I heard, without listening, the resulting exchange to this bombshell of a statement.

“C’mon Sheryl, he’s not my boyfriend. Not really.”

“Well, he’s the guy you’ve been going out with for the past 5 months or so, right?”

“Mainly social events, when each of us needs a plus one or something. But he’s not my boyfriend.”

“But he’s slept over a few times, right? Like when I dropped by this past Sunday morning, he was coming out of your bedroom while you were fixing some coffee for us …”

Sheryl continued talking in a puzzled voice and I saw Harley had looked at me, but I ignored her. Actually, I was ignoring both of them in the most polite way one could under these circumstances, given the fact that I was sitting in front of them, and we were sharing a table, and we were supposed to be sharing a delightful early summer meal together.

“We’re not officially dating, Sheryl,” Harley was saying, but looking at me still.

I’d checked out of the conversation, and plastered a small smile on my face as I swallowed.

Sheryl looked at me also, after she realized that I’d been excluded from this inane conversation about a Jack that I was already prepared to hate.

“Well, I must say I don’t understand how you young people classify that kind of relationship these days,” Sheryl said with a genuinely puzzled look. “Just like the “hook you up” thing you explained so well to me Aerin, could you explain to me what kind of relationship it is when …”

“When you’re having sex with someone on a fairly regular basis?” I asked, continuing the question for Sheryl. I avoided looking at Harley.

I shrugged, stabbed at a group of asparagus spears viciously, and then forked them into my mouth. After a few seconds, after I’d chewed half-way through them, I said, “I honestly wouldn’t know. For the past year, I haven’t been the most faithful of partners of women I’ve slept with.”

I didn’t know what kind of effect this had on Harley but I hoped it was massive.

I added, “And people who genuinely care about me told me just this morning that I was being a whore, acting the way I’d been.”