All day long, no matter what I do or where I go, I can’t seem to get rid of the giddy, nerves-zinging sensation. I discussed my thoughts on the wedding vows with Benji and couldn’t stop thinking of the engagement ring tucked inside the pocket of my jeans. As Bella taught me how to make a billion different espresso drinks, I grinned stupidly while imagining Houston standing naked in my kitchen, gulping a postcoital glass of water. While passing the produce department on my way out of work, I smiled coyly at the sight of the bananas. So when I step onto the sidewalk outside the store, where Kenny waits to walk me home, he instantly spots me grinning from ear to ear. There will be no hiding from him what happened last night.

Kenny looks me up and down and cocks an eyebrow. “You got your kitten smashed.”

I shrug as I fall into step beside him. “Maybe.”

“By the lumberjack?”

I chuckle at this. “That’s quite a violent image you’ve conjured, but no. Not the lumberjack.”

He grabs my arm and stops me in the middle of the sidewalk on Burnside. “You have another suitor I don’t know yet? That’s not allowed, Aurora.”

“Suitor? I didn’t realize I needed permission from Sir Kenneth to get my kitten smashed.”

“Who is he? Whoever he is better not cut into our quality time.”

I smile as I lock arms with him and continue down Burnside. “I can’t really say too much about it. He’s…” I glance around as if any of the random strangers walking around us are interested in our conversation. “He’s married,” I whisper just loud enough for Kenny to hear.

“Oh, my goodness,” he gasps, covering his mouth. “I didn’t know you were such a slut.”

I nudge his shoulder. “I’m not a slut. It’s complicated. He’s my first love. And the only guy I’ve ever been with.”

He shakes his head as if he’s trying to physically clear away his confusion. “Whoa, whoa. Wait. So, have you been with this guy the whole time he’s been married? I’m so confused… and intrigued.”

“No, we broke up five years ago while we were in college. Then he got married and… We ran into each other at the Belmont store.”

“While you were working there with me?”

I nod and he gasps.

“Oh, my God, Rory. Was it that guy in the back of the store?”

I nod again and his eyes widen.

“He’s gorgeous,” he replies, continuing down Burnside. “I am truly jealous.”

“You don’t think I’m a disgusting human being for having sex with a married man? It was only one night, but I do feel slightly, or maybe totally, ashamed.”

He slows down to a stroll and flashes me a warm smile. “Of course not. I know a thing or two about complicated relationships. No one’s perfect. And anyone who expects you to be perfect is just hiding something.”

I chuckle at this statement. “No one has ever explained that to me so simply. How did you get to be so wise at the age of thirty?”

He gasps and lightly smacks my shoulder. “Don’t ever insult me like that again. And my wisdom is just plain common sense earned over a very messed-up childhood. I mean, my mother named me Kenny, for God’s sake. You’d be surprised how much crap one person can endure in twenty-two years.”

I sigh as I think of how much I had endured by the age of eighteen. “Not surprised at all, actually.” I hug his arm. “That was a hug for your messy childhood.”

“Thank you. That made it all better.”

After Kenny and I gorge ourselves on Korean barbecue tacos at the food truck on Burnside, we head to my place to let our food digest while watching a chick flick. When we arrive at my apartment, I take Skippy out of his crate and walk him outside to do his business. Then I check his blood glucose before I feed him. And he is more than happy to snuggle up with me on the sofa.

Kenny beckons me to cuddle with him while we watch How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days. I cock my eyebrow at his invitation, but he waves off my skepticism.

“Oh, come on. You’re safe with me. You and I both know cuddling is totally gay.”

I scoot closer to him and lay my head on his shoulder. He lies back so he can put his leg on the sofa and I wind up with my head lying on his chest.

He sniffs the top of my head. “Your hair smells delicious. What is that?”

“It’s vanilla birthday cake shampoo and espresso. I was making coffee all day.”

“It perfect, just like you.”

We settle into a comfortable position and soon we’re lost in the adorable antics of Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. An hour later, I’m woken by a vibration in my pocket. I glance up and Kenny is still awake and watching the movie. I slide my phone out of my pocket and find a text from Houston.

I carefully sit up so I don’t poke Kenny with my elbow, then I begin typing my response.

“Is that him?” Kenny asks as he sits up.

“Yes.”

“Houston is a cowboy’s name. Hmm… A cowboy and a lumbersexual? I’d pay to see that.”

I shake my head as I hit send.

I tuck the phone into my pocket and lean back as I wonder why he wants me to bring the ring to work. When I glance to my left, Kenny’s wearing an awkward smile. I’m almost afraid to ask what he’s thinking, but I have to know.

“What?”

He shakes his head. “What are you going to do if he doesn’t leave his wife?”

“I don’t expect you to understand why I feel this way, but I honestly think that’s not something I have to worry about.”

“You guys bumped into each other just two weeks ago and you had sex once and now he’s just going to leave his wife?”

“We had sex four times,” I reply with a grin, but Kenny doesn’t look impressed. “I told you, it’s not that simple. We have a history.”

“Enlighten me. What is this history that makes the situation so complicated?”

I heave a deep sigh and stare at the ceiling as I begin. “I’ve loved him since I was eleven years old.”

“Holy pedobear. You two were together when you were eleven?”

“No. That’s how long I’ve loved him. We didn’t get together until I was eighteen. Houston’s sister was my best friend.” I close my eyes and take a deep breath as I try to keep my emotions in check. “Hallie committed suicide our freshman year in college and I ended up living with Houston the rest of the year. We broke up a week before summer break.”

“So you were there for each other at the most painful time of your lives, but the pain wasn’t enough to keep you two together?”

I open my eyes to look at Kenny. “I wish it were that simple.” I reach into my pocket and pull out the engagement ring. “He was really messed up by what happened to Hallie. He was the one who found her.”

“Holy jeebus. Look at the size of that rock. He gave you this engagement ring and you still broke up with him?”

“No. He gave me that ring last night. He never gave it to me when we were together. He broke up with me when he found out I was pregnant.”

Kenny shakes his head adamantly as he rises from the sofa. “Uh-uh, Rory. This isn’t complicated. This is Kardashian-level fucked up. You’re gonna need to get me a stiff drink if you expect me to listen to this.”

I laugh as I get up and head for the kitchen to get some tequila and lime wedges. I rarely ever drink, hence the easy buzz I got when Kenny and I went out last weekend. I think drinking is one of the things that reminded me too much of Houston. The tasting parties and the research trips to the pubs. Getting tipsy and having frenzied drunken sex was so common for us that just walking down the beer aisle at work can be a haunting experience.

Two hours and four tequila shots later, Kenny has heard the story of Houston and me. I’ve arrived at the climax where, apparently, Houston comes back into my life, gives me a very expensive diamond engagement ring, and tells me he’s going to leave his wife. And it all happens at the same time I run into a totally nice, unattached lumberjack I once knew in a past life.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” I pull my phone out of my pocket and Kenny lunges for it, but I hold it out of his reach. “I told lumberjack—I mean, Liam—I’d call him today. I have to call him.”

“Nuh-uh. You are not drunk-dialing him at eleven o’clock at night on a Monday. Give me that phone.”

I laugh as he struggles to take the phone from me, then I jump up from the sofa and race to the bedroom, laughing maniacally as I lock the door behind me.

“Nothing good can come of this!” he shouts at me through the door.

I dial Liam’s number, then I press my fingertips to my cheekbones to see how numb my face is. He answers on the second ring.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” I reply, trying not to laugh.

“I thought you’d forgotten about me.”

“Nope. Just got a little sidetracked. I’m drunk.”

He laughs. “You drunk-dialed me?”

“Yeah, sorry. I was drinking with my friend and I just remembered that I promised to call you today. I didn’t want you to think I’m flaky. I’m really not flaky, but I am forgetful. And both of those words begin with the letter F.”

He chuckles. “An astute observation. Other than getting drunk, what are you and your friend doing?”

“Exchanging sob stories.” I hear a soft barking noise in the background and I get really excited. “Do you have a dog?”

“Yeah, a shepherd mix named Sparky, short for Sparkle Motion.”

I chuckle at this reference to the movie Donnie Darko. “He must be a great dancer.”

“He is. You should see him go from a pirouette straight into a perfect Dirty Dancing lift.”

“I’d love to see that. Maybe he could teach Skippy a thing or two. I’m taking Skip to Wallace Park tomorrow. You should bring Sparky.”

Liam is silent for a moment, and when he finally responds his voice sounds a bit weary. “Rory, tomorrow’s Tuesday. I work tomorrow.”

“Oh, crap. Sorry. Sometimes I forget that not everyone works retail. Just forget I asked. I’ll let you go. You probably need to get to sleep so you can wake up early. Sorry.”

“Wait. Don’t hang up. I’m just… Ah, fuck it. I’ll meet you at the park tomorrow at ten a.m. But you’re really drunk right now, so I’m calling you at nine a.m. to remind you, ’kay?”

Suddenly I feel a little sick to my stomach as I realize Liam is going to skip work tomorrow to hang out with me. I want to tell him to just forget it. I don’t want to lead him on. But Liam was the one who said he’d rather be friends with me than risk getting hurt. I guess that means I’ll have to come clean with him tomorrow about Houston.

“Okay. See you tomorrow.”

I open the door and Kenny is wearing a look of disappointment. “You just asked him on a date.”

“No, I didn’t,” I reply, making my way to the kitchen to rehydrate with a glass of water. “I asked him if he wanted to meet me at the dog park. That’s not a date.”

“Don’t play coy with me, young lady. You can’t pass this off as a doggy playdate. That lumberjack thinks you’re interested in more than his dog.”

My buzz is wearing off quickly as I reach for a glass in the cupboard. “Even if that’s true, the point of this date is to clarify that. I can do it over the phone, but he’s the one who said he wanted to be friends with me.”

Kenny sighs as he leans against the counter. “Fine. But if you break his heart, make sure you do enough damage that he turns gay.”

I laugh as I fill my glass with water from the tap. “Now you’re into lumbersexuals?”

“Honey, a luxurious beard works wonders for oral sex.”

“Ew!”

“Don’t knock it till you try it!”