“Babe, I know you’re just looking out for me, but I trust Aspen. He’s a good guy and he said he just missed me and I’m not gonna lie… I miss him too,” I tell her, biting my lip. Now I’ve lost her, her eyes are bulging out of her eyes.
“You miss him?! Gen, you barely know the guy! This is not like a Hallmark movie, this feels like a horror movie! I know you had fun and all, but please, this feels stupider than most of your ideas,” she says.
Ouch.
“Lana, I’m going. With or without your approval. You’re not my mom!” I shout.
Lana looks down and if I know her, tears are starting to form, and in that moment, I know I went too far.
“I’m sorry Lana. I didn’t mean to snap. I love you, but I really want to do this. I promise I’ll be safe. I’ll text you everyday,” I tell her.
“You better call me, I won’t know if it’s actually you texting,” she says looking back up changing her demeanor completely. This girl.
“Okay, I’ll call you. Now be happy for me!”
“Of course I’m happy for you! Let’s come up with a code word you can text me just in case though,” she says.
“Okay, how about,hot tub?” I ask her.
She gives me the biggest scowl. “How about no?” she says. “Instead ofhot tub, let's go with…pizza!” She shouts.
“Okay,pizzait is,” I agree. “Now help me pack!”
I grab my suitcase from under my bed that I had just put there not even two days ago and unzip it open on my bed and we get to packing.
Am I being to presumptuous if I pack some lingerie?
22
Aspen
Today is the day I get to see Genevieve again! I can’t help but do a little happy dance as I comb my hair and get ready for work. Nothing has ever felt so great.
I was honestly really nervous to ask her, unsure if she felt the same way I did during our time together. For all I knew, she could hate me—or worse, have already friend-zoned me in her mind already. But I’m holding onto hope that I can charm her over the weekend. I’m not even sure how long she’s staying, but Derek mentioned he’d be back on Tuesday, so at least we have some time to ourselves until then.
I feel guilty because Derek left for the airport this morning, looking miserable, while I’m here grinning from ear to ear. I drove him there and tried to talk during the car ride, but he wasn’t really in the mood. I think it was a combination of the early hour and just the weight of his situation.
Once I’m ready for work, I head outside to start my car before coming back inside to pop an Oreo Pop-Tart into the toaster. The metal bars press against the sugary pastry and I wait patiently for it to pop up, eager to dive into the sweet goodness.
I’m in such a good mood.
Nothing can ruin my day.
I’ve got one Pop-Tart in my hand and the other resting on a paper towel as I step out of the apartment. I take a final glance around, admiring its cleanliness. I tidied up a bit last night and Ican’t help but feel a sense of pride. I’m usually a pretty clean guy, so it didn’t take much effort—just a little Clorox here, a little Windex there, and voila. I smile to myself and lock the door behind me.
I hop in my Subaru and drive to work. I’m preparing myself to ask my boss for a couple days off so I can spend my time with Genevieve. I don’t want to waste any time apart from her.
I park my car, stride on into work and clock in. Instead of heading straight to my station, I head over to the boss’s office, hoping to catch him there. I have a kick in my step and a smile on my face when I say hi to the receptionist, Rebecca.
“Hey, Aspen, lovely day huh?” She says.
“Oh it sure is, Becky!” I say cheerfully and carry on my way.
I knock on the glossy wooden door to my boss’s office and wait for his response.
“Come in,” he says.
I open the door and let myself in.
