I didn’t mind the extra company we’d acquired. Erik did a good job of keeping both Juliette and Vivian entertained, which gave me an opportunity to text Brian.
Hey, stranger. Surviving another day without me?
No. I’m lonely and miserable, woman. I can’t believe you ditched me two days in a row.
I laughed. No doubt he was annoyed. He only ever called me woman when I was driving him crazy. But there was something adorable about his grumpy text. I could just picture him checking his phone every ten minutes for the last few hours, getting crankier every time he had no waiting message. He’d been that way since I first started e-mailing him. If I waited too long to respond, he’d message again, yelling at me for ignoring him.
Back when we first started talking to each other, I figured he was just some lonely guy who didn’t have many friends or much of a life. But I quickly realized it was the opposite. He had a million friends and a crazy life. He got everything he wanted when he wanted it. He wasn’t lonely and friendless; he was spoiled and had no patience. Once I figured that out, I’d keep him waiting every now and then just to drive him nuts.
Oh, and I forgot to tell you this yesterday, but my father called me. We have to hang out with him for a while on Christmas Day.
Why do you make it sound so awful?
Because it is. Trust me. But at least he’s rented a theater for a private viewing of the movie so we won’t have to deal with the public. He’s invited your whole family to go, if you think they’ll be up for it.
That’s generous of him. I’m sure they’ll be okay with that. They were planning to go, anyway. They’ll probably think it’s cool.
All right. He mentioned doing Christmas dinner afterward, just the three of us, too. I tried to get out of it, but he seemed pretty desperate. He doesn’t really have anyone else of real meaning. I think he feels it during the holidays. I couldn’t say no, so I’m sorry in advance, but you’re going to have to add dinner with my dad to the to-do list this week.
He made it sound like the end of the world, but I was less afraid of meeting his family than I’d ever been of meeting mine. His dad seemed like a bit of a sleaze, but I could tell that beneath the animosity Brian held for him, he still cared for the man. At heart, Brian was still just a kid who wanted to make his father proud. I also got the impression he was a total momma’s boy, which I found beyond adorable.
You’re a good son. And it’s okay. I’m sure it’ll be fine.
Okay. Thanks. So, how’s your day going? Still shopping?
I groaned internally. I didn’t need to see his face to know he was smirking right now. He knew I was having trouble with his gift, and he was being such a pain about it. The man enjoyed torturing me way too much.
You know I am. You are IMPOSSIBLE to shop for. Can’t I at least have a hint?
I told you I don’t need a gift. You are my gift. Now that I have you, there’s nothing else in the world that I want.
UGH! You’re driving me crazy right now. Did you get me a gift?
Of course I did. You’re going to love it.
BRIAN!!! You suck!!! Just tell me what you want for Christmas!!!
I told you. All I want for Christmas is you.
I gave up. No doubt he was singing the popular Christmas carol right now. At the very least, he was humming it in his mind. He’d been singing the song to me all week every time I asked him what he’d like for Christmas.
AGH!!!! FINE!!!! I have to go. I’ll call you after I get home.
Looking forward to it. Good luck with the shopping. ;)
I groaned again and shoved my phone into my back pocket. Vivian laughed as she slid into one side of the booth we’d been ushered to. “I take it Brian’s still not being helpful?”
When Erik slid in next to her, I sat across from them. “Helpful? Please. He’s being a downright pain in the rear. I don’t know why he loves to torture me so much.”
I scooted all the way in so that Juliette could sit next to me, but she squeezed in on Erik’s other side. When I cocked an eyebrow at her, she gave me a sheepish grin and nodded toward Erik.
Ana studied the seating arrangements and only hesitated a second before sliding into the booth next to me, letting Jason take the end. Before things could get awkward, Erik smiled across the table at me and asked, “So Brian would be the boyfriend you can’t figure out a gift for?”
I sighed. “Yes.”
“Maybe I can help. I am a guy, after all.”
“Ooh. Good idea,” Juliette said.
“Okay, fine.” I really did need the help. “As a guy, what would you want for Christmas from your girlfriend?”
“That depends,” Erik said. “How long have we been going out?”
“A week,” I said, while both Vivian and Juliette answered, “Three years.”
Erik’s eyebrows rose high up his forehead, and rightly so. He waited for an explanation. I was going to change the subject, but I was so confused about my current relationship that the idea of a guy’s perspective was totally appealing. “It’s complicated. We’ve known each other online for three years, but we only got together in person a week ago.”
“Hmm.” Erik fell into thought as if he was really taking this task seriously. I found myself holding my breath for his answer. “Were you together as an online couple before you met?”
I shook my head. “Just friends, but we fell in love.”
“And it’s definitely a relationship now…?”
“Yes. Exclusive.”
“You’ve told each other that you love each other?”
“Yeah.”
He frowned. “So…why are you having trouble finding him a gift? Don’t you know him really well by now?”
I groaned at the question and fell forward, banging my forehead on the table in front of me. “I know everything about him,” I whined, leaving my forehead against the cool tabletop. “The problem is, he’s really rich and already has everything he could possibly ever want or need. Whenever I ask him to give me a hint, he says he doesn’t need a gift. He just sings me that stupid song: ‘All I Want for Christmas is You.’”
Ana snorted. “You’re making this way harder than it has to be. I know exactly what you should do.” All of us looked at her, waiting for this miraculous answer to my dilemma. She slid me a sly look and shrugged her shoulders. “Give him your virginity.”
Erik choked on the ice water he was sipping, and Jason burst into obnoxious laughter. Both Juliette and Vivian yelled at Ana, but she’d only been teasing, so their scoldings came with laughter. I wasn’t angry, but they had no idea how sensitive a topic that was for me. Since I didn’t want them to know just how deep my insecurities went, I forced myself to laugh along with them. “Shut up, Ana. That’s not happening.”
“Actually, that’s really not a bad idea,” Juliette said.
“Juliette!” I gasped at the betrayal and threw my napkin at her. “I’m not going there with him after only a week.”
She rolled her eyes. “You guys aren’t a week-old couple, and you know it. Maybe you guys don’t have to go all the way, but a nice, romantic evening together taking the relationship to the next level—whatever that is to you—might be the best gift you can give him.”
My blush deepened. I scrubbed my hands over my face, but it did nothing to remove the redness from my cheeks. “Oh my gosh, you guys, can we, like, not have this particular conversation in front of Jason and some guy we met five minutes ago?” I glanced at Erik with a grimace. “No offense.”
He laughed. “None taken. But if I could just weigh in here a little, I think your friends are right.”
I laughed once. “Of course you do. You’re a guy.”
He shook his head. “No, seriously. If he really does have everything already, then maybe he’s not teasing when he says all he wants is you. Maybe he’s giving you the hint you’ve been asking for.”
We all sat there for a moment, contemplating Erik’s suggestion. It made a lot of sense. Maybe that’s what Brian really did want. He’d asked me to move in with him, for heaven’s sake. Maybe he was desperate for a deeper connection.
“That was very insightful,” Juliette crooned, grinning at her prey. “You must be a pretty sensitive guy.”
He shrugged, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Yeah, Jules definitely had this one in the bag.
I looked to Vivian, and she surprised me with an apologetic shrug. “I think he’s right, too, Ella. You know how much Brian loves you. And you know he worries about you getting tired of…” She glanced at Erik and censored her words. “…his crazy life now that you’re together in person. This week has been intense for you guys. He’s probably pretty stressed about it. And you know a guy like him can’t be used to feeling vulnerable. Maybe this is his way of reaching out to you. Maybe he needs a more solid commitment from you, and he’s just afraid of asking for it because you two are so new.”
“Maybe,” I agreed.
Ana shrugged. “So, what’s the problem? It’s not like you’ve really only known each other for a week. You guys have been in love for years. You know everything about each other. What would it hurt to make things a little more serious?”
My stomach twisted into knots. Everyone seemed to agree with Ana on this one, but anxiety had my hands trembling beneath the table. “It’s not that easy, you guys. You’re right: we’ve loved each other for years. But that’s what’s so scary about our relationship. It’s intense because we’re ahead of ourselves emotionally. On one level, Brian and I are brand-new to each other. But in other ways, we’re like a couple that’s been together for years. A couple like that would be ready for things like sex and living together, but I’m not. I feel like I’m in both relationships—the old and the new—and I don’t know how to merge the two.”
“Something tells me Brian will have no problem combining them,” Juliette muttered.
I nodded. “Exactly. And if I give him the kind of gift you guys are talking about, then I’m going to find myself in over my head. He’s three years older than me. He lives on his own and has a stable career. He’s been with like a billion women. I’m basically a naive little girl dating a grown-up man. He might be ready to jump right in, but it’s going to take me some time to get used to us being an us.”
Juliette sighed, and Vivian slumped back in the booth. “So, we’re back to square one. How about a personalized license plate that says Precious?”
I laughed, grateful that the conversation had gone back to trivial and away from my love life. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that was already what his license plate said.
“Forget Precious,” Vivian said. “It needs to say Sorry, ladies, I’m taken.”
Erik laughed. “I don’t think you can fit that on a license plate.”
“We’ll get it tattooed on his forehead, then.” Vivian said, winking at me. “Trust me. The man needs it.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Enough about Brian and Ella,” Juliette interrupted. “Let’s move on to finding me a boyfriend. Now that Ana and Ella are both in steady relationships, I’ve got to get a move on it. I can’t be the only single sister of the bunch. That’s not cool.” She leaned around Erik to grin at Vivian. “Would you mind horribly if I call dibs and ask Erik to take me out sometime next week?”
Erik’s eyes bulged so wide all of us girls cracked up. “He’s all yours,” Vivian teased. “No way am I going to get mixed up in a Coleman sister competition.”