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“Probably more,” Taylor mumbled with her lips on the glass.
Alina poured herself a glass of margarita. “I see I’m going to be the main topic tonight.”
Bailey announced. “Well, you are the only one here with a boyfriend.”
Alina put up her hand, “But I’m certainly not the only one here with a man.” She kept her eyes fixed on Taylor, who rolled her eyes at the comment. “What did you and Lee do the other night when Dereck and I left the bar, huh? You must have had an entertaining night to be so out of it the next morning.”
Taylor sipped on her drink. “I told you Lee and I spent the night with my auntie. Turns out, Lee can charm any lady, including auntie – she wanted us to stay all night. He was gone by the time I woke up the next morning on my aunt’s couch. Exactly the way I like it.”
Taylor added with a smile on her face. “Sure, Lee’s a real-life version ofMcSteamy,but we are going along great as friends, that’s all. I’m not ready for a serious relationship as every man I dated turned out to be a disappointment!”
“You know, Taylor, someday you’re going to have to commit to a man,” Peyton told her, her green eyes settling on her friend. Like her taste in furniture and interior decoration, Peyton’s appearance differed greatly from her friends.
“But that is definitely not today.” Taylor dipped, then stuffed a chip in her mouth. “As of right now, Alina is the only one with the girlfriend glow.”
“Girlfriend glow?” Peyton repeated. “What’s that?”
“It’s the glow women get when they have finally gotten a boyfriend after a drought period,” Taylor smiled at her best friend as she said the words.
“Oh,” was all Peyton said, but Alina jumped in.
“That is nonsense,” she announced. “You can’t tell that a woman has a man by her skin.”
“Oh, really?” Taylor opened her eyes wide and flared her nose. “Ladies, look at her skin and tell me that she doesn’t look absolutely radiant.” She sang the last part of her sentence.
The others turned towards Alina and either shook their heads or gave confirmatory sounds. Even Peyton, a woman of proof and facts, shook her head, agreeing with Taylor.
Alina was desperate to change the topic. “Enough about me. Bailey, how do you feel?”
“I’m great,” she said sarcastically. “I’m sorry for you bitches. You’re stuck drinking alcohol while I’m enjoying my tonic water and lime. It’s the best alternative for me while I’m in therapy.”
“Well, don’t worry,” Peyton reassures her older sister. “Soon you’ll be getting drunk like the rest of us.”
Taylor refilled her glass again. “Until then, I will gladly drink for you.”
“You drink enough as it is already. Drink my share too and you will pass out,” Bailey said as Taylor raised her glass and added the word, “Again.”
The rest of the night followed the trend since Alina’s arrival. Somehow, the conversation always managed to return to her renewed sex life. Alina enjoyed her night with her friends, as usual, but she still yearned to be in Dereck’s arms, making love to him over and over again.
* * *
Dereck
Dereck walked into the gym,a bottle of Gatorade in one hand and his headphones in the other. He ignored the treadmills and the workbench and went directly to the pile with fifty-five pound weights.
“Hey,” Martin spoke to Lee. “Look who decided to part from his woman to join the rest of us, single men.”
Lee whipped his head as Dereck approached. “Hey, Dereck. Don’t tell me Alina came to her senses already and left you for a better man?”
“Good evening to you, too, guys,” Dereck said sarcastically. “And for your information, Alina and I spend time away from each other, too.”
Lee retrieved a skipping rope and leaped over the object every time it touched the floor. In between breaths, he said, “We’re not talking about when you’re at work, Dereck. That does not count. It would be weird if she was in the room with you, not to mention your bosses would not agree to it, especially with that complaint in discussion.”
Martin stopped abusing the punching bag, holding it with both hands so that it does not swing. “What complaint?” His breath was rapid, but he had excellent control over it.
It was Lee who addressed Martin. “Apparently, Dereck’s foul mouth pissed off a very influential person. They wrote a letter to his superiors describing his abusive language.” He looked at Dereck, “Which I am sure was severely exaggerated.” Martin used his finger to make air quotes. “Nevertheless, his bosses are investigating the matter now.”
Dereck rested his bottle on the ground next to the squat stand and picked up a weight in each hand. He sucked in his breath each time the weight rose to the same level with his chest and breathed out when he dropped them again. He did this a couple of times before finally replacing the weights in their place. Then he took heavier weights and did the same.
