Oh God. It’stotally Gabe. He found me, somehow, maybe through my business or something? I don’tknow how, but he found me, and I am totally freaking out. All the feelings I’dbeen trying to get over come rushing back and I am a total mess. Gabe ismessaging me. He finally sought me out. Maybe I wasn’t just some one nightstand.
I take several deepbreaths and glance over at Livi, who is still using the computer and totallyunaware that I’m having a mental breakdown over here. I think about calling outto her and sharing this amazing news, but I don’t know what she’ll think. She’sbeen helping me get over Gabe, after all, and I haven’t talked about him in twoweeks so she probably thinks I’m totally over it.
I decide to keep itto myself for now. My fingers shake as I type out a reply.
Thisis Alexa. Who is this? :)
I try to swallow,but my throat is dry. I reach over for my coffee, which had gone cold long ago,but I drink it anyway and listen to the thudding of my heart while I wait forhim to reply.
Thisis Lee. Sorry it took me so long to message you. Work has been really busy, butI’m looking forward to seeing you again.
My heart stops. Itdrops right out from my chest and splatters on the floor. Heat flushes over mywhole body, that’s how totally embarrassed I am right now. It wasn’t Gabe. Itwas Lee. My boring blind date who didn’t seem to like me very much. And nowhe’s “looking forward to seeing me again”… what evenisthat? Ugh.
I call Livi’s nameand show her the text. I donottellher how I thought it was Gabe at first.
“Aww, that’ssweet,” she says. “I mean, it took him long enough!”
“He didn’t reallyseem like he liked me,” I confess.
“He’s just shy,”she says. “I told you. I met him like ten times at Mason’s shop before he eventalked to me. But once you get to know him, he’s a good guy.”
I take a deepbreath. I know Livi wouldn’t lie to me and she’d only recommend a guy if shethinks he’s worth it.
“So… should I goout with him again?”
“Only if you wantto,” Livi says, which is the most unhelpful answer ever. “If you don’t reallylike him then there’s no reason, ya know?”
I bite on my bottomlip and stare out the window again. “I don’t think I have had enough time tofigure out if I like him or not. That one dinner wasn’t enough to make adecision. So maybe I should see him again?”
“It won’t hurt toget to know him. He really is great once he stops being so shy.”
I get what Livi issaying, and maybe she’s completely right, but it’s not very sexy to be toldthat a guy needs time to come out of his shell like some kind of scared turtle.What’s sexy is the way Gabe walked right up to me and talked like it was no bigdeal. Like he liked what he saw and wanted to get to know me, awkward firstconversations be damned.Thatissexy. I wish every man was confident like that, but I guess that’s too big of awish to make. If Lee is as great as Livi thinks he is, then maybe he’ll make agood boyfriend. He was cute after all, so at least there’s some attractionthere.
I stare at my phoneand then type out a reply.
Ilook forward to seeing you again too.
***
Later, I’m at home pretendingto have a migraine because Livi and Mason wanted me to go with them for margaritasat our favorite Mexican place, Del Pablo’s. I had to get out of it somehow, soI faked a migraine and then slumped on my couch where I’ve remained for thelast few hours.
Lee and I set up acoffee date over text, and I’m not even excited about it. Here I am, with acute guy who likes me, and I’m not freaking out over choosing the perfectoutfit to wear, or how I’ll do my makeup, or anything normal like when I’mreally exited to go out with a guy. This is just a date. Nothing special.Nothing exciting.
And this sucks, becauseIwantto be excited about something.
A surge ofadrenaline rushes through me, lighting up my insides as I let myself think backto Gabe, even though I shouldn’t. God, he was so sexy. So masculine andhandsome and well-versed in making out. His hands knew where to go and his lipsknew how fast and slow to move, and how to alternate the methods to make sureour kissing never got boring. I don’t think anything could be boring with Gabe.
He was perfect.
And now here I am,turned on to the max, and staring at my tablet wondering if I should make theimpossible search again. If only I could remember the business name on hisnametag, then I’d have a better chance of finding him. But I was so caught upin the thrill of my sexy hotel adventure that I didn’t even think to memorizehis last name. I don’t even know where my own nametag went. I must have thrownit away or something.
I get up and grab aglass of wine and down half of it in one gulp. If I’m being honest, I want tograb my vibrator and jump into bed and relive that night again, but instead Idecide to do something productive with my time.
Maybe it’s thethought of my upcoming date with Lee that has me so hooked on Gabe after weeksof trying to forget him. Regardless, I open my tablet and search for him again.
I drink my wine andrack my brain for his last name. It was something short … and it was also thesame name of his real estate company.
Gabe …something.
