by Vi Keeland
Because I know what it feels like to be crazy for a guy who’s also your best friend.
I put my hand on her knee. “Give me a few days, okay? My roommate works in a salon downtown. I think she can hook me up with some human hair.”
“Good.”
What have I gotten myself into? Whatever it was, it invigorated me and gave me a sense of purpose. If it was possible to fall in love at first sight with this person, I think I might have.
“Skylar, how often to do those candy strippers…stripers…come to visit you?”
“They’d be more exciting if they were strippers. They come by a couple of times a week.”
“Well, I’m gonna talk to someone and figure out how to be your candy striper from now on.”
“Do you have a boyfriend, Nina?”
“No, but there is someone special who I really care about. He’s kind of like my Mitch. His name is Jake.”
“Have you screwed his brains out yet?”
“Skylar—”
“Well, have you?”
“No.”
“What are you waiting for? You’re old enough.”
“I know that. But things are complicated. We’re supposed to talk soon, so…”
Why was I getting into this?
She sat up eagerly. “Will you text me if something happens?”
“I…I guess.”
“Good.” She grabbed my phone and programmed her number into it.
I stared at her smooth head and her beaming eyes that I had just put a glimmer of hope back into and realized I hadn’t been lost at all earlier. Something had led me to exactly where I was supposed to end up. I just couldn’t figure out who was meant for whom.
CHAPTER 17
The next day, Sunday January 8th was my twenty-third birthday, but I hadn’t told anyone, not even Jake. Ryan knew when my birthday was somewhere in the back of his head. He certainly hadn’t given me any indication that he remembered this year. So, there would be no fanfare. I was planning on a quiet day (after yesterday’s events), trying to get all of my ducks in a row prior to Jake’s return from Boston. He said he would be coming in really late tonight and that we would be going out tomorrow and having that “talk.” My stomach was in knots. It had been two weeks since we had seen each other. I missed him something fierce.
I had arrived home after an early afternoon run to find a large gift-wrapped box sitting on my bed. I opened the small note card. If you thought we were going to forget your birthday, think again. Dinner. Tonight. 7pm. Eleni’s. Drinks are on Telly. Drunk Greek Circle Dancing. Wear Your Party Dress. Love, Tarah and Ryan
I clutched the card to my chest and giggled, secretly happy they figured it out. I immediately unwrapped the purple paisley wrapping paper. Inside the box, was a beautiful strapless, red mini dress. Tarah and I had gone shopping a few weeks ago, and I had tried this exact dress on but decided I couldn’t afford it.
“You’re gonna look so sexy in that, birthday girl.”
I turned around, and she was standing in the doorway.
“Thank you so much, but I can’t believe you spent that kind of money on me.”
Tarah walked into the room and hugged me. “It was nothing. I made some good tips yesterday. You can make it up to me by letting me make you over again tonight.”
“Why would you go through the trouble? It’s just Eleni’s.”
“It’s not just Eleni’s. It’s your birthday and open bar for us. You never know, you might meet some hot Greek down there, named Taso or Christos.”
“And we’ll fly away and live happily ever after in Mykonos.”
“See, now you’re talking!”
“Wearing my bikini, sippin’ a martini in Santorini.” I wiggled my hips as I said it and cracked myself up.
“That’s my girl! But seriously, trust me, you’re going to want to look good tonight. I’ve got this idea for your hair.”
“Speaking of hair, how’s that human hair wig search going?”
“Oh! I meant to tell you, I found the perfect one. It matches that picture you sent me of her with the hottie guy.”
Skylar had texted me the picture of her and her friend Mitch, so that I could use it to find a wig that matched her original hair.
“You do realize he’s fifteen…” I said.
She shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah, whatever. Anyway, it’s beautiful, long, auburn, just like in the photo. It should be delivered to the salon sometime in the next week.”
I couldn’t wait to tell Skylar when I went to visit her this Wednesday.
***
Tarah had really outdone herself. I wore my hair down and she created two thin braids, which she tied back over the top. It was very Roman. For makeup, she insisted I wear red lipstick to match my dress.
As I slipped into the strapless frock, I received a text from Skylar.
Have you tapped that yet?
I shook my head. That girl was sex crazy. I’d text her back later.
Ryan peeked his head into my room. “Almost ready?”
“Yeah…just give me a second.”
He stood in the doorway. “Tarah had to run to the drug store. She is gonna meet us downstairs. By the way, a friend of mine from work is going to join us for dinner. His name is Michael Hunt. I think you’ll like him.”
“What do you mean…you think I’ll like him?”
“I mean, he’s good looking, single and I told him about you.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
This is why Tarah wanted to dress me up. This was a set up!
“Please tell me you didn’t plan this birthday dinner as a setup.”
“No, it’s not like that. It’s more like I planned this setup as a birthday dinner.”
“Ryan!”
“Come on, Troll. You haven’t been on one decent date since that preppy guy, and I really think you’ll get along with Michael.”
It was evident that Ryan had no clue about my feelings for Jake and Tarah had kept her word about not spilling to him. I couldn’t blame him for trying. Anyway, it was too late now. I’d have to make the best of it.
I shrugged. “Okay, but please don’t expect anything to come out of this. It’s just a friendly dinner.”
“Of course. Relax.”
When we made our way into Eleni’s, Telly greeted us at the door. “There’s the birthday girl!” he shouted.
“Hi, Telly. Thanks for the open bar tonight,” I said.
“Anything for my best customers.”
Ryan and I had just sat down when he waved over to a tall lean guy with short reddish hair who walked in the front door and made his way over to our table.
Ryan stood up, and they clasped hands. “Hey, Michael. Glad you could make it.” He turned to me. “Nina, this is Michael Hunt. Michael, this is Nina Kennedy.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Nina.” He smiled and reached his hand out.
“Same here.”
There was nothing wrong with him. He was cute enough, nice enough, but I knew immediately this wouldn’t go anywhere.
“So, Ryan’s told me a lot about you. He said you guys are like brother and sister.”
“We are.”
Maybe if I bored him to death, he would just leave.
Ryan waved at the door again, and I turned around to see Tarah clicking her heels toward our table.
“Sorry I’m late. I had to get money.” She bent down to kiss me on the cheek then looked at Michael and Ryan. “And who’s this?”
Was she really playing dumb?
“This is my co-worker Michael. Michael, this is my girlfriend, Tarah.”
“Nice to meet you, Michael.”
“Likewise,” Michael said getting up and extending his hand.
Tarah squinted her eyes at Ryan. I wondered why. Had she not known about this?
The four of us sat there like the perfect double date when Desiree approached our table looking smug. “Hi guys. What’ll it be?”
We placed our drink orders, and a
s she took the drink menus away, she looked at Ryan. “No Jake tonight?”
I wanted to throw up.
Ryan shook his head. “He’s in Boston.”
“Too bad,” Desiree said.
Go away. Shoo!
She walked away, and I could breathe again. Michael started making small talk with me, and I went along with it. Like I said, there was nothing wrong with him. I was going to have to get through this casual date whether I liked it or not.
When Ryan started a conversation with Michael about work, I whispered to Tarah. “So, now I know why you tried to get me all dolled up. Nice try but no cigar.”
She sighed. “Nina…I knew nothing about this.”
“Liar,” I whispered.
She looked over at the guys as if to make sure they weren’t listening. “I did want you to get dressed up for a guy tonight…but it wasn’t for this one. It was for—”
“Jake!” Ryan shouted.
I turned around to see Jake walking toward our table. It felt like my heart started beating again after a two week hiatus. He was dressed up, wearing a sexy navy button down shirt rolled up at the sleeves and dark jeans. His hair was slightly wet. He looked so incredibly hot. I felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin.
He was looking straight at me when he approached and said, “Sorry I’m late. Happy birthday, Nina.” I flinched when he moved in and kissed me on the cheek, the scent of his cologne now permanently invading my senses. Then, his eyes darted over to Michael and Ryan across the table. He took notice of the seating arrangement: Ryan across from Tarah and Michael across from me. There was an awkward silence.
I looked over at Jake who was now giving them a dirty look. He had figured out what he had walked in on.
Ryan spoke first. “This is our roommate, Jake. Jake, this is Michael Hunt, my co-worker.”
Jake reached out his hand. “Mike, is it? Mike Hunt?” Jake had a devious look on his face, and I knew immediately what he was doing.
Mike Hunt. My cunt.
No one said anything. Then, the shit show continued when Desiree walked over with our drinks. “Jakey…there you are. I thought they said you were in Boston.”
“Funny you should point that out, Des. Tarah had told me it was Nina’s birthday dinner, so I came home early to surprise her.” He looked at me. “Turns out, I was the one surprised.”
Oh…God. Did he think I planned this date?
He handed her his drink menu. “I’ll take a vodka straight, Des.”
I hated that he called her “Des” and wanted to rip my hair out.
“You got it,” she said, batting her lashes flirtatiously before trotting away.
Tarah stood up. “Jake, there is something upstairs I forgot to show you. It’s broken, and I don’t want to forget to tell you about it. Do you mind…before we order our food?”
He raised an eyebrow at her and glanced over at me. He looked upset, and I wanted to scream out in frustration. Then, he got up and followed her out the door.
Trying to regain some semblance of composure, I made small talk with Michael and sipped my white wine, which I really hoped started to kick in soon. He started asking me about my nursing aspirations. While I was answering his questions, all I could focus on was what Jake and Tarah were discussing upstairs.
When they returned to the restaurant, Jake sat back down next to me and downed the vodka that Desiree had brought for him, smacking the empty glass down on the table. He looked over at me and cracked a smile. There was no longer any anger lingering in his beautiful green eyes.
After we ordered our food, Michael continued asking me questions in an effort to get to know me. I stumbled on my words when Jake’s warm hand suddenly slipped under the table and onto my bare thigh. My breath hitched, and I froze as his hand moved under my dress. His thumb grazed the edge of my bikini line. Then, he squeezed my thigh and slid his hand forcefully down the length of it. My skin burned from the friction of his touch. He was staking his claim and my body was getting the message loud and clear. I was wet and so turned on that it felt like I was about to go insane.
Thankfully, Ryan had started a different topic of conversation with Michael, so I no longer had to use what little brain juice I had left to formulate sentences. I bit my bottom lip and looked over at Jake who was sliding his tongue ring between his teeth, looking frustrated again, almost angry.
He pulled his hand away from my leg and got up from the table. I assumed he was going to the bathroom until my phone buzzed.
Meet me in the hallway.
There was a side door that led to the staircase leading up to our apartment. I assumed that was what he meant. My heart palpitated as I excused myself from the table “to go to the bathroom.” When I opened the door, he was standing in the stairwell with his hands in his pockets, looking uncharacteristically shy.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hi.” A slow smile spread across his face. Those dimples.
It was as if we were actually greeting each other for the first time tonight and everything that happened up until now didn’t count.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
He exhaled. “That guy was looking at you like he wanted to rip your dress off with his teeth. I had to get out of there before I killed him with my bare hands.”
“Why would that bother you?” I teased.
“You know why.”
My heart beat faster as he walked toward me until he was just inches from my face. “Why didn’t you tell me it was your birthday?”
“I figured you’d be away anyway, so I just never mentioned it.”
“I would never miss your birthday. Never. You underestimated how important you are to me, Nina.”
“I am sorry.”
“You should have told me. Tarah called me Friday when I was already in Boston, so I decided to surprise you tonight.”
“You’re sneaky,” I said.
“You’re fucking gorgeous.”
His eyes closed suddenly after he said it, like maybe he regretted coming on strong or was still struggling with his feelings. Then again, his hand was up my dress out there.
My body was humming between the words coming out of his mouth and the smell of his cologne mixed with vodka scenting me. I had never wanted to kiss him more than this moment. “Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself,” I said, tugging playfully on the material of his shirt but really wanting to tear it off of him. It felt like I was losing control fast.
“Tarah explained about what’s his name in there. She didn’t know he was going to be here when she invited me. She told me Ryan ambushed you.”
I couldn’t help but ask, “What if I were on a date?”
“I guess if he made you happy, I’d be okay with it.”
“I see.”
“That was a lie.”
“Oh.”
“I wouldn’t be okay with it. Fuck…I missed you.” The depth of the emotion in his voice resonated throughout my entire body. Then, he put his hand on my waist and squeezed my side.
I closed my eyes for a brief second when he grabbed my hand and kissed it. It wasn’t the kind of kiss I yearned for, but the touch of his wet lips on my skin nearly put me over the edge. I almost wrapped my arms around him but refrained. “I missed you, too.”
“Go on a date with me.”
“What?”
“Spend the rest of your birthday with me tonight. Let’s get out of here right now, go somewhere, anywhere. I just want to be alone with you. I can’t say what I want…do what I want…in this hallway.”
Shivers ran down my spine. “How are we going to manage that?” I breathed.
He gave me a mischievous smile. “We’ll go back to the table. I’ll make up a story and leave first. Then, I’ll call your phone from outside, and you can pretend it’s some kind of emergency.”
“I can’t worry Tarah like that.”
“It was her idea, Nina.”
Oh.
“Okay…okay.” I smiled.
I started walking back into the restaurant then turned back around toward him. “I’m just going to go the bathroom first, while you go to the table and tell them you’re leaving. Then, I’ll text you when I’m out so you’ll know to call my phone in like five minutes.”
He put his hand on my face and leaned in. I could feel his breath when he said, “I love sneaking around with you.”
I got goosebumps, and my body was on fire as I made my way back into the crowded restaurant and walked to the bathroom on cloud nine.
There was no doubt he was going to kiss me tonight.
After I peed and exited the stall, Desiree walked in. Talk about a buzz kill. She didn’t actually have to use the bathroom apparently, because she just stood near the sink with her arms crossed. I soon realized that she had come in to confront me.
“Nina…right?”
“Yeah.”
“I saw you sneak out to the hallway with Jake. I kind of figured something was going on between you two. Anyway, I came in here to make sure you knew, that despite what he might be saying to you, he’s not the boyfriend type. He just isn’t. I mean, don’t get me wrong—he was the best fuck I ever had—but he made his intentions very clear. It would never be more than just sex. I see the stars in your eyes when you look at him, so I thought I would save you some time and heartache.”
I stood there frozen against the hand dryer and didn’t even flinch when it turned on after I accidentally pushed into it. I wasn’t sure exactly when the room started spinning. Was it when she finished her monologue or was it when I looked down and saw the large purple rose tattoo on her ankle? It was the same tattoo I saw on the girl leaving Jake’s room the day I moved in.
I had been listening to Jake having sex with Desiree that day.
She just stood there eating up my shock with a satisfied expression.
Don’t cry.
Don’t cry.
Don’t cry.
I started to cry.
Should I go back into the stall and throw up there or see if I can make it upstairs? I burst through the bathroom door and texted Jake.