I took Danny’s advice and walked into the office with my head held up high. At first, I could feel people staring at me, then as the morning went on and I went about my business as if nothing was amiss they started looking at me with a mixture of confusion and astonishment. Was I too stupid to realize how monumental my screw up was, or did I know something they didn’t.

I enjoyed the feeling of having confounded them.

“You’re never going to believe this,” I say to Nina over my cell phone. My eyes dart from side to side as I huddle over my desk.

“What happened? Oh, my God, did you use the potion? I knew you would. What happened?”

“Could you let me talk? How can I get to the juicy stuff if you won’t let me get a word in?”

“Sorry, sorry. Hurry up.”

“I didn’t use the potion, but Danny did,” I whisper.

“He did what?” she screams in my ear.

“He realized he had done wrong and apologized,” I add quickly. I don’t want Nina to hate Danny. That would never do because I love them both.

“And he ate it?”

“Every bite. There were hardly any crumbs left, even.” I can’t help but smile as I do, even though I feel more than a little wicked when I think about it.

“And? Did anything happen?”

“You could say that…” I trail off with a giggle.

“Oh, my God, I swear, I’m gonna come there and kill you if you don’t stop playing games and tell me everything.”

“We maybe made out. A lot.”

Her squeal is ear-splitting. “I’m so happy. I’m so happy I hate you a little but I’m so happy!”

I cover my mouth to quiet my laugh so no one else hears. “It was amazing, Nina.”

“You stopped at making out, though?” she asks, and she doesn’t sound like she believes me.

“I did, but even if we didn’t, so what?”

“I was just wondering. The way you describe him, I’m not sure I could’ve stopped at just making out, is all.”

Memories from last night flash back in my mind when she says that. Oh, who am I kidding? I haven’t been able to top thinking about it. It’s amazing that I even managed to get out of bed this morning. I almost forgot to feed the dog. I was that out of it.

“Between you and me? I probably wouldn’t have stopped if we weren’t interrupted by my mother.”

“Your mother? No effing way,” she hisses.

“Yes, effing way…and believe me, we had a long talk once he left. All about boundaries. I might have eaten maybe five red velvet cupcakes that I detest after she left, I was so stressed out. And the punchline is, we’ll just end up having the same conversation the next time she does it again.”

“You poor thing.” Nina sighs.

“I wanted to go over and apologize to him, but I didn’t want to come off as being too clingy or like I was overthinking what happened before Mom showed up. You know? I want him to think I’m cool.”

“But you’re not cool.”

“I know, but is it so bad to want him to think so?”

“Hey, how do you know the potion worked and it was just not natural? Like maybe he really wanted you anyway and the potion had nothing to do with it.”

“It had to be the potion.”

“Why?” she asks.

“Well, I guess because it was so sudden. He was actually yawning and asking for coffee to keep awake, then he eats the cupcake, and suddenly he’s fully awake and can’t get enough of me. I’d call that a pretty abrupt change of heart. Actually, I still can’t believe how fast it worked!”

“Right,” she says slowly. “I guess in a way that sucks, but hey!” she continues, and there’s sunshine in her voice again. “That means last night wasn’t the only chance you’ll get. I mean, the world is your oyster now. I bet he’d have thought you were cool even if you went over last night to pick up where you left off. You don’t have to follow the whole three-day rule thingy. You can break all the rules now. Oh, my God, just think. You can do anything you want, and he will still want you desperately!”

“I don’t know about that,” I fret in a tight whisper. At the back of my mind, something niggles. You didn’t get him fair and square. You’ll never know whether he would have wanted you without the potion. Damn you Danny for taking that away from me.

“It’s magic, babe. He’ll be like your fuck-slave from now on,” she says cheerfully.

I frown. “I meant, who knows how long this is going to last?”

“You’re impossible. Did I ever tell you that?” she growls.

“What?”

“I’m just saying, why don’t you try being happy that things went great and he was super into you? I mean, what’s the point of always looking at the negative side of things? I don’t know if it lasts forever, but it lasted for the girl I told you about.”

“Hmm. And do you think it eventually turns into, you know, real love?”

The line goes quiet and I’m about to say something else, to dismiss my silly question.

Nina gets there first, “I don’t know what you mean,” she says in a confused voice. And then, “Of course it’s real love, silly. What other kind is there?”

“The kind that only happens when you take a potion.”

There’s silence again and I feel like I should be having this conversation with Danny, not Nina. “Right, I better get going. Thanks for the chat.”

“No worries, babe,” she replies, back to her chirpy self. “And chill. I just know he’ll be aching to ask you out after that steamy kiss you told me about.”

I smile and hang up. I go to the vending machine. Get myself a bar of chocolate. Walk back to my desk.

The little ringer symbol flashes silent on my phone and I slip it into my handbag, vowing to myself that I won’t look at it until the end of the day.

I savor each mouthful of dark chocolate as I shut off the critical voice in my head and let my imagination take me on a trip back to the previous evening… and what might have happened if Mom hadn’t come back. I think about the warm smoothness of his tanned skin against my fingertips.