CHAPTER TWO
“She acts like she can’t lift anything heavier than ten pounds,” Evie complained.
“Hm,” I offered, doing my best to try and pay attention.
My friend sighed and swung her feet up onto my couch to curl them underneath her. It was only May, but she already had a tan thanks to the week-long trip she’d just taken to her family’s house in Florida. It complemented her black hair and dark brown eyes well and also made me think of other dark toned people. As in certain men. As in one in particular.
I mentally shook myself. “Why don’t you just quit?” I asked. “Do you really need that job?”
Evie’s nose wrinkled. “Yeah, I do. I mean, I guess I could look for something else. I just like complaining.”
I laughed lightly, loving my friend and her honesty. “Everyone does.”
Evie cracked a smile. “Kidding. I really do kind of like retail, even if the pay is shit. But one of the managers is leaving soon, and they’re either going to hire a new one or promote one of the associates.”
“Hey, that’s good.”
“It’ll be better than hanging clothes all day. At least then I’ll get to boss around other people and tell them to hang the clothes. And I won’t have to vacuum.”
I laughed. “You’re bad. You know, I’ve only ever heard people complain about retail. I worked at a smoothie stand in high school, and I hated it.”
“Where?”
“At the mall.”
“Yeah, I bet you hated it. Ugh, teenagers...”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “They all wanted the most complicated drinks and never left tips.”
She sat up straighter. “Hey! You should come work at the store with me. They need to hire a couple more people. You can pick between handling shipping in the back or working in sales on the floor. I promise that if I become a manager, I won’t yell at you too much.”
I immediately shook my head. “I don’t think I could sell women’s clothing.”
“Why not?”
I shrugged. “I just don’t think I’d be any good at it.”
“Aren’t you still looking for a job?”
I twisted some hair around my finger and looked down. “Yeah,” I admitted.
“What about Michael? Did he hook you up with anything yet?”
Michael was Evie’s cousin. He’d been a family friend for years, and I actually met Evie through him a couple summers after high school.
“There are some possibilities. We’re still talking about it.”
“At his company?”
“He says he knows some other people who are looking for help, so no... not necessarily.” I looked down at my hands and thought about it some more. “You know, maybe a job at the store would be good. Just part time.”
Evie squealed. “You’d get to work with me!”
Her enthusiasm was contagious. “That would be pretty awesome.”
“But what about the orphanage? Would you still do that?”
“Oh yeah.” I stretched my legs out across the coffee table, letting my red Toms hang off the other side of the wood. “No way am I quitting that.”
“Oh yeah?”
I peered at her. “What?”
“What do you mean what? Your tone of voice. That’s the what I’m talking about.”
I stared at her and pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, trying to not be so transparent. “I like it there. The kids are great. They need more supportive adults around.” I shrugged. “I’m kind of an adult. At least that’s what my birth certificate says.”
“Okay, I just got the sense there was something more. Like another reason you want to stick around.”
I shook my head. “You’re crazy. I’m volunteering there because I was tired of sitting around on my butt and not doing anything to help anyone else out. Plus, believe this or not, daytime soap operas are wildly unbelievable. Everyone either has a secret twin or is waking up from their third coma.”
Evie ignored my joke. Instead, she leaned forward to point her finger at me. “You love it at that orphanage so much that when you talk about it, you get short of breath?”
I wrapped my arms around my legs then sighed. “Okay, fine...”
“I knew it! I knew something was going on! You weren’t listening at all when I told you about Marissa being late to her shift yesterday because she got her hair caught in a blender.”
“Huh?” Evie was right. I’d completely missed that one.
“And you called me crazy when I was on to you. That wasn’t nice.”
“I’m sorry. Will you tell me the blender story again?”
“Too late. Though you can probably imagine how it ended. She has a bob now. It’s decently cute.” Evie sat up straighter and excitedly clapped her hands together. “Something’s going on. What is it?”
“I met this guy yesterday...”
“Uh-huh.” Her head bobbed up and down. “I like how this is starting. Go on.”
“He’s...” I shook my head. “Wow.”
Evie sucked a sharp breath in between her teeth. “Just your tone of voice is making me swoon, and I don’t know anything about him yet.”
“He’s...” An image of Cristiano in the backyard came back to me, a wide smile on his face as he watched the children. Where were the words? He was as attractive as they came, and polite and attentive as well. But the real appeal had been something I couldn’t name. Something there might not be a word for.
“Blaire?” Evie pressed. “Tell me about him.”
I licked my lips and looked at the black television screen. “It doesn’t matter. I have a boyfriend.”
“Yeah, a basic go out and do things boyfriend,” she said right away, like the thought wasn’t one that had suddenly just occurred to her.
My eyes swiveled towards her face. “What are you talking about? What do you mean by basic?”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “Just, like, you know, what it sounds like. I mean, not to be harsh or anything, but Derek’s like a...” Her dark eyes rolled towards the ceiling while she gave it some thought. “He’s a starter boyfriend. Yeah. A starter boyfriend.” She smiled, pleased with herself.
I guffawed. “He’s not my first boyfriend. I’m not a teenager, you know.”
She made a sputtering noise. “Yeah, I got that. I didn’t think he popped your cherry or anything. What I mean is that he’s...”
“Basic.”
“Yeah... but you already knew that. You already knew your relationship wasn’t going anywhere. Right?”
I sucked in a slightly painful breath. It had been a while since I’d done some hardcore evaluating in the relationship area. From the time Derek and I first began dating, I knew we weren’t completely compatible, but we shared a mutual attraction and had a lot of fun together. He made me laugh. He listened. It was sweet. Easy. Most days I called it great. That very morning, I’d just been thinking how lucky I was to have him.
But that was before meeting Cristiano...
I shook my head, trying to shake the other man out of it, and then sighed. “Yeah, I did know that. But I think I’ve grown really attached. It’s hard to think about life without him. Some things about what we have are really awesome.”
Evie covered her face with her hands. “Ugh, don’t do that.”
“What? Don’t do what?”
“You had a life before him, so you’ll have a life after him. Please do not start extolling the virtues of Derek.”
“Hey! He’s a really good guy.”
“Yeah, he is, but that doesn’t mean he’s the right guy for you. You know that. And you guys are bound to break up sooner or later when something better comes along.”
“For me or him?” I asked, just for the heck of it.
“Either or. Take your pick. Although, if I had to guess, it will be you doing the leaving first.”
I crossed my arms, not liking the sound of that. “I don’t know...”
“When you met him we talked about this. You said it probably wouldn’t go anywhere, but you wanted to give it a shot anyway.”
“Exactly, so maybe it is going somewhere.”
One of her eyebrows slowly arched up, questioning me. I didn’t know what to say.
Evie tapped on my leg. “Tell me about this guy. You didn’t even tell me what he looks like.”
I let out a big sigh, just the thought of Cristiano exhausting me. Where did I begin?
“He’s so freaking hot, Evie. Like, wow. He’s got dark skin. I think he’s of Middle Eastern or Mediterranean origin. He’s got these bright brown eyes and pitch black hair. But his eyes aren’t really brown. They’re like amber.”
Evie sighed, a fairytale smile on her face. “Wow. Tell me about his shoulders.”
I wrinkled my nose. “His shoulders?”
“Like, what’s their span? How broad are they?”
“I don’t know. I’ll take a measuring tape the next time I go to the orphanage.”
“I mean are they broad? Muscled?”
“Oh yeah.” I gulped, just the thought of Cristiano’s body, hidden as it had been under his clothes made me tingle. “And he’s nice too,” I added. “At least I think he is. We only talked once.”
“That’s all you need, girlfriend.”
“No, it’s not. It could just be a cover. A nice facade hiding...”
“Hiding what, a lizard face?”
I stared at her.
“Lizard people,” she explained, rolling her eyes. “They’re all over the internet. Supposedly they’re real. The Queen of England is one.”
“Mm. Okay.”
“You’re just freaking out because you really like this guy, and you also happen to have a boyfriend. It’s fine, Blair. You don’t have a ring on your finger. You can see people if you want to. You never had the ‘we’re exclusive’ talk, did you?”
I forcefully shook my head. “I wouldn’t feel right about it. I just can’t do two guys at one time.”
“No one said you had to bang them both.”
I stabbed her in the shoulder with my pointer finger. “You’re putting words in my mouth. I didn’t say anything about screwing. You’re projecting because you haven’t had sex in three months.”
“Hey,” she pouted. “Not fair. That was a low blow. My sex life has no part in this. What else are you going to do with a man who’s ‘so freaking hot’ as you put it?”
“Lots,” I argued, the only thing on my mind being Cristiano’s good looks.
“Uh-huh,” Evie sarcastically sniped.
“And who knows what he’s even like with girls. A guy like him can probably get any woman he wants.”
“So you’re suggesting he’s loose?”
I lifted a palm up in a plea of innocence. “I don’t know.”
“You’re just looking for excuses to write him off because you feel guilty about liking him. You have no clue what he’s like with women. Just wait. See if he asks you out.”
I stared at my friend, impressed with the wealth of wisdom she just blurted out.
“I think he already kind of tried,” I confessed, my voice small.
Evie’s eyes went wide. “Really?”
“He told me he didn’t want to wait to see me again at the orphanage, or something like that.”
“Shut up!” Evie squealed. “That’s so romantic... or creepy. Wait, no. It’s definitely romantic.”
I nodded. “So I mentioned that I had a boyfriend.”
“Ugh.” She stuck out her tongue. “Well, you and your starter kit boyfriend have a great night tonight.”
“We will,” I spat back. “We might watch a movie.”
“Good. That sounds like a really special time.” She made a dramatic act of studying her nails like she couldn’t give less of a shit.
I crossed my arms and stared at the coffee table. I didn’t want to believe Evie’s words about feeling guilty, but they were probably true.
“So just how long are you going to lie to yourself about you and Starter Kit?” she surprised me by asking.
“I don’t know,” I replied, trying for sarcastic, but failing. “How long do you plan on calling him that?”
“It’s a good one,” she grinned. “I think it’s a nickname that’s going to stick.”
I stood up and crossed the short space to my bedroom. “What are you doing tonight?” I yelled over my shoulder.
“I might go to the movies with Jamie,” she said to my back. “Maybe I’ll see you there.”
“The other meanie from work?”
“Yeah.”
I opened my closet and started pushing hangers to the side, looking for my embroidered peasant blouse. It had been months since I last wore it — the summer before, specifically — and the time had come to break it out again.
“Do you have this guy’s phone number?” Evie yelled from the other room. “Maybe I’ll go out with him while you and Starter Kit sit on the couch and talk about the weather. Do you want to borrow my Farmer’s Almanac?”
“Har har,” I grumbled, taking my t-shirt off and pulling the blouse on. I leaned over the little vanity pressed against the wall and swiped on some tinted lip balm before raking my fingers through my hair in an attempt to tame the unruly bits. My hair had a slight amount of body, but nowhere near enough to classify it as curly. On good days, you could call it wavy. On bad days, it was frizzy as all hell.
A knock sounded on the front door.
“It’s Derek!” I yelled over my shoulder as I searched the vanity for my black-brown tube of mascara. “Will you get it?”
The floorboards squeaked, and the front door opened. A low male voice traveled across the apartment, but it wasn’t Derek’s. I tensed and dropped the mascara.
Evie laughed lightly over something. “These are amazing,” she cooed.
“Who is it?” I asked, going to the doorway.
Evie was just shutting the door, hiding whoever had stood there a moment before. In her hands was a bouquet of red roses sitting in a green vase.
“It’s a dozen,” she announced, grinning wide.
I stared, baffled. “Huh?”
“Someone sent you roses.” She buried her nose in them. “Wow, they smell so good.”
“Who sent me roses? Who was that at the door?”
She rolled her eyes and set the vase on my tiny little two-seater kitchen table. “It was the delivery guy. And according to the card...” She pulled the pale pink square of paper from its holder and read what was written on it. “Cristiano Leventis.” Her eyes glowed. “The guy?”
I slowly nodded, dumbstruck. “Yeah.”
“He must have gotten your address from the orphanage. Wow, he works fast.”
I walked across the living room, the intoxicating scent of the roses enveloping me and drawing me in. They were freshly cut, their petals vibrant and crisp at the edges, no signs of wilting on them at all.
Evie, still wearing a wide grin, leaned against the table. “Homeboy is making quite the move. I swear, Blaire, if you don’t go to him now, you need to send me in your place.”
“I told him I have a boyfriend,” I mumbled, my gaze still fixated on the roses. “Let me see that card.”
She handed it over. “Here, read for yourself. There’s a sexy love note attached.”
Blaire, the card said. It was lovely meeting you. I hope you have a wonderful week. Until we see each other again, Cristiano Leventis.
Evie sighed. “Even a simple note from him is swoon worthy.”
Another knock came from the front. I sucked in a breath. “Hide them,” I hissed.
Evie smirked but picked up the vase.
“Under the sink,” I whispered.
She complied, opening the cabinet and pushing some cleaning products to the side. “There’s some water down here. It looks like one of the pipes is leaking.”
“Forget about it,” I snapped. “Why are you worried about that now?”
Another knock sounded.
“Coming!” I announced in a louder voice.
Halfway to the front door, it opened. Derek looked down at the knob, a slightly puzzled look on his face. “Why is your door unlocked?” he asked.
“Why did you try to open it?” Evie snapped from somewhere behind me.
I quickly made a move to put out the swiftly encroaching fire. With Evie’s quick temper, it could only be a matter of seconds before we were all surrounded by a hellish inferno. “It’s fine,” I insisted. “I must have forgotten to lock it after Evie got here.”
“Really?” His eyebrows knitted together. “That doesn’t sound like you.”
“Yeah, I know,” I agreed and wiped my sweaty palms on my blouse. “I didn’t have enough caffeine today. I’m totally suffering from it.”
“Yeah,” Evie agreed. “I thought you weren’t thinking straight.”
I turned and pierced her with a look. Her arms folded, she leaned against the kitchen counter that made a little peninsula to separate the living room from the kitchen. She gave nothing away, not even looking at me when I stared her down.
“I should be going,” she said. “Lots of things to do and places to be, you know. Movies to see... men to meet.” She walked over to the couch and picked up her purse. “See you guys later.”
“Bye,” I responded, wanting to literally push her out of the door at that point.
“Later,” Derek mumbled, stepping into the apartment so she could get past him.
A heavy silence followed the shutting of the door.
Derek peered at me. “Are you all right?”
I nodded vigorously and forced myself to stop. “Yes. Totally. Why?”
He pursed his lips and cocked his head slightly. “You just seem... uncomfortable. What were you and Evie talking about before I got here?”
“Nothing,” I blurted. “I mean, she was just sharing stories about work. If I seem out of whack, it’s the lack of caffeine.” I took a step backwards to sit down on the couch’s arm. “I have a headache from it.”
“Aw, sorry to hear that.” He stepped forward and placed his hand against my forehead, the palm nice and warm. “I’ll get you a Coke.”
“Um, okay. Thanks.” I tensed as I watched him walk around the couch and into the kitchen, each of his steps bringing him closer and closer to the hidden vase of flowers. He opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a can of soda.
“This is the last one,” he announced, dragging out the cardboard container. Setting the soda down on the counter, he pressed the cardboard flat.
Realizing what he was about to do, I jumped to my feet. “I already took the recycling out,” I nearly shouted.
My recycling bucket sat under the sink... as in right next to the spot where the flowers were hidden. I hid enough things in my life, and I didn’t want to make doing so a habit, but under no circumstances could he see the flowers. Not only would I have to explain who Cristiano was, I’d also have to explain how unwelcome the flower delivery had been.
There’s nothing going on, I pictured myself saying. I barely even know this guy.
Then why is he sending you roses? Derek would ask.
On and on the conversation would go, for much longer than it needed to. Derek would want to know if I planned on going back to the orphanage, and I’d have to tell him Cristiano’s attention had nothing to do with my volunteering. It won’t get in the way, I’d promise. I’ll tell him to back off, and he’ll listen.
My head hurt in the two seconds it took just to imagine all the things we might say.
Derek stared at me like I was a crazy person. “Oookay,” he drawled out.
I walked across the living room and reached out to take the cardboard from him. “And I just cleaned the bucket, so I don’t want to put anything in there. I’ll just drop it in the bin on our way out. Thanks.”
I pulled the cardboard from his grasp. His eyes were on me, questioning everything. I forced myself to look up and smile. “Thanks for the soda. What did you want to do tonight? You still feeling up for a movie?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, that sounds good, but it’s whatever you want to do.”
I pressed the cardboard against my chest, holding onto it for dear life. “Let’s go to the movies.”
“Okay. Anything in particular you want to see?”
“Nope. Even James Bond would be good. I just want to get out.” And away from those fucking roses.
“Cool.” Derek wrapped an arm around my waist. “You sure you’re all right?”
“Yeah,” I insisted, looking deep into his eyes. “Really. I’m fine.”
He slowly nodded. “Okay.” He leaned down, scooping his face towards mine. His lips pressed against my mouth, warm and gentle... but that was all. There was no spark, no flutter of butterflies in my stomach.
And I know those feelings typically don’t last forever. But when was the last time I felt them? Had it been that morning? I didn’t think so. Had they ever been there? Had I ever gotten giddy when Derek and I kissed or had it always merely felt pleasant?
Basic boyfriend. Evie’s words echoed in my head.
And the roses under the sink snuck into my vision, filling up the darkness beneath my eyelids as Derek kissed me.