Page 23 of The Blessing

“Ronnie, what is it?” I ask, sounding exasperated.

“I let Eden talk me into a date tonight,” she says quickly, as if the words were vomiting out of her pretty mouth.

What the hell? She’s going on a date with some shithead? I guess I can’t be mad, I barely know her, and I haven’t staked my claim… but what the hell? Can’t she see that I like her? “And you want to go? I thought you were opposed to the whole ‘blind date’ thing?”

“I am,” she says with a groan, stepping away from the door and gesturing for me to enter her apartment. She takes a sip of her drink and walks back to her bedroom, intending for Grey and me to follow her. Well, this is just fucking great. The coffee I got her is going to give her plenty of energy to hang out with some other man. No good deed goes unpunished, I guess. “Eden just has a way of talking you into things,” she continues to explain from her closet. I look around, realizing this is the first time I’ve ever seen her bedroom. She has books everywhere; not only on her multiple bookshelves, but her overflow of books are stacked haphazardly on the floor. Her room is organized though, with art prints hung on the walls, and a computer desk in the far corner. Her bed is nice—there’s more than enough room for two. “I should’ve told her no,” she continues, before my thoughts can get too dirty, “but she was just so persistent and guilted me into it. Does this look okay?” she asks, as she finally steps out of her closet in a navy dress that fits her like a glove.

It looks fucking fantastic, but I’m not going to tell her that. She doesn’t need to be wearing a sexy dress like that to go on a date with another guy. I wonder if she has something more frumpy and dull. Maybe a dress that goes down past her knees? I’ve never been jealous before, and I can safely say that the feeling is unsettling. I never cared if other men looked at any of the women I used to “date.” Probably because I never cared about those women. They weren’t mine, so why would I care if other men looked? Ronnie, however, is a different matter entirely. The thought of any man looking at her makes my blood boil.

“I don’t really like that dress,” I finally say.

Her brows crease together in confusion and she crosses her arms in front of her, pushing her tits up and together. Cocking her head to the side, she asks, “What’s wrong with it? It’s just a navy dress.”

“It’s too…” What’s the right word? Sexy, perhaps? “It’s just too much,” I finally decide on. “Maybe you can put a sweater over it?”

She gives me a dubious look. “It’s not even September yet. It’s not that cold out, Trev.”

“Well, this is your first date and you wouldn’t want to give the guy the wrong idea.”

Now she looks angry. “What ‘wrong idea’ would I be giving him, Trevor?” she asks. Fuck, I love when she uses my full name when she’s upset.

“Well, if you don’t want him to expect to come home with you, maybe you should wear something more conservative.”

“What a typical man thing to say!” she explodes, looking angry and sexy at the same time. Hell, she’s just making me want her more and more. “Men shouldn’t expect anything on a date, regardless of what a woman wears. We don’t owe a man sex just because he decided to buy us dinner.”

“I’m not saying that,” I say, looking down at Grey to find him wide-eyed as he looks back and forth between Ronnie and me. I place him safely on the center of her bed before continuing, “All I’m saying is this guy could be an asshole, and as an asshole, he could expect stuff like that. You don’t know him. As you said earlier, it’s a blind date.”

“Well, he’s probably not an asshole if he’s friends with my sister,” she says before heading back into her closet.

I sigh and take a seat on the edge of the bed, pulling Grey into my arms as I wait for her to show me another outfit. I can’t believe how this day has turned out. I started off thinking I would ease into showing her I care about her, and it’s morphed into me helping her pick out an outfit for a date like one of her fucking girlfriends. What does she expect me to do? Provide her with moral support for a date I don’t want her to go on? How can I stop her? I could always man up and ask her out myself.

I watch her try on a few more outfits, growing angrier by the second. I’m not angry at her for going on a date—I’m angry at myself for being such a pussy. I’m brooding over something that hasn’t happened yet and don’t want to take the steps necessary to stop her. Part of me thinks she’s teasing me with all this fashion show shit. As if putting on the dresses were her way of saying, “You don’t like it? Do something about it!”

“What do you think about this one?” she asks, as she comes out in a short black dress and does a twirl for me. What a tease.

“Well it’s black, that’s for sure,” I say sarcastically. Grey gives her a smile of approval, before he returns to trying to place his foot in his mouth. I chuckle at his attempt and bring him to rest on my shoulder. “So, why are you asking me about this, anyway? Do I look like a man who knows anything about fashion?” I ask, gesturing to my worn black T-shirt and ripped jeans. “Can’t Eden give you advice on this girly crap?”

“Well, I wanted a man’s opinion,” she replies with a blush.

The tension in my chest dissipates as I see a shy smile appear on my girl’s face. “Ronnie, you know you’re beautiful. Anything you wear is going to look just fine.”

She looks at me for a long moment, as if she were seeing me for the very first time before returning to her walk-in closet.

I can’t contain myself any longer. I can’t sit idly by while another man pursues what’s mine. I place Grey back on the center of the bed and walk into her closet. She’s shocked at first, and I’m stunned momentarily by her exposed flesh, which she’s only making a half-assed attempt to cover. Her tits are nearly popping out of her navy-blue bra and I can see the hint of lace panties before I force myself to look her in the eyes. They’re wide and filled with excitement and lust. I may not be an expert when it comes to women, but I know lust when I see it.

“Ronnie, I can’t let you go on this date tonight.”

“Why? Why does my dating life matter to you?”

“It doesn’t,” I lie, feeling angry, turned on, and embarrassed all at once. “You’re my friend and I’m looking out for you.”

“Bullshit,” she says with a small smile. “It’s more than just that.”

Even if she doesn’t want to date me—I want to protect her. She doesn’t even know who this douchebag is, and she wants to go on a date with him? That’s like a hundred shades of messed up. I’ve never had a female friend before, but I feel like I’d be this protective of them even if I didn’t like them romantically. I’ve seen the horrible stuff some guys can do, and I don’t want anything to happen to Ronnie.

“Why are you even going on this date tonight?”

“He seems nice,” she shrugs, but I know she’s baiting me. “He comes highly recommended by Eden.”