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“I’ve been planning to, but this old grump keeps me prisoner at work. Which beach do you prefer?”
“I’ve only ever experienced the Hamptons, mostly near the Wiborg area,” I answered, trying my best to be as personable.I’ve only ever had Parker, too, I thought to myself, simultaneously balancing two amazing kisses in my head. A carousel of images flashed before me; kissed on a roof by Alejandro, us at The Met, his penthouse, his shower, all of which collided with Parker, with a lifetime wish that was granted by the single most magnificent kiss.
My phone chimed with an alarm, sending me into a panic as I immediately reached for it. I thought it was a text, or at least hoped for it, but my face dropped at the generic calendar reminder that popped up instead.
“You ok, girlie?” Dean asked sympathetically, taking a seat on the edge of the desk. “You look worried, and that makes me nervous.”
Worried? More like exhausted. It’d been forty-eight hours since I left the Hamptons, and I hadn’t gotten an ounce of sleep since. Between Alejandro’s scandal and Parker’s confession, I barely had time to think of anything else, other than getting past this very moment, of course. I still had no idea what was happening back at the Joneses’ or with Camilla, having insisted with Parker that I needed a few days alone to figure things out. He respected my space, and I hadn’t heard from him since, but maybe now a part of me wanted that text to be from him, or Alejandro, who remained completely unresponsive.
“I was just hoping to hear from someone,” I admitted. “And you shouldn’t be nervous. I’m the nervous one. Honestly, my last interview didn’t go very well… which I’m not sure is a good comparison, considering I’m not sure if that’s what this is.”
“Whatever it is,it’sgood. I’m not sure what happened in your last interview, but I can tell you right now it was meant to be.”
“Well, I’m still deciding if it was a blessing or a curse.” Meeting Alejandro that day brought a whole new perspective to my life, but also, a detour to my fate. What if he hadn’t stolen me from Gerard, where would I be now? Would there’ve been other opportunities, or would I have still been jobless? Would Parker still have confessed his feelings?
“Trust me. Things happen for a reason, but if we roll with it, we can conquer it.” Dean hurried over to the fridge for a bottle of water, passing it to me as he returned. “Believe it or not, I’m quite introverted. Well, I used to be.”
“That seems surprising.”
“Oh, I know… and I think I would’ve stayed that way had I not taken a chance on something that scared me.”
“I’m guessing it was this job?” I asked, unable to think of anything more intimidating than working for the greatest designer of all time.
Dean wafted my question away, his nose wrinkled. “God, no,” he replied. “But it is ironic that you’d say that.” He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “Are you one of those ocean people? Like you can swim in it and not care?”
I shrugged. “I guess so. I don’t mind it, really.”
Dean slapped his thigh.
“See, I envy that. To me that just feels so impossible. When someone says they can go into the ocean, it feels like a superpower.”
“Lucky for you we’re in a skyscraper.” I played along, garnering a small laugh from Dean. He took a moment, sipping from his Perrier, before placing his finger over his lips, excusing himself with a swallow.
“Well, let me tell you, back home in Laguna, surfing is all the rage, and the day my friends tricked me into going on their little surfing retreat, I nearly died. You can only cancel on people for so long. Introverted or not, you start to look like an asshole,” he shrugged.
“It’s nice they got you to conquer your fear.” I said, finally sitting back into my seat, feeling the smallest ounce of relaxation. Dean snapped his finger, causing me to spring back up.
“My friends? Honey, no. They were no help… but a stranger was. Let me tell you, finding the one person in your life that can push you outside of your comfort zone, who can see your potential, is completely priceless.”
“A stranger?” I asked, reminiscent on the story, of how enamored he looked. I didn’t know the scope of Dean’s fear, but I knew the reward of concurring it, just by the look in his eyes.
“A stranger back then, but not anymore, because here’s a secret for ya… if I hadn’t gone that day, if I hadn’t trusted that stranger with my deepest fear, I would have never have met the love of my life.”
“Seriously?” I physically leaned forward in my seat, captivated.
“As serious as I am about avocado toast. Go to California and find out what that means.”
Dean laid it out so simple for me, like the path to all my answers was as easy as trusting others. Maybe that’s how he learned to deal with things, and I appreciated the effort he gave me as a stranger, though I wasn’t sure I could relate, or if trusting others would do the same for me. I mean, how could I do that with Alejandro now, especially with how mad I was at him?
I was mad, wasn't I?
Jesus…
Sad, mad, worried, what difference did it make? It wasn’t just some fear to concur as Dean suggested, it was here—now—interrupting my interview, piled on by a kiss from Parker. And what would I tell Alejandro if I ever saw him? Did I owe him the truth, and if so, what was it; that my kiss with Parker was a mistake, or that it wasn’t? Not knowing was the worst part.
“I guess it’s easier to relax when you have a stiff drink. You may be serious about your avocados, but New Yorkers are serious about their Manhattans,” I said lightheartedly, eyeballing the bar cart in the corner, not thinking he’d take me seriously.
“Shit! Where are my manners!” He turned quickly. “Henri may be French, but don’t expect any expensive wine. He’s as much as a basic bitch as me.” He fixed the perfect swoop to his hair, styled like a proud rooster. “Rosé?”
