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I give Sarah the dirtiest look.
“What? He might be able to help.”
I flop back on the bed, lying with my legs dangling over the side. My mind wanders to the feeling of electricity when my hand touched Aiden’s, and a small smile crosses my lips.
Heavy footsteps pound the wooden floorboards as Chris approaches my room. “What’s up?”
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it,” I deflect, embarrassed that Sarah has brought a complete stranger into my social life.
“You want a guy’s perspective? Let me see.”
Before I can take my phone from Sarah’s grasp, she hands it to Chris. I roll my eyes at the thought of how lame I must seem to him. “Hmm…” he mumbles. “What’s the issue?”
Sarah speaks quickly, “This guy said he would take her out for dinner on Friday night, but he’s also picking his car up from her work on Friday. Do you think he means see you Friday for dinner or picking up the car?”
Chris laughs and looks at Sarah in a puzzled way to see if she’s joking, which he quickly realizes she’s not. He stops laughing and clears his throat. “It could mean a couple of different things. One being that he means both, I’ll see you Friday when he picks up his car and to go out, or…” he pauses.
“Or what?” Sarah shouts, following his every word like this is some telenovela hook.
He takes a deep breath before continuing, “Or, he’s only talking Friday when he picks up his car. But he could also be playing it cool and waiting for your reaction.”
I look at him, intrigued and feeling slightly hopeful. “Waiting for my reaction?”
“Yeah, he might be waiting to see how you react to the message. To see if you’re still interested in going out with him on Friday or not. He’s waiting to see how you reply.”
“Should I say something about Friday night in my return message, then?”
Chris chuckles. “Hell no. Play it cool. Write something like okay or yep or thanks, but wait a couple of hours before you reply. It’ll drive him nuts but in a good way. It’s a sure-fire way to make him bring up the dinner if that’s what he wants.”
My eyes dart to Sarah to see what she thinks of Chris’ masterplan. She simply shrugs, giving me no guidance. “I guess that makes sense,” I mumble.
“Trust me. It’ll work.” Full of swagger, Chris puffs out his chest. “Anyway, dinner’s ready. I made something to make up for this morning.” He looks at me with a genuine smile.
I let out a shocked laugh.
Sarah has chosen a guy different to her usual type.
“Thanks, Chris, appreciate that.”
We make our way out to the dining room, table set and ready to go. He’s gone all out. We slide into our seats. The meal looks delectable, making me dig right in. I didn’t realize just how famished I am.
“Did you know Chris is a chef at Vinchenzo’s on Main Street?” Sarah inquires.
I look at Sarah in amazement because Vinchenzo’s is our favorite restaurant. “Holy shit, really?”
Chris smiles as a general conversation takes place, mostly about Chris and how long he’s been working there. We find out he has three sisters, all younger than him, and they still live with his parents. Chris lives on his own in a smaller inner-city apartment on Main Street, close to Vinchenzo’s. He isn’t rich by any means, but he gets by on an apprentice chef’s wage. He’s into cars, so we have a common theme to talk about. Not that I know a lot about the mechanics of cars, but I know enough to hold my own when talking to car nuts.
We finish our meals, and when Chris starts clearing the table, Sarah and I both hop up to help. But Chris waves us off. “I’m on dish duty tonight. You girls sit back, relax, and chat,” Chris demands.
“You sure?” Sarah asks.
Chris grabs her shoulders, turning her and ushers her toward the living room. We smile at each other and sit down as he gets to work on the dishes. Honestly, I can’t be sure if this is all an act with Chris, or if he’s truly a genuinely nice guy. With Sarah’s history of douches, this is a refreshing change.
Sarah leans in toward me and asks, “So, what do you think?”
My lips turn up, happy for my best friend. “Honestly, Sez, he’s amazing. He cooks, he cleans, and he’s polite. He seems to have the trifecta.”
Sarah sighs, like she’s in a state of bliss. “Don’t forget, utterly gorgeous.”
