Chapter 77
77
CONOR
C onor hadn’t intended to reunite with Colette like this. As he’d predicted, she had broken up with him in response to the tabloid news of his and Sophie’s outing. He made a weak show of apologizing and then agreed they could use a break.
Finding out that Gavin was deep into cocaine was a huge shock. He and his friend had sampled a variety of drugs before, but they’d never taken it this far. Since he couldn’t penetrate Gavin’s denial about the level of his addiction, Conor’s next instinct was to confront Sophie. Doing so in the public way he had, in the lobby of the hotel, meant he couldn’t easily slink out of town. So he concocted the plan to reunite with Colette, turning his visit into a surprise to see her. She ate up the drama of his unexpected presence and quickly took him back.
It meant he was then committed to watching alongside Gavin as their women walked in various shows. The two of them garnered almost more media attention than the designers’ work. Conor bristled under the relentless energy Gavin exuded as he had trouble sitting still. Conor recognized this as not something born out of drugs, but rather his friend’s nervousness at his drug use being known. He also had to endure Gavin waxing poetic about Sophie and saying Conor deserved the same kind of ends-of-the-earth love. Gavin told him not to settle for Colette if she didn’t give him that feeling.
The time together shuttling from the runway shows for Saint Laurent to Valentino, then on to Miu Miu, and finally to Amaya Arzuaga was plenty for Conor, but Gavin insisted that the two couples share a late dinner that night.
They left the restaurant choice to Colette, and she chose the highly regarded Lapérouse. It offered exceptional service in an old-fashioned and traditional setting on the left bank of the Seine.
Once wine and starters were ordered, Colette sat back in her chair and openly examined Gavin. “You guys,” she said, looking at Conor and Sophie with mock excitement, “how come you didn’t tell me Gavin had this cute little coke habit?”
Gavin glanced at Sophie, who was in turn staring daggers at Colette.
“Oh, come, Colette,” Conor said with an air of lightness he did not feel. “You know we’re not one of those couples who tells each other everything.”
“Is it funny to you, Sophie?” Colette asked.
“Why don’t we change the subject,” Gavin said.
Sophie couldn’t meet her friend’s eyes and instead played with the thick cotton napkin in her lap.
“So, how bad is it?” Colette continued, undaunted.
Gavin met her gaze and held it for a moment. “It’s nothing more than recreational,” he said with complete confidence.
The waiter approached the table then, addressing his comments to Colette in French, and they spoke rapidly as he gave her a taste of the wine for her approval. When she nodded, he filled all their glasses and stepped away from the obviously tense group.
An uncomfortable silence engulfed the table. Gavin loosely rested his arm around Sophie’s shoulders and watched Colette defiantly, daring her to pursue her interrogation.
“It makes you impotent, you know,” she finally said, smirking.
“Not in my experience,” he returned.
“Keep doing it and it will. Its …. charms do not last long.”
“You seem to have firsthand knowledge, Colette,” Gavin said. “How’d you come by that?”
“Oh, I’ve seen all kinds of things in this industry, including overdoses.”
“I can take care of myself, thanks very much,” he replied.
Conor had purposely kept quiet, curious to see where Colette would take the conversation, and thinking that, perhaps, as an outsider she would be able to get through to Gavin where he could not.
“Yeah, I can see that,” she replied with a derisive laugh.
Gavin opened his mouth and then hesitated. Finally, he said, “Your man’s done it himself. Why don’t you worry about him?”
“You have?” both Sophie and Colette said in unison, turning their eyes on Conor.
“Thanks very much, Gav,” Conor said. He locked eyes with Sophie, saw her mournful expression, and could guess she thought his confrontation of her the day before had been unfair. “Don’t look at me like that,” he told her. “I’m not a hypocrite. Yeah, I tried it. If we’re all suddenly going to be honest here, I’ve tried just about everything there is. But I’m no fucking addict. That’s the distinction and don’t pretend you don’t understand that.”
“Aye, don’t be getting the wrong idea,” Gavin said. “I’m not an addict.”
“Just stop,” Sophie said. “All of you stop. Please.”
The table went quiet. Conor watched Sophie as she looked out the window to the river. The dark water was softly illuminated by street lamps. All he wanted to do was make everything okay for her, to protect her. But it wasn’t his place.