“I don’t recall that,” I answered loftily. “Anyway, the point is that she’s been so sensitive recently. I can’t do anything without her jumping down my throat. And what’s with this Zeke guy, anyway? Do you think he’s real, or did she just make him up, because she’s jealous of you and me finding women?”
“Dude.” Preston scowled. “That’s crazy. He’s for sure real. I met him, and he’s great.”
“You met him?” This was the first I’d heard of it. “Where?”
“They came in here together. Sophia introduced us. Zeke was all gentlemanly, pulling out her chair and being sweet and crap. I think he’s really into our girl. I’m happy for her. Maybe you should try being happy for her, too.”
“I am,” I ground out. “Of course, I am. I just . . . want to make sure she’s not jumping into something too fast. That’s all.”
“Uh-huh.” Preston studied me. “Taking it slow is important. I agree.” He paused. “You know, sometimes I get all up in my little brother’s business, telling him what he’s doing wrong. I point out where he could be better. And then I end up seeing myself doing the same exact thing I’ve just been griping to him about.” He picked up a dish towel and tossed it over his shoulder. “Throws me a digit when that happens. You know?”
I had a feeling that Preston wasn’t just sharing a folksy sibling story for kicks here, and I even had a hunch I knew the moral of the tale. But I wasn’t in the mood to deconstruct it at the moment.
“Sure, Preston. I get it.” I stood up. “I’m going to head out. I’ve got a shift in an hour, and I want to confirm with Faith Two for tomorrow. Catch you later.”
“See you later, Harry. Good luck with Faith Two. Be sure to take it slow.”
I cast him a suspicious look over my shoulder, expecting to see irony in his expression, but he only smiled and waved as I left.
“Harry, this is so beautiful.” Faith leaned forward, her hands folded beneath her chin as she smiled at me across the small table. “It’s been the perfect evening. Thank you so much.”
“It’s not over yet,” I reminded her. “We just got here.”
“Yeah, I know.” She tilted her head. “But I wanted to make sure I said that now. I’ve never been on a date where a guy made me feel so special. I appreciate it.”
Deep in my chest, my heart glowed warmly. I had tried to go the extra mile tonight, and the fact that Faith saw that made all the difference. “You’re worth it.”
“I mean, meeting me at my car with flowers and a manual on auto repair . . . that was so sweet! Walking along the avenue here, taking me to all those quirky little antique stores . . . and now sunset at this bar, on this deck.” She closed her eyes as the last rays of the day’s sunlight brushed over her face. “I thought romance was dead. Turned out it’s just that you’ve been hoarding it all until now.”
“Ah.” I chuckled. “I’m not sure I can take all the credit. But I’m glad you’re enjoying tonight.”
“I am.” She reached for her glass of wine, taking a sip. “It’s kind of ironic, isn’t it? I mean, the day my battery died, I thought it was the end of the world. I was going to be late to class, and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with my car . . . but then you came along and saved me. Now I’m kind of glad I was irresponsible enough to let my battery go that long.”
“I can’t believe we never met before, with as much as we both climb.” I grinned. “So it must have been fate finally bringing us together that day.”
“I like fate,” she murmured. She hesitated a beat and then spoke again. “I have a confession to make. I’ve never really dated before. I mean, I’ve been on dates here and there, but never anything serious. I’m so buried in school and then getting my career started that I’ve avoided commitment. All of this romance is new to me.”
“I hope that doesn’t mean you won’t want to see me again.” I reached across the table and took her hand in mine. “Because I’m willing to be flexible. I don’t mind coming in second to your schoolwork. But I’d be disappointed if this turned out to be our only date.”
Faith blinked rapidly. “I think I would be, too,” she murmured.
We watched the sun sink lower in the sky, enjoying our wine and the comfortable silence between us. As darkness fell, a cool breeze blew, and Faith shivered.
“Are you chilly?” I reached into my backpack. “I have a hoodie in here, if you’d like to borrow it.”
“That’s so thoughtful.” She took the sweatshirt from my hands and pulled it deftly over her head. “Perfect.”
And when she thought I wasn’t looking, I spied her surreptitiously sniffing the sleeve. Had I sprayed a little extra of my cologne on the hoodie so that it smelled more like me? I’d never tell.
(I totally had.)
For the first time since this whole cuffing season deal had begun, I felt hopeful. I’d actually met the perfect yee, and not only that, I was out with her on the perfect date. After we finished our wine, I planned to walk with Faith down the street a little further to wander around my favorite bookstore. In the courtyard outside that shop, there were usually musicians busking, jamming casually together for whatever people tossed in their guitar or horn cases. In my mind, I could see myself with one arm around Faith, pulling her into an impromptu dance while the guitars softly strummed . . .
“ . . . and that was exactly what happened.” I sat back in my chair, folding my arms over my chest as I grinned at my friends. We were sitting in the coffee shop, which was empty at this point in the afternoon. Sophia’s shift didn’t start for another thirty minutes.
“We danced there in the moonlight—I kid you not, it was like a scene from a movie. It was so freakin’ romantic.” I thought about what had happened after the dance when I’d pulled Faith Two closer and gone for the kiss. That had been the most magical moment of the entire evening, hands down.
“You are my hero.” Preston raised and lowered his arms in pretended worship. “All hail the lord of the cuffing season, our own Harry Davis.”
Sophia was quiet at first. “That’s great, Harry,” she said finally. “I’m happy for you. She sounds like a nice woman, and I’m sure I’ll like her.”
I was surprised into silence. “Uh, thanks, Soph. I hope you will.”
“Are you inviting her to Friendsgiving?” Preston took a big gulp of his coffee. “Because I’ve been thinking of asking Amber to come.”
“Amber?” Sophia nearly squealed, which was very unlike her. “Houston, do we have a name??”
Preston grinned. “We do. I got all courageous and told her who I was, and she introduced herself. She’s a yoga teacher at the studio down the street from the juice bar.”
“I can totally see that.” Sophia beamed. “Preston, that’s awesome. You should definitely invite her to Friendsgiving. Oh, but first, find out if she’s vegan or whatever, so I know if we need to make some veggie-friendly sides.”
“This is so incredible. The cuffing season really worked this year. We’re all going to have dates for the holidays.” I sighed. “I never actually believed it would work.” Pushing back from the table, I stood up. “Okay. I’m going home to write about my Faith Two date—damn, I gotta stop calling her that behind her back. My Faith date. And I’m going to write about the rest of us making love connections, too.”
“Don’t mention names.” Sophia frowned. “Zeke doesn’t know about this whole cuffing season thing, and I don’t want him to get the wrong idea.”
“Yeah, and everything with Amber is a work in progress,” Preston reminded me. “So keep it all in the generalities, okay, my boy?”
“Absolutely,” I promised. “No names, no particulars. Just all the happily ever afters for the three of us. My readers are going to love this.”
My friends, I know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but I’ve got great news. I met a wonderful woman, we went on an amazing date, and I’ve got high hopes for what comes next. I’m trying not to rush things with us, but I realize I want to spend
more and more time with her—I think that’s a good sign.
In other positive news, it looks like both Preston and Sophia have also met special someones. Preston’s yee wooing is a work in progress, so I can’t share too many deets just now. I haven’t met Sophia’s new friend, so I have no idea if he’s a stand-up dude or if maybe he’s a serial killer. Who knows?
Hey, the cuffing season isn’t always easy, friends. We all have our ups and downs. But I have a feeling that from here on out, I’m going to be seeing only the ups.
7
Harry: Hey! Want to meet me at the climbing gym tonight and then get coffee after? I know a great place.
Faith: Sure! What time? I have class until 4:30.
Harry: I work until 5:30, so how about 6?
Faith: Perfect. See you then. <3
Harry: Are you working tonight? I was going to bring Faith over to the coffee shop after we climb.
Sophia: No, sorry. I’m off and I’ve got plans.
Harry: Okay, don’t worry. I’ll catch you later. Preston’s working anyway, so we’ll do it another time.
Sophia: Sure.
Harry: Last night was so much fun. You’re an amazing climber. Hope the coffee didn’t keep you up. J
Faith: Yes, I had fun, too. No, I slept like a baby. LOL
Harry: I’ll pick you up at 5 for dinner on Wednesday? Like we talked about?
Faith: Oh, about that—I have a paper due on Thursday, and I won’t have time to polish it up until Wednesday. Can we put off dinner until another night?
Harry: Of course, I understand. Get your paper done, and then we’ll work out a time.
Faith: Hey, Harry. I’m sorry that I had to cancel again on you last night.
Harry: No problem, I know stuff comes up.
Faith: Yeah, well . . . I hate to do this over text, but here’s the thing. I thought I could handle being in a relationship, that I could juggle everything, but the truth is, I can’t. I’m not ready to do it. I’m so sorry, Harry, and I hope we can still be friends. I really like you. You’re a great guy, and I’ve enjoyed the time we spent together. Please don’t hate me.
Harry: Oh. Okay. Of course.
Faith: OMG, you’re mad, and why wouldn’t you be—I’m so sorry.
Harry: No, it’s fine. I understand. Thanks for telling me.
“Dude.” Preston glanced up from my phone where he’d been reading over my texts from Faith, his expression sorrowful. “Harry, my boy. I’m sorry. That’s harsh.”
“Yeah.” I gave a sharp bark of laughter. “Well . . . what am I going to do? I can’t tell her that she should give me another chance—it’s nothing that I did wrong, or so she says. I can’t exactly suggest that she should choose me over her studies. Or over what looks like is going to be a promising career.”
“You’re not wrong.” Preston nodded gravely. “What if she’s the person meant to discover the cure for cancer, but she decided to date you instead, and no one ever finds the answers? That’s a lot of heavy on your head.”
“Yeah, I guess.” I took a long drink of guava juice and sighed. “You know. It is what it is. Time to move on.”
“Give yourself some time,” Preston advised. “It may be that this isn’t your cuffing season, after all. Maybe you and I are meant to be lone wolves. Maybe that’s the lesson of this particular cuffing season, but the next year . . . next year is ours.”
“It’s possible,” I muttered, but I wasn’t in any mood to be cheered up. This thing with Faith—it was hitting me hard, harder than it should have. After all, we’d only gone out twice, and the second date had been more of a meet-up than an actual romantic outing. We hadn’t made promises, and the truth was, I hadn’t even gotten around to inviting her for Friendsgiving. But still, I was hurt. Maybe it was just my pride, but that shit stung.
“Harry?” Sophia dragged out a chair at our table, draping her purse over the back. “Hey. Preston told me what happened. I’m sorry. I really am.”
“Yeah.” I stared morosely at the table. “Thanks.”
I was aware that my friends were exchanging glances over my head, but I was too depressed to care. “Is there anything we can do to make it better? To get your mind off her?” Sophia’s tone was unusually gentle and compassionate. “I work at seven, but afterward, we could hit one of the college bars and drown your sorrows in cheap beer and sub-par margaritas.”
“Not tonight.” I wagged my head. “Tonight, I just want to wallow. I’m not ready to forget. It’s too new. Too raw.”
They were both quiet for a few minutes. Sophia cleared her throat and looked at Preston. “I guess that makes us six at Friendsgiving, unless you asked Amber to join us.”
“Ah.” Preston tilted his chair back on two legs, his hands gripped the edge of the table to keep him balanced. “I asked her. But she said no.” He pressed his lips together. “She said she just had a bad break-up, and she’s not ready to date again.” He coughed. “But she was super nice about it. Like, she seemed really sorry that she had to say no.”
“Preston, why didn’t you tell me?” I felt like the worst friend ever. “Here I’m whining over here, and you’re suffering, too.”
He shrugged. “Hey, don’t worry about me. I just found out her name a week ago. I had hopes, but no expectations. It’s not like you, who actually went out with the yee. It’s okay.”
I slouched in my seat. “We’re a great example of a cuffing season gone wrong, aren’t we? We all end up alone.”
“Uh, speak for yourself.” Sophia’s eyes narrowed. “I’m still dating Zeke, and he’s been wonderful to me. Ironic, isn’t it, that the person who wasn’t actively seeking cuffing is the one who ends up in a relationship?”
I stared her down, and as I did, something mean and ugly began to take shape deep inside me. “Zeke. Huh.” My mouth twisted, as though I’d tasted something sour. “The only reason you’re seeing him is because Preston and I started talking about girls, and you didn’t want to feel left out. You’re with him because you wanted to show us that you could have someone, too. How long is he going to hang around, though, Soph? How long before you give him the old heave-ho since Preston and I aren’t dating anyone? You’re not in a relationship. You’re seeing friggin’ Zeke to make us feel bad.”
“Dude.” Preston breathed out the word. “C’mon on, now. Don’t do that.”
“No, Preston, let him talk.” Sophia leaned forward, and I knew I was in trouble by the way her eyes glittered. “Let him say what he’s been wanting to say for weeks. You didn’t think anyone would want to date me, did you, Harry? You thought it was safe for you and Preston to make a big deal out of this stupid cuffing season because no matter what happened to the two of you, I’d be here, waiting like always to be your friend, to hang out when no one else would. I was a nice, safe landing spot, wasn’t I?”
“Sophia, I don’t think—” Preston began, but Sophia held up one hand, her gaze never leaving my face.
“When I first mentioned that Zeke asked me out, you made fun of me. You’ve been snarky about him ever since, and you’ve avoided meeting him.” She began ticking off on her fingers. “Preston met Zeke. Vivian met Zeke. Hell, even your mother met Zeke. But every time I tried to set up something so you could, you bailed. And don’t think I don’t know why, Harry Davis.”
“Oh, yeah?” I managed to get in a word. “You should tell me why, Soph, since you seem to have all the answers.”
“Because you didn’t want me to have anyone else. Because you expected that I’d wait around for you for the rest of my life.” Her chair screeched against the floor as she slid it back and stood up. “You can play dumb all you like, Harry, but that doesn’t fly with me. You and I both know how I’ve felt about you for years. You knew it, and you ignored it. You pretended not to notice, but at the same time, it was mighty convenient. If no one else came along, you’d still have good old Sophia to talk to, to hang out with, to be the woman in your life, even when you refused to acknowledge me.”
<
br /> “I—I—” My head was spinning, but Sophia wasn’t slowing down to let me catch up.
“Must have been nice to know you had a safety net all this time.” She stamped her foot, and for the first time, I realized that her bottom lip was trembling. “Must have been nice to know that even if all the women you’ve been chasing after turned you down, I was still waiting in the wings. And then suddenly, I had someone else in my life, someone who put me first and didn’t treat me like some kind of also-ran.” She leaned forward. “Did you ever stop to think, Harry, how it made me feel when you were talking about those other women? Do you know how much it hurt me, every single time? Do you know how hard it was to keep my mouth shut and listen when you went on and on about them?”
Mutely, I shook my head.
“Well, it did. But I’m done now. I have Zeke, and he’s kind to me. He listens, and he cares about what I say and how I feel. So you can take your so-called friendship, Harry, and shove it, because I’m done.” She slammed her chair back under the table. “I’m done with being your friend and pretending that’s all it is. I’m done with being in love with you and with being miserable about it. Go find yourself someone else willing to play the consolation prize, because this woman’s out of here.”
Grabbing her purse, Sophia swung around and pushed her way out of the juice bar, nearly mowing down several people in the process. The door rattled with the force of her departure.
For several moments, neither Preston nor I moved. Shock was keeping me still, even as my mind played Sophia’s words over and over.
“She’s in love with me?” I murmured, incredulous. “Since when?”
“Harry.” Preston’s voice held deep layers of disbelief. “Come on, now. You’ve known this for a while, even if you didn’t want to admit it.”
The Cuffing Season (The Anti-Cinderella Chronicles) Page 8
