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I respond .
Again surprising me, Leila messages back right away. Then another message.
I’m giddy as I pull the covers over my naked body. I rarely sleep with clothes on. I find them restricting.
The only thing that would make this better would be if Leila were here in bed with me. I didn’t properly cherish our one real night together because I thought we’d have more. I’m hopeful there’s still a chance, but I could be in the friend zone forever.
I can live with that. Leila is a great girl. We have fun together, and she treats me like a regular person, which is an important trait in a friend.
I take a deep breath and promise myself I’ll be okay if all Leila wants with me is friendship. The fake relationship may have ruined my chances of ever getting more, but at least she hasn’t given up on me completely.
I set an alarm for six since we have some morning shoots scheduled to end by noon. Even if we run late, I’ll definitely make it in time for my date with Leila.
As I fall asleep, I imagine the times our bodies connected most magically, and my dreams are filled with fantasies of my future with Leila.
I just hope I get to have one.
Chapter Twenty-Three – Leila
One of the many things I’ve wanted to do since moving to Los Angeles, but haven’t done yet, is visit the botanical gardens just outside the city. I’ve always loved walking through nature, especially the gardens back home, so I thought it’d be nice. But, between work and this weirdness of my personal life, plus my just simply not doing things, I still haven’t had a chance to visit. That is why it’s the perfect thing to do with Spencer this evening. It’s technically a public place and falls into the realm of our fake dating, but I’m going into it with a positive outlook.
Today is full of possibilities.
Abby and Malia would be proud of me. I can’t wait to share this mentality with them, though I’m not sure how long it will last.
I get out of my car and head for the gardens’ entrance. Spencer is already there wearing his ‘disguise,’ which has his hair up under a hat and sunglasses covering his eyes. It’s the same Spencer I first met, and it sends a thrill up my spine.
“Hey! Glad you could make it,” I say, giving him a friendly hug. I’m choosing to pretend the last time we saw each other didn’t involve me yelling and crying.
“I wouldn’t miss it. You ready?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
We head for the main gate, and I try to pay our entry fee, but Spencer beats me to it.
“It was my idea,” I protest.
“Too late,” he says as he hands over his credit card.
I laugh, but I don’t fight him too hard on it. It’s nice of him to pay for us.
After we go through the gates and start walking through the gardens, I’m in awe of the beautiful trees and flowers. Around every turn, I expect cameras to start flashing to get out an updated story about the two of us.
It doesn’t happen.
“There aren’t any paparazzi here. I’m surprised. I thought for sure they’d follow us.”
“The disguise I’m wearing helps. I noticed a couple of cars in the parking lot had cameras pointed at me, but this is a privately-owned space, and they won’t let anyone in without a ticket. That helps keep us safe from them. I can’t guarantee they won’t have photos of us arriving and leaving.”
“That’s not too bad. I do like the disguise, though I like your long hair better. You look weird without it going down to your shoulders.”
Spencer laughs. “Honestly, it’s more up because it’s too hot to have it down.”
“Ah, that I can understand. I’ve thought about chopping off my hair in the past because summer sucks.”
“Exactly. Around here, I think about it year-round, though. Have you gotten used to the weather in California?”
I fan myself with the brochure from the gardens. “Not yet, though I haven’t been back home yet. I’m going to be in Mass for Christmas, and I’m wondering if I’ll be able to handle the cold. That’ll be the true test of whether I’m used to it or not.”
“Is the weather the only thing different between here and there?”
“No, it’s like a whole other world. Like, things at Frills West have been going well lately, finally, but I’m scared of how precarious it feels. Back home, there wasn’t as much competition, and it didn’t feel like we had to work as hard to get and keep clients. Here, I’m constantly worried that our numbers will drop again. But we are officially hiring a new designer. We put out the ad this morning.”
