Chapter 6
Holly
Wow! I had no idea that I was going to run into Alex at the school event. I had accepted the fact that he and I had shared a lovely evening together and had amazing sex, but I was pretty certain that it had only been a one-night thing.
I called Joana to talk to her about the situation. She was much more experienced in these types of things than I was, and I was sure she could offer me some advice.
“Hey, girl, what’s up?” she said, answering my video call.
“What are you up to?” I asked, looking down at her picture on the screen. She had her healthy red locks pulled back away from her face and her eyes were all done up with a dark liner.
“I’m getting ready to go have a drink at the Alley Alehouse,” she boasted happily.
“Really? With who?” I asked curiously.
“My new friend, Knot,” she said with a grin.
“Knot? Who the hell is Knot?” I asked, turning my nose up at the weird-sounding name.
“Knot yo’ business,” she exclaimed and burst into a fit of giggles.
“Oh, you bitch!” I said with a chuckle.
“I’m just messing with you, girl! I’m going out with this guy I met at the coffee shop the other day. Remember? I told you his name was Kyle.”
“Oh, yeah. Well, I wanted to finish telling you about that guy I met last night,” I reminded her.
“Oh, yeah! Martin, right?”
“What? Hell no! Your little friend Martin Langley never even bothered to show up!”
“Are you serious? He never showed? What a fucking asshole,” she said.
“Right?” I agreed.
“He’s got some motherfucking nerve! After all that shit I went through to get your hair looking just right and after trying on three—no four fucking outfits…. That goddamn prick! He’s gonna hear it when I tell my brother about—”
I cut her off in mid-rant. “No, no, no! No need to tell your brother anything, really!” I stressed. “I actually met someone else last night.”
“Ooh wee, look at that grin! You got yourself laid, didn’t you?” she accused, playfully.
“Shut up, Jo!” I said with a giggle.
“You slut! You really did, didn’t you!” she replied, grinning from ear to ear. “Oh, my God! Who is this mystery man?”
I plopped down onto my couch, smiling as the memory of the passionate night I’d shared with Alex sprang back up into my mind.
“Well, his name is Alex. Alex Westbrooke, and he’s really hot and really rich!” I added extra emphasis on the word rich.
“Really? Hot damn! You found one of those wealthy playboy fuck toys!” she teased.
“Oh, God, shut up, Jo! He is not a fuck toy.”
“Then what is he? Your new boyfriend?”
“Well, no, he’s…” I really couldn’t explain what I thought he was as my brain tried to find the right words.
“Well?” she asked impatiently. “What the hell is he, then?”
“Umm, I guess maybe it was just a one-night thing, maybe,” I said hesitantly.
“Oh, shit! I’m so proud of you! You finally got out there and did something spontaneous for once in your life!” she shouted cheerily. “Welcome to life in the fast lane, girlfriend!”
“Well, at least I thought it was just a one-night thing. But then, he showed up at the school event earlier today,” I explained.
“He did? What the hell was he doing there?” she asked, her eyes widening again.
“His company was donating sports equipment to all of the elementary schools in the county.”
“Oh wow! He sounds like a nice rich guy!” she exclaimed.
“Right? And he came right up to me in front of everyone, you know? Like he wanted to talk to me about something. But then, he had to go up and speak to the crowd and stuff, and I didn’t see him again after that,” I explained.
“Well, has he called you?” she asked inquisitively.
“Well… I never actually gave him my number,” I admitted, scrunching my face up like I was constipated.
“You can’t be serious!” she said, flashing me a “what the fuck is wrong with you” look.
“I just…I just kinda forgot, I guess. And it’s not like he asked or anything,” I said quietly, unable to look her directly in the face.
She rolled her eyes and I stuck my tongue out at her.
“So, you basically one-night-stand-ed him?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.
“I-I don’t know, I guess,” I replied, stammering with uncertainty. “I mean, you’re the one always telling me to go out and have some fun, take a chance, etcetera, etcetera. So, I did. Besides, the last thing I need right now is another relationship—especially with another workaholic—regardless of how much money he has. And besides, I’m leaving in a couple of months anyway.”
Up until that very moment that Joana had asked me about Alex and my feelings toward him, I honestly hadn’t really given it much thought. I really had gone into my night with him with a mindset that whatever we ended up doing would most likely end up being either a one-night thing, or some sort of not-so-serious fling. I mean, seriously, how interested in a third-grade elementary school teacher could a rich, gorgeous Adonis like Alex really be?
The very last thing I needed right now was to get my heart involved in a silly little fling, right? Especially after the way things had gone down in my last serious relationship. Besides, I was a big girl. I could handle having a little bit of adult-oriented fun with no real strings attached and no lovey-dovey feelings involved.
Wait, who I was actually trying to convince here? Myself or Joana?