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We meet at the sinks, staring at each other for a second through the mirror as we wash our hands. This feels like a business transaction, no different from when I call a service on the phone, and they send someone over as if I had ordered a pizza. It’s nice when you have your pick of pussy, sort of like going to a buffet except you only get what you pay for and not every shit thing they have on the menu.
After I unlatch the door and open it a crack, a woman on the other end barrels into it, almost knocking me on my ass.
“You people are disgusting,” she hisses, stepping into the bathroom and slams the door. Her gaze travels from my booty call to me with her teeth clenched in anger. “I have been waiting outside the entire time, ready to pee myself.”
She points her finger at me, a chunk of blonde hair falling in front of her blue eyes, and that’s when I realize I know her. Before she can get out another word, she stops herself, confused. I never thought I would see her again. After years of waiting for Chloe Fox to return, she finds me at my lowest point, in a moment of weakness, and of all places, inside the bathroom at Broad Street Beans. On the campus where we first met.
My stomach tightens along with the rest of my insides, tugging at my heart. “Chloe,” I whisper, still in disbelief that she’s here.
She throws her hands
on her hips, scanning my face. “Jackson. I…You look so different so…”
I’m not the nerd she once knew. I grew out of that phase a long time ago. She seems surprised by my transformation. What must be even more shocking is that I stayed in the city after she bailed, hoping to see her again. I never thought that day would be almost five years later after a cheap hookup.
We stand there, a beat passing between us before my sex date clears her throat. “Do you two know each other?”
“Yes,” Chloe says, her tone firm and sharp. “We…”
She doesn’t finish the thought. You could say we knew each other once and that our friendship was more than what it looked like from the outside. But we never had the chance to scratch the surface before she left without explanation, completely vanishing without a trace. For years, I had wondered if she was still alive until I found out she was engaged to a fancy lawyer, the asshole she had run off with.
“You should go,” I tell the girl I just fucked, except Chloe is the one who answers.
“No, I think you both should go. This is the woman’s restroom not some flop house for you to bring your dates for an afternoon delight.”
I laugh even though sharing the same space as Chloe hurts. It’s how I hide the pain. My God, I missed her.
“I’ll see you later, Jackson,” mystery girl says, placing emphasis on my name.
I never tell booty calls my name unless required. After all, I have a reputation to protect and patients who value my opinion. What would they think if they found out the doctor who dishes out advice about their love lives can’t keep his dick in his pants for more than a few hours? I’d probably go from being The Sex Doctor to unemployed in a heartbeat.
Dismissing the girl with the wave of my hand, my focus remains on Chloe, the girl who had broken my heart. The reason I have been such a dick for the past five years. Now, she’s here, staring me down and shooting daggers in my direction, as if she wants to murder me. And, all I want to do is grab her face in my hands and kiss her until we run out of air, despite all the pain she has caused me.
Chapter Five
Chloe
Seeing my oldest friend after all these years has me giddy on the inside. Olivia is waiting for me at the table in the front of Broad Street Beans, right next to the window, making me feel like a kid again. I was only eighteen when I started school at Strickland University. Olivia was in her second year of law school when we met on campus. She took me under her wing, helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Too bad I didn’t take her advice in the end.
Olivia flips her golden locks over her shoulder and smiles as she gets up from the chair. Her arms wrap around me, smothering me in her warmth. I know things have been hard for her since she represented the Wissinoming Park Rapist a few months ago, prompting her switch to teaching Law and Ethics instead of trial litigation. But it still feels weird to see her back on this campus and as a professor.
“I missed you so much,” Olivia says into my ear, the scent of her sweet perfume filling my nostrils.
She smells of home and candy apple, reminding me of everything I had taken for granted. And why did I give all of this up? I have nothing to show for leaving my family and friends behind. I was lucky to walk away with the clothes in my closet and the Mercedes SUV Mike bought me two years ago for Christmas. He was a dream come true, my night in shining armor until he revealed his true colors.
“I missed you, too,” I say, wiping the corner of my eye. “You look beautiful.”
Overcome with emotion, I push down the tears welling in my bottom lids, threatening to break free. I waited far too long for this happy reunion. With Olivia busy with school and then working for the Public Defender’s office, we barely had any time to see each other.
“Thanks. How are you doing? Hanging in there, I hope.” Holding me at an arm’s-length, she studies my face, concerned. “You don’t look so hot. Are you sleeping? Eating?”
“Yes, I’m eating. Maybe not as much as I should be. And no, I’m not sleeping. Only a few hours each night, if I am lucky to get that much. This situation is not easy for me.”
She clutches my arm as I take a seat in the chair across from hers. Then, she takes my purse from my shoulder and hooks it over the chair back. Olivia has always been somewhat motherly when it comes to me, given our age difference.
Picking up the mug in front of her, she raises it to her lips, staring at me with wide blue eyes. I hate seeing the worried look on everyone’s face. It was a breakup, not the end of the world. I will not die because Mike cheated on me—not unless I decide to go apeshit with the pills and vodka again.
“Are you depressed? Your mom told me about the sleeping pills. I’m worried about you, Chloe. I know your mom is too.”
