Sean
“WANT ANOTHER ONE?” Marcus asks me as he holds up his beer.
“Sure.”
“So, what’s been going on lately?” he asks as he hands me my drink.
“Work is crazy with the end of the third quarter coming up. What about you?”
“We’re potty training Ella. That’s been fun.” His eyes widen as he take a long pull from his beer. I chuckle in response. “Other than work, anything new happening?”
“Just hanging out. I’m having dinner with Paige tomorrow night.”
“What is it about Paige? You’ve been chasing after her for two years now.”
It’s no secret that I’ve wanted Paige for a long time, but I haven’t talked to anyone about our most recent developments. I guess a part of me was afraid I’d jinx it if I said anything out loud to anyone.
“What is it about Lydia?” I counter. He nods in understanding. “It’s everything, man. It’s the way her eyes twinkle when she laughs, or how she bites the inside of her cheek when she’s trying not to smile. I love the way she gives me shit and her smart wit and sharp tongue. She’s intelligent and drop-dead fucking gorgeous.”
“Damn, bro, you’ve got it bad.” His words bring me to the here and now and I realize I was staring off into space like a stupid lovesick prepubescent idiot. I need to find my balls and act like a man, not a pussy.
“Tell me about it,” I mutter. This whole time I’ve portrayed nothing but confidence to Paige where we’re concerned, convincing her that there’s nothing to be afraid of. But deep down, I’m scared shitless. She thinks she’s the only one putting her feelings on the line, but she’s not. I’m in too deep now, and if she walks away, it’ll destroy me.
“Have you told her about Mom and Dad’s party, then?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Why not?”
I let out a sigh. “It’s not that I don’t want to ask her, I’m just afraid of her reaction.”
“You don’t think she’ll want to go?” His eyebrows pull in, looking just as confused as I feel.
I shrug and shake my head. “I don’t know. I’m afraid if I push her too much, she’ll bolt.”
Don’t get me wrong, I’m good with where we’re at, but I’m a little frustrated too. I find myself second-guessing every damn thing I want to do to keep from freaking her out. “Dude, I know it sounds insane, but I’m already crazy for the girl. I think about her all the damn time.”
“I couldn’t tell.” When I look at him, his eyebrow is arched with a crooked grin on his face. I press my lips into a thin line and roll my eyes at his sarcasm. “In all seriousness, I feel your pain, bro. I went through similar issues with Lydia.”
“How did you deal with it?” I take another swig of my beer. I feel like a sissy asking my brother for relationship advice, but I’ll do whatever it takes. I care about Paige a lot, and I don’t want my dumb ass fucking this up.
“Patience and lots of reassurance. Lydia had old insecurities and trust issues from her ex-fiancé, so I was constantly proving to her I wasn’t like that dick.”
“Paige has similar problems I’m fighting against. Apparently, she’s lumped me into this ‘bad guy’ category,” I say with air quotes. “It’s like an uphill battle. You’d think chasing after her for so damn long would convince her I’m not like that, but she still has her doubts.”
“Like I said, patience. Trust me, she’s into you. You just have to give her time and approach her the right way.”
It’s hard as hell to pump the breaks and be patient, but I have little to no experience in this department. I never cared enough about a girl to stress over shit like this. Considering Marcus had similar issues with Lydia initially, I digest what he’s telling me and make a mental note to calm the fuck down.
“Alright, enough of this girly bullshit. Wanna watch the game?”
He chuckles before grabbing the remote and flipping it to the football game.
On the way back to my place, I went back and forth on whether or not to ask Paige to this party. It’s official; she’s castrated me and turned me into a chick. I’ve never second-guessed myself so much in my life, especially when it comes to a girl.
But she’s not just any girl.
It took me so long to convince her to give me a shot and I’m scared about ruining it. I know there will be no second chances with Paige. At the first sign of trouble, she’ll be gone. That I’m certain of.
So I can’t talk myself out of it, I pick up the phone.
Me: RQ- Do you wanna come with me to my parents’ annual company dinner?
My knee bounces up and down as I wait for my hand to vibrate. A few minutes go by and I stand up and make my way to the kitchen. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? She’ll say no and I’ll have to think of another way to get her to say yes.
When I hear the vibration against the coffee table, I try really hard to play it cool, but my heart hammers against my chest. This is a big deal for her. I remember when she said she told her friends. It was almost like a confession. Now add on introducing her to not only my mom and dad as my girlfriend, but company executives too and I don’t know how she’ll take it.
Paige: What kind of dinner? Formal? Who will be there?
Relief washes over me, but I’m still apprehensive. That wasn’t a no, but it wasn’t a yes, either.
Me: It’s usually a Christmas party, but they’re doing it earlier this year since my parents will be out of town. It’ll be my immediate family and company execs.
Paige: How will it look that I work for the company and am there with the CEO’s son?
Me: I could always have you fired, then you wouldn’t have to worry about it. ;-)
Paige. Ha ha. Very funny. But seriously. I don’t want people thinking I’m sleeping my way through the company.
Her comment actually pisses me off. The thought of anyone assuming she got the position because of me and not based on her own merit has me clenching my jaw.
Me: Trust me, once you start talking, they’ll all know you didn’t get the job because of me.
And that’s the truth. She’s brilliant and completely qualified for her current position.
Paige: If I say no, who will you go with?
Me: Myself. Just like I do every other year.
Paige: You’ve never brought a date?
Me: No.
Paige: Why?
My response is easy.
Me: No one was worth introducing to my family. None of them were you.
Minutes go by and she gives me nothing. I toss my phone onto the couch in frustration only to hear it vibrate as soon as it hits the cushion.
Paige: RF- I’m going to the company’s annual party this year with Sean Riley.
A slow smile stretches across my face. That wasn’t nearly as hard as I anticipated. I thought for sure I’d have to convince her like I do everything else.
Paige: There’s one catch though.
Me: Name it.
Paige: You have to help me find something to wear.
Normally, I’d rather get a root canal than go shopping, but if this is what it takes to have her by my side, I’ll do it.
Me: Deal.