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Chapter Thirteen
Abby
So there I am, staring at my best friend’s butt, and he turns and catches me. Cue the blush! Could this be any more embarrassing?
I lock up my apartment and turn off all the lights before heading back to my bedroom. There’s no need to shower before bed, especially in light of the diddle shower I took at my sister’s house only a few hours ago. You know the one, right? Yeah. Didn’t think you’d forget that. Lord knows I haven’t.
Stopping at the doorway to my bedroom, I glance around and take it all in. Modest sized bed with pretty blue and green bedding. Delicate, yet sturdy furniture that shows a hint of wear and tear. Light filtering curtains because I love to wake up to sunlight. Basically, nothing like Levi’s room. His is all dark and masculine with hard edges and a drawer full of condoms. There isn’t a condom to be found in my room.
Sad, isn’t it?
I bypass my room and head towards my office. Moving the mouse, the screen fires to life, the app tempting and taunting me. What the hell, right? I’m not going to find Mr. Perfect if I don’t at least check to see if he’s into Internet dating.
My profile pops up, along with two messages. I click on the first one, received earlier in the day. Hammer&Nails sent me a note, more basic details of his life. Is it weird that the first thing I think of when I see his username is Ryan? I mean, I know without a doubt that it’s not Ryan, but just the thought of hammer and nails makes me think of my potential future brother-in-law. And that’s kinda disturbing.
I reply to his note, asking for more details and giving him more of mine. It’s very pleasant to talk to him, but I don’t feel anything earth-shattering when we communicate. Am I supposed to feel that? Or something? Maybe that’ll come when we meet face-to-face.
And that makes me think of the things Levi said before he left, asking me not to date just to date. To wait until I knew he was the one to spend my time and energy meeting. I guess, that’s good advice, right? I mean I really don’t want to go on date after date just to find the wrong guy after wrong guy. See? I’m no good at this. Isn’t that what dating is?
God, I’m hopeless.
I find the second message from SimpleMan and my heart rate kicks into overdrive. Excitement races through me, and a broad smile spreads across my face as I click on his message. See? Isn’t this what I’m supposed to feel?
SimpleMan: So, I spent a part of the day with a friend of mine, which might be one of my favorite things in the world to do. How about you? Do you have a friend or two that mean the world to you? And I really need to know what your favorite dessert is.
AngelEyes: Let’s start with dessert, please! My favorite is a fudge brownie. Plain. Simple. Traditional. Though, I’ve recently discovered a love for raspberry crepes. I love anything raspberry, in fact. Especially eating them whole over ice cream. And as far as the friend goes, I do. Besides my five sisters, I have a friend. A great friend, actually. Honestly, he’s probably my only true friend outside of family. We’ve done everything together since we were ten. Tell me more about yours.
I click send before I can second-guess myself, and I’m pleasantly surprised to find him online right now. The bubbles appear on the message, so I sit back and wait for his response.
SimpleMan: A guy friend, huh? That’s pretty cool. My friend is simply amazing. There’s no other way to describe her. Yep, it’s a her. We’ve been friends for a while too. Sometimes, spending time with her is the best part of my day. Do I need to worry about your friend finding me and kicking my ass? Guys are territorial and weird like that.
If he only knew. Levi is super protective of me. I also can’t help but wonder about his female friend. It’s not unheard of, obviously, but it’s rare that a guy and a girl remain friends without crossing the line. Or has he crossed the line? Maybe they were lovers first and determined they were better as friends? The green monster of jealousy rears its ugly head suddenly.
AngelEyes: No, you don’t have to worry about him. As long as you’re a good guy, he won’t cause you any harm.
SimpleMan: Good to know.
AngelEyes: And your friend?
SimpleMan: No worries about her. If she ever met you, I’m sure she’d like you as much as I do. Well, if I get to meet you, that is.
A million thoughts flood my mind, and they all lead to one question. I set my fingers on my keyboard, only to remove them as if it were to bite me. I bet I do this three times before I finally decide to just go for it.
AngelEyes: Should we meet?
His reply is instantaneously.
SimpleMan: In due time, Angel. In due time.
* * *
Almost two weeks later, I decide to use one of my accrued vacation days and get out of the apartment. AJ’s still off on summer break, though she finds herself spending more and more time at the school, prepping her classroom or holding a cheer practice, as July gets closer to August. Since her birthday is tomorrow, we decided to head to the mall for a little shopping and to get some lunch.
We pull into a small deli chain with the best baked mac and cheese ever. My mind instantly goes to Bri, who always tries to order mac and cheese everywhere she goes. After placing our order at the counter, we find an open table by a window. The sun is bright and the reflection is fierce, but the view isn’t bad.
“So, how’s work?” she asks.
“Not bad. I’m almost finished with the first round of edits on a new book. I should be wrapped up with my notes and suggestions by Tuesday or so and I’ll be able to send them to the author,” I reply, stirring my blended raspberry smoothie.
