After work, I hurry to meet my best buddy for dinner. Stephanie is already at the restaurant when I arrive. I slide into the booth and her eyes go wide.
“Well? Did you do it, firecracker? Spill!”
Blushing, I nod, and she starts laughing.
“Nice job, kiddo. I knew you could do it.” She high-fives me across the table and I grin like a stupid idiot.
“I can’t believe it,” I say. “I can’t believe it really happened.”
“You’re sexy,” she says, taking a sip of her wine. Once again, from a glass. What’s with her and these glasses all the time? Seriously, I must have forgotten to grow up because to me, drinking wine right from the bottle is both practical and smart. It means I don’t have to wash any glasses when I’m done, so I’m saving time and water.
“I like you, too,” I say with a wink. The server arrives and I order food and a cocktail, then turn back to Stephanie. “But I only have eyes for Parker.”
“I know,” she says. “I’m happy for you, boo. Now, give me all the details.”
“Yesterday was just a mess,” I fill her in on the meeting, on the paperwork, and the contracts Parker and I had to work on. As a realtor, Stephanie knows exactly how the right contract can make or break a deal. Something as simple as phrasing a paragraph awkwardly can mean losing a sale. Because of this, it’s important to make sure each part of the contract is written as concisely and professionally as possible.
“Sounds like you guys really have your work cut out for you.”
“We do. We did, I mean. Most of it’s done. We had finished for the night when Parker walked me to my car and hugged me goodbye.”
“Good hug or friend hug?”
“Good hug,” I remember the way he pressed his body to mine, remember the way I felt just a hint of his cock. “Then he went to his car and I called him.”
“From the parking lot?”
“Yeah.”
“While you could still see him?”
“Yeah.”
“Ballsy.”
“I was trying to be seductive.”
“Apparently, it worked.”
“It worked a little,” I say. “Not at the time, though. He didn’t want to go out with me, but I think you know the rest of the story.”
“You got shit-faced, he rescued you, but didn’t fuck you. Yeah. I know the story.” She sips her wine again and looks at me thoughtfully.
“Uh-oh,” I say. “I know that look. I’m not going to like what you’re about to say.”
“So where are you going to go from here?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, a dare is a dare, love. I dared you to seduce him and you did it. Is that it? One and done? Or are you going to pursue a relationship now?”
“It’s a little soon for you to be asking that, isn’t it?”
“Is it soon? Really? It’s been three years of you guys dragging your feet. Three years and it took fucking daring you for you to be willing to give it a shot.”
“It was just a dare,” I say. “It doesn’t mean we’re in love.”
She raises her eyebrows and I sigh. I can feel a headache coming on. I reach in my purse for a Tylenol and when I do, I realize my phone is unlocked and there’s an open call with Parker.
Fuck.
It’s not the first time I’ve accidentally called people, but I wonder how much of our conversation he heard or if he’s even listening at all. Maybe he didn’t hear. Maybe he didn’t answer.
I lift the phone.
“Parker?” I say, hesitantly, slowly. I quickly realize my luck isn’t that fucking good because he is, in fact, breathing into the phone.
“Is what she said true?” He asks. He doesn’t beat around the bush. He doesn’t pretend to have a polite conversation with me about the weather or anything stupid.
“Is what true?” I ask, playing dumb. I know exactly what he’s asking me. He wants to know if he’s just a dare. He wants to know if I only made a move on him because Stephanie dared me to and the truth is, without her push, I don’t think I would have had the guts to tell Parker I like him.
Then again, he didn’t make a move, either.
We’ve both had three years to come forward. Three years to say, “I’m into you.” Three years to do anything but what we did, which was nothing, but I can hear the hurt in his voice and I know he hates what I did.
I know he hates feeling like I don’t actually care.
He hates feeling like I only came onto him because I was dared to do it.
“I guess that makes sense, then,” Parker says, his voice tight, controlled. “After all, like your friend said, it’s been three years. Obviously, I’m just your asshole boss, not someone you’re actually interested in.”
“Parker,” I protest. “It’s not what you think.”
“Do me a favor,” he says. “Don’t call me.”
He ends the call and I just stare at the phone in my hand. The server chooses that moment to appear with my drink and appetizer, and I just stare at the things he places on the table.
“Is everything all right, miss?”
“It’s fine,” Stephanie assures the waiter. “Thank you. It’s perfect. Can you just give us a few minutes?”
“Of course,” the guy shoots me a worried look, but disappears.
“What the fuck?” Stephanie says. “What just happened here?”
“I butt-dialed Parker from my purse,” I whisper.
I ruined everything.
I completely, royally, totally ruined everything.
We had a chance for something great and I was like, you know what? I’m good with my shitty, boyfriendless life. I’m good.
Who the fuck does that?
“Tell me what he said,” she says slowly.
“He thinks he was just a dare,” I look at Stephanie now. My eyesight is blurry because now I’m full-on crying in the restaurant. I hope I’m not sobbing loudly, but a couple of people are starting to look my way and I think I might be.
I think I just lost the best thing to ever happen to me.
I think I just lost my best friend.
“Check!” Stephanie calls out, waving her hand at our server. She doesn’t take her eyes off me and I don’t say another word.
I finally landed Parker King and then I threw him away with just a few choice words.
I lost everything, and it hurts.
Worse than I ever thought it would.