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The Offspring
Thankfully, the day after the gala was a Saturday because I had a massive hangover and needed time to sleep it off. The only thing I did all day was literally use a stepstool to climb over to Josh's balcony—too lazy to use the stairs—and watch the afternoon game with him.
Over the food, we just kind of grunted at each other, both of us cranky and tired.
At one point, Josh did ask if I'd heard from Anaya, but I hadn't. She must have been lost in a love haze. I wondered if I'd talk to her before Monday morning, or if I'd have to study Dr. Haute's face for clues when he walked into the office.
If she'd hooked up with any other man, I might have been worried. But I absolutely, one-hundred percent trusted Dr. Haute to be a gentleman and treat my friend well. His only fault was being too much of a gentleman and waiting for-fucking-ever to snatch her up.
I supposed that was part of his attraction, however, at least for Anaya.
By Sunday, I felt much, much better, and I was super excited to go have a delicious late lunch with my grandparents. Freshly showered, the new flip-flops from my mom on my feet, I bounded down the stairs, ready to go pig out, and nearly ran right into Josh... a shirtless, sweaty Josh.
"Hey," he said. "Just got back from working out and then a run."
I raised my brows. "You did both of those things already this morning?"
"Yeah, feeling great today." He shrugged. "What are you up to?"
"Oh, just going to lunch at my grandparents' house."
He nodded, his face thoughtful, and something occurred to me right then. It might actually be nice to have some company, and they had been so excited and supportive about the podcast that it'd be fun for them to meet my business partner.
"Hey, you wanna go with me?" I asked him.
He looked surprised. "For real?"
"For real. You already know my grandma is an amazing cook."
"Yes. Yes, definitely," he said quickly. "If you're sure I'd be welcome. I mean, don't you need to ask first?"
I couldn't help laughing because I never had to ask to invite someone extra. Anaya and my other friends had been countless times, and Devon had gone on occasion too. There was always room for more and enough food to feed an entire baseball team. Maybe even two.
"Dude," I said. "I don't even have to ask."
He chuckled and lifted his tan shoulders in a shrug again. "All right. If you say so. But I do need to shower. I'll be like five minutes."
Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes. "Sure. Five minutes."
"You don't believe me?" he said, slanting his head and raising a brow.
I knew some people were fast in the getting-ready-to-go department, but five minutes seemed too good to be true. "I'll believe it when I see it."
"Let's make it a little more interesting, shall we?"
Not another bet. Hadn't I already lost two? "Let me guess? You want to bet?"
"Yep. WNBA game."
"Fine. Fucking fine." I grabbed my phone. "Timer starts now. Go."
"Shit!" Josh ran up the stairs as I laughed.
Please, please don't make me have to pay for Sparks tickets too.
I sat down on the bottom step, turning my face towards the sun, closing my eyes, and soaking in the warmth. The day was stunning—that perfect, mid-summer SoCal day. Kicking off my shoes so I didn't get a tan line from the straps, I leaned back against the rail, enjoying the sound of my neighbor kid laughing inside their apartment.
Checking the time, a minute had already passed. Please fly, time.
