” I say. “You really crack me up sometimes.”
“Why?” she asks, clueless. “What did I do now?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh God, you know her, don’t you? Is that Natalie?”
“No,” I say. “It’s not Natalie but you’re right. I do know her.”
“How?”
“You promise not to run, if I tell you?”
“I promise.”
“Pinky swear?”
“Shut up, Harry!” Jamie says, annoyed and hits me with her tiny purse. I can’t help but notice that the dress and makeup have given her confidence. Either that, or Mia is exceptionallygood at possessing the souls of people who wear her dresses. “And stop laughing!”
With or without the dress, with or without the confidence, I’m still in awe of her.
“Jamie,” I say. “That’s my mother.”
Jamie processes this for a second.
She starts to leave and I grab her hand. “You promised you wouldn’t leave!”
“That was before I knew I called your mother a bitch!”
“Jamie,” I say, trying to put on a serious front for the people gathered around my mother, but all the giggling and talking in whispers has already given us so much extra attention and I see my mother glancing toward us. No one else sees it because my mother happens to be an Oscar-deserving performer but I’ve been with her long enough to know what that look says: Stop embarrassing me, Harry! This is serious! I got people to con! Don’t you want those custom-designed sneakers this month? I raise my champagne glass so she sees it and then take a sip from it.
“Did you just give your mother that cocky, champagne-flute tip?”
“It’s fine. Just relax, okay?”
“Don’t tell me to relax!”
And then, my mother calls some names and Natalie walks up to stand next to my mother along with some others. I see her smiling to her husband, and find him standing in the front row of the crowd. Pierre Gleeson. Just looking at him makes me mad. He has Natalie so badly under his thumb she doesn’t know what she’s doing.
“Is that her?” Jamie asks. She must have heard the name being called and noticed Natalie’s was one of them. I can barely speak but I manage.
“Yes.”
Jamie gives my hand a squeeze. “She’s gorgeous.”
“I know.”
My mother keeps talking but all I can see is Natalie and the smug look on her face and I know why it’s there. I know, and I want to take it away. I finish the champagne in my glass and lead Jamie away from the crowd and toward the bar. I get myself three vodka shots because what I’m about to do, champagne isn’t going to cut it.
“Harry,” Jamie says. “Maybe you shouldn’t drink that much.”
“I know what I’m doing,” I say and realize that it was an angry outburst, know that I should probably apologize. It’s not her fault Natalie broke up with me, and not her fault that guy tried to drug us both.
“Harry.”
I hear a woman’s voice.
I turn to face her. “Mother.”
“What are you doing here?” she asks.
“Mom’s it’s a charity,” I say. “I provided a generous donation. I can be here all I want.”
“I know you got the passes from Max,” my mother says. “Do you think you can come to my fundraiser and get drunk without my knowledge?”
“Mom,” I say. “This has nothing to do with you.”
She looks over at Jamie. “Hello,” she says, shaking hands with her. “I’m Harry’s mother. We haven’t been properly introduced.”
“Jamie. Jamie Crawford.” Jamie’s almost stammering.
“Crawford?” My mother says. “Is that the Westwood Crawfords?”
“Uh…” Jamie says and I have no choice but come to her rescue. “She’s my date,” I say. “Now you can stop with the interrogation.”
“We were just talking,” my mother says.
“No you weren’t, you were vetting her!”
“Harry, you’re drunk. Let me go get Max.” She turns to Jamie. “You’ll keep an eye on him for me? Don’t let him leave. I’ll be right back.”
Jamie nods and my mother disappears.
I see Natalie and her husband, standing to one side; talking to some people I don’t know. “Let’s go,” I say to Jamie and take her toward the group.
“Your mother said…”
“Jamie,” I say in a low voice. “My mother thinks you’re a cheap whore. Don’t waste your time being nice to her.”
“She doesn’t look so bad…”
“Jamie!” I snap. “Would you quit being such a doormat!”
I can’t believe she instantly gets tears in her eyes. I know I’m being an asshole but she needs to stop thinking the whole world is some place full of rainbows and unicorns because it’s not! The world is filled with people who will walk all over her, and even though I’ve only known her a short while, I feel this need to protect her. How can I, if she refuses to become tougher?
“I’m leaving,” she says.
“Jamie, you can’t leave now. Consider this as part of the training. You need to stop letting people walk all over you and this is the first step in your transformation. These clothes, the makeup, the false eyelashes Mia made you wear, they mean nothing if you don’t act the part.” I know I could have stopped there, but I didn’t. “Also, you owe me.”
She wipes a few stray tears away and straightens up. “Fine,” she says. “I’m doing this because you’re right. I do owe you. But also because I promised you and I never go back on my word. But I’m leaving as soon as it’s over.”
“Sounds good to me.”
I head in the direction of Natalie and Pierre and bump into Natalie on purpose. Natalie sees that it’s me and looks stupefied. “Harry,” she says.
“Natalie,” I say, putting on a better act than my mother was putting on just now. “Long time.”
“Yes,” she says.
Pierre shakes hands with me and Natalie introduces us. She refers to me as the boss’s son and Pierre nods approvingly. “And who is the gorgeous lady?” Pierre turns to Jamie.
“Yes Harry,” Natalie says. “Why don’t you introduce us? Is she from the new office wing? Because I’ve never seen her before.”
“This is Jamie,” I say. “My date. And we hooked up rather fortuitously at the hotel I’m staying.”
“So,” Natalie clears her throat. “Just a hookup then?”
I look right into Jamie’s eyes and kiss her on the lips and it’s the first time I’m doing it consciously. For a minute after I’ve done it, I feel like I’ve been hit by something. I have to peel myself away from her or I wouldn’t have been able to let her go. “It’s much more than a hookup,” I say, holding her hand and kissing it. “In fact, I think we might be soulmates. Isn’t that right, Jamie?”
Natalie sprays her drink. “I’m sorry,” she says. “Did you just say soulmates?”
Pierre looks apologetic and puts an arm around Natalie. “I’m afraid my wife doesn’t believe in that sort of stuff,” he says. “But that doesn’t stop us from having the most perfect relationship in the world.”
Natalie looks like she’s about to puke.
Or hit someone.
I know she could go either way.
So whatever I’ve done so far was a success.
I might have become blinded by that kiss just now with Jamie but that’s nothing to be concerned about. It’s basically the first time I kissed her, and she didn’t even return it, I had to do all the effort myself, that’s how bad she is. It was just the newness of it, nothing more.
“So Jamie,” Natalie says. “How long are you planning to stay in Vegas?”
My plan is working.
I should be happy.
But I can’t help feeling something that’s not happiness. No, it’s more like there’s a knot in my chest.
“I’m leaving tonight,” Jamie responds.
The knot just got tighter.

Notes