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“Yes, you were, Alex. What man tells the woman he loves that she needs to leave the job she loves because it’s a, and I quote, ‘man’s job’? Like, what the fuck?! Are we back in the stone age? Me Lionel, you Alex.” Taira thumps her chest with her hands.
A soft laugh slips across my lips.
“Um, Taira, that's Tarzan.”
“Pish posh, I call it like I see it. And you, Miss. Lady, were about to give your V-card to him?” I nod, lifting the glass to my lips and emptying it before holding it out to her to fill again.
We spend the next hour drinking the rest of the wine in the bottle as she comforts and reassures me I did nothing wrong. I somehow allowed two of the biggest snakes to slither their way into my life. But now that I’m free from both of them, I have to pick up the shattered pieces of my life and move on.
Tomorrow. I’ll do it tomorrow.
My heart races as sweat beads on my forehead, knowing all the calls I’ll have to make. The dread hits my stomach hard.
Florist. Church. Pastor. Baker.
Shit, I need to call the caterer as well.
Who knows if I’ll even get any of the money I paid for this wedding back. All my savings gone, and for nothing. It should have been a hint of Lionel’s true character when he didn’t offer to put a dime toward anything, stating it was customary for the groom to handle the honeymoon and the bride’s family, the wedding.
Yeah, I was a fool right from the start!
“You know what you need, Alex?”
“Another glass and better skills at knowing when my man and best friend are hooking up behind my back. What’s even funnier is my captain told me I had great observational skills today. Guess he was wrong. I didn’t see this at all.”
“You’re being too hard on yourself. I didn’t even notice it. I only met him a handful of times, but her—I didn’t like that skank from the beginning. I kept my mouth shut because she was your friend.” She stands and disappears into the kitchen, returning a minute later with another bottle of wine. “This is your last one, but have no fear. I have some in my apartment when we finish this one off.”
“So, we’re just going to bash them and drink all night? I do have to work tomorrow,” I ask with a giggle.
“Take some aspirin and drink some water. You’ll be okay. No, we’re done bashing. It’s time for you to get over this heartbreak, and I think I have the perfect idea. Where’s your laptop?”
“In my bedroom, on my dresser. Why?”
She grins widely and winks before handing me the wine bottle and disappears down the hallway toward my bedroom.
We’ve spent many nights drinking wine and watching rom-coms, so she knows every inch of my apartment like the back of her hand.
She returns with the laptop already open.
I give her a look with my eyebrow raised, wondering what she’s up to.
“Okay, so hear me out and have an open mind. I was cruising the web last night, and I came across this site.”
“Taira, what are you beating around the bush about?” I pour another glass of Moscato as I take in the light pink hue. I have a feeling I’m going to need more.
Lifting it to my mouth, I’m hit with an aroma mixture of peach, apricot, and citrus as the taste of its sweet, fruity flavor crosses my palate. I take a moment to enjoy the richness of it before my gaze once again falls on my neighbor.
“I just need you to be open, Alex.” She sits down beside me with a giddiness I’ve never seen before from her and a wicked grin. She’s definitely up to no good.
I take another sip, already feeling the calming sensation of the wine washing over me. Whatever she’s going to show me can’t be as bad as what happened today.
“Fine, hit me with whatever has you so excited.”
She grips the laptop tightly, looking me dead in the eyes.
“Okay, so I’ve been online a lot lately. I mean an insane amount. And while I was browsing some dating sites, I came across a particularly interesting site.”
“What’s the site and why are you so anxious to tell me about it?”
