by Emma Roberts
It was the first day of the rest of my life.
CHAPTER TWELVE
David
If I tried to say I hadn’t enjoyed the surprise visit from my last one night stand, no one would have believed me. I was too thrilled, too obviously excited from the moment she stepped into my office until the moment she stepped out. I felt like I was in something of a daze when she left, and a small part of my brain shouted that this was what lovesickness felt like. I tried to dismiss the thought – after all, it wasn’t as though I could love someone I didn’t even know. I wasn’t even sure I was capable of love in the first place. If I were, shouldn’t I have felt something for Angel after all of the time we’d spent together? Granted, time with the snooty receptionist was purely sexual and couldn’t be construed as having any deeper meaning. It was strange enough that I had attributed some sort of meaning to my meeting with the strange woman—Kimberly. I wasn’t the type to look beyond the skin. Yet somehow, I’d sensed an impossibly vast sadness inside of her, especially when she’d brought up her ex. I didn’t even know the guy, but I was one hundred percent sure I would deck him if I got the chance.
“Well, wasn’t that last patient a cutie patootie?” Angel said snidely as she stepped into my office. A sick feeling immediately began to settle in my gut.
“You could say that,” I replied in a tone that I could only hope was casual, knowing better than to reveal any facet of myself to the needy woman. Angel seemed only somewhat satisfied with my answer, closing the door behind her and leaning back against the surface. She stood with a look in her eye that could only be described as predatory, so it seemed I was going to have to reteach her the pecking order of things. “Is there something you need? I’m terribly busy setting up for my next patient, and unless it’s something important, I can’t really afford to be wasting any time right now,” I said carelessly, shuffling through some papers on my desk that I couldn’t guarantee weren’t blank sheets. Angel scoffed, striding to my desk and spreading herself across the surface in as sensuous a gesture as she could manage. I fought the desire to roll my eyes, although I couldn’t keep the disdain out of my expression as I watched her.
“Well, I think it’s time we both took a little moment to unwind,” she murmured huskily, shifting onto her side and staring at me with a coy grin.
“I unwind best by working through some of the work I usually have to take home with me,” I lied blatantly, and she considered me with a raised brow. I smiled as innocent a smile as I could manage, and like anyone without a brain, she ate it all up.
“Come on, Davie. There are more interesting things we could be spending our time on. Getting to know each other a little better, first and foremost,” she purred, resting on her elbows and staring at me like a cat sizing up a hefty rat.
“I’m afraid I know more than I’ll ever need to know about your winning personality, Angel,” I said bluntly. She looked vaguely wounded, and I almost felt bad… almost. However, this woman simply didn’t know when to stop pushing, Eventually, I would get it through her skull, even if I had to shake it into her. For the time being, however, I adopted her flirty attitude and brushed a hand along her side. She shivered beneath my touch, and I reflected on a time that I might’ve been enraptured by those little shivers and mewls. “I’m seriously busy today, baby. When my schedule opens up a bit, I’ll be sure to call you in so that we can have some one-on-one time,” I lied, smiling through her ditzy behavior. She giggled excitedly, clapping her hands together as she sat up and slid off of my desk. Her smile was filled with something that I could only identify as adoration, and my heart ached slightly at the sight. Not because I felt anything for her — just the opposite really. I felt terrible because I had never felt anything for Angel. She was a quick lay, and that was about it. The fact that we kept running into each other couldn’t really be avoided — we worked together. She made a point of visiting me at every opportunity. I’d almost think she had a bigger libido than even myself, but honestly, it was just getting a bit sad.
“I’ll be at the front desk when you’re ready for me, doctor. Just page me,” she grinned, reaching out to caress my jaw before drawing away with a self-satisfied little giggle.
“Of course. I’ll ring you up the moment I have some free time,” I lied again. It seemed I was doing a lot of that lately, and in most cases, lying didn’t bother me. It wasn’t that I didn’t care about women’s feelings; it’s just that the woman needed to be relevant to me in some matter. Someone I fucked around with from time to time didn’t really count as relevant. That was simply desperation. Just the same, ever oblivious to my true thoughts about her, Angel all but danced out of the room. I watched her with a grimace before returning my attention to the files for my next patient — only to realize I was more or less free for the rest of the day. I grinned, kicking my feet up on my desk and reclining in my chair, fully prepared to take a much deserved nap.
That lasted no longer than thirty minutes before that damn receptionist snuck her way back into my office. I should have locked the door before my nap, but as they say, hindsight is twenty/twenty. I peeked an eye open, fully prepared to give her a verbal lashing if she pressed me too hard. She simply stared at me for a long moment, her arms crossed over her voluptuous chest.
“I thought you were busy today, Davie,” she pouted, the whine in her voice like nails on a chalkboard to me. I rolled my eyes, pushing away from my desk and giving my chair a good old-fashioned spin. It was immature, I know, but it occasionally helped clear my mind, and I was ready to try anything at that point. Angel watched me, the pout on her face only growing more and more exaggerated as I continued to spin. “Are you even going to answer me?” she demanded loudly after several complete twists.
“I thought I was busy. So sue me,” I said blandly as the chair came to a stop. She scowled, tapping her foot as if she were growing impatient with me. Well, that made two of us who were about to lose our cool at any given moment. Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. It was unusual for me to receive text messages at work, but that’s what the vibration seemed to signify. I held up a hand to silence Angel as I swiped my phone, smiling a bit at the cute little emoticons that had been sent along with the usual boring text of a real message. She was simply explaining that she had gotten home safely and hoped I enjoyed the rest of my day. If I could get the receptionist out of my hair, I was sure I could have a good day. A grand day, as a matter of fact.
“So are you going to fuck me or not? From the way you’re looking at your phone, I wouldn’t want to be interrupting anything,” she hissed sourly, stepping toward me and giving me the dourest face her soft features could form.
“I’m actually a bit busy. I’m messaging a new client who came in for her first appointment today, and I want to see if she’s still doing well,” I smiled, feeling no need to lie. It was none of her concern who I was texting anyway.
“God, Davie. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were some love-struck kid,” she muttered, crossing her arms and walking away from me. It was almost as if she expected me to beg her to stay, but I had no plans to do so. I simply watched as she left, smiling to myself before returning my attention to the phone. According to Kimberly, she was doing well, which was my only real concern in that very moment. Angel could be as angry as she wanted — she had already put my job at risk by telling the flagrant lie around the office that we were in a relationship. It wasn’t as if she could do much else to harm me, besides ignore me entirely — and, of course, I perished the thought.
My mind flickered to dating protocol, and I realized abruptly that it had been years since I’d been on an actual date. I never asked girls out; I asked girls to come in — more specifically, to let me in. In spite of all of this, I found myself wondering if it was too soon to ask Kimberly if she would like to hang out for lunch one day. Maybe catch a movie — that seemed like your typical dating fare. Still, as ridiculous as it may have been, I didn’t want to appear desperate. I idly
wondered if I should wait for her to text me once more, or if I should just bite the bullet and send the inquiry myself. As if the gods were watching my dilemma, my phone chose that very moment to vibrate. I swiped the screen and smiled upon seeing a message from Kim. It was simple, asking if my job was anywhere as tiring and boring as she suspected. I chuckled under my breath for a moment before deciding to be being honest. I replied that it was overall a thankless job, but I was glad that it was me instead of some crackpot just trying to get a look at people’s genitals. I wrote as much in my text, only to receive a laughing face in reply. I smirked, leaning back in my chair and deciding it was now or never.
After I asked her to join me for lunch one day, it took several minutes for her to reply. I felt anxiety crawling up the back of my throat like bile and shook my head to try to calm myself. It wasn’t as if I were in love with the girl. I was being ridiculous. I just wanted to have lunch, and if she turned me down… well, her loss. At least, that’s what I tried to tell myself. When I finally felt the telltale vibration, I yanked my phone out of my pocket and swiped the screen at a speed bordering on desperation.
She’d agreed. Of course she’d agreed. From what I could tell, she was totally enamored with me. Or perhaps that was just me viewing the world from rose-tinted glasses. Regardless, I resisted the desire to send her numerous thanks for accepting my proposal, instead sending a simple response: Cool.
It was cool, even if I felt anything but in that very moment. I felt like a nerd going out on his first date, and I was positive I reeked of desperation. Just the same, I took a moment to congratulate myself for working up the nerve to ask her out in the first place. Phase one of my plan was complete, although I wasn’t quite sure what the end goal was yet. Did I actually have feelings for this woman? Was I going to have to acknowledge that somewhere along the line, that just sex had stopped being enough?
No… of course not…
Right?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Kimberly
Never in my entire lifetime would I have expected someone as handsome and charming as David Strowman to be interested in me. If someone had suggested that, I would have laughed them off or cursed them for their sick little joke. Yet there the proof lay in my read text messages, a simple request to meet him for lunch. It wasn’t much, but part of me felt like David wasn’t the type to ask girls out. That hadn’t been his vibe at the club, at the very least. The first thing I did when the day of the date arrived was call Tiffany in a panic. She had ten times more experience than I did with dating, so I was hoping she’d have some sort of tips or advice or… wisdom to impart upon me.
“Tiff here. What’s up, girl?” she asked casually over the phone, and I tried to swallow the squeal that burbled up in my throat. I had so much to tell my best friend, but I wanted to do at least the majority of it in person.
“I have a date, and I was hoping you could come help me pick out an outfit… give me some tips… you know, the usual girl stuff,” I stammered out, curling my hair around my fingers as I spoke. Tiffany paused for a moment before loudly gasping, and I fought the desire to smile.
“A date?! You have a date? About time, girlfriend. You’ve been moping over that jackass, Chad, for far too long. I’ll be there in about thirty, alright? Is it casual or more of a formal date?” she asked hurriedly, and I could hear her fumbling around to get ready. I chuckled, shaking my head. In spite of how silly she could be, I was sure I would never be able to find another friend as sweet and caring as Tiffany Rodriguez.
“I think casual. Do you have some cute earrings or something I could borrow? I don’t really have any jewelry, and I want to make a really good impression. Not exactly a first impression, but still important,” I rambled, and she cleared her throat curiously. I could almost envision her tilting her head, looking much like a confused little puppy.
“If this isn’t a first impression, then who is this guy? Do I know him? I swear to God, if you tell me you’re actually going out with Chad—” she ranted, and I was swift to cut her off.
“No, no. Actually… it’s the really hot guy I went home with from the Red Room. Would you believe the luck that I actually met him again? And good news — he’s a doctor,” I said, realizing I was gushing but not caring enough to stop myself.
“A doctor, huh? Then this requires the big guns. I’ll bring my pearl earring and necklace set. They’re pink pearls, so they’re not necessarily as formal as wearing your fancy schmancy white pearls,” Tiffany said in a rush. I could hear her opening and closing her front door. I swallowed a squeal of glee, unable to believe my good fortune. It was still sinking in that I had actually met the strange man—David–again. It was almost as if we were fated to come together again. I had stopped believing in fate some time ago, when Chad had ruined the idea of love, romance, and even soulmates for me. I knew I might be moving a bit fast, but something about David was different. Something about him made my heart ache, but in a good way.
I didn’t realize Tiffany was hanging up until she stopped speaking, and I felt embarrassed to have tuned her out for the previous five minutes. Hopefully, she didn’t blame me too terribly — I was excited, after all. I sat on my sofa, patting my hands on my thighs in a random rhythm to pass the time until Tiffany made it here. I was sure I’d lose my mind waiting, but the woman must have gone at least thirty over the speed limit, because five minutes later, I heard a knock at my door. I rushed to answer it, grinning at the blonde as she hurried inside my apartment.
“Okay, girl. We have got to make you look good — not just good, fan-fucking-tastic,” she grinned, following me to my bedroom where I had a few potential outfits laid out. She considered them for several moments, tapping her finger to her chin with a soft sigh. “Do you have a sundress? Maybe in some kind of pastel?” she asked, moving to rummage through my closet. I hesitated, not really sure what kinds of dresses were contained within. I had a bad habit of buying clothes and then never wearing them, never even taking the tags off.
“Maybe…?” I answered, and Tiffany giggled in response.
“You don’t know? Girl, I know every article of clothing in my closet, even if I haven’t worn it in over a year. I still have my bridesmaid’s dress from Veronica Bauer’s wedding—remember?” she hummed, sorting through my clothes. I grimaced, remembering the tacky green dresses we’d been forced to wear for our fellow teacher’s wedding. Veronica Bauer did very little beyond working, so when she’d needed to find a set of bridesmaids, she’d turned to us.
“God, I wish I could forget,” I muttered, leaning back on my elbows as she continued to rummage through my closet.
“Aha! I knew you’d have something that fit the bill,” she announced, pulling a mint green sundress out of the closet with a cheeky grin. Truth be told, I couldn’t even remember buying it, but I did have a bit of a shopping problem.
“Will the green go alright with the pink pearls?” I asked nervously, moving to put the dress on.
“They’re both pale colors, and pink and green is like… a classic combo. It’ll be fine, girl. Don’t worry.”
I considered myself in the mirror for a long moment, twisting the pearls around my fingers as I tried to decide if I looked suitable for my date. I looked… acceptable. Perhaps even better than acceptable. I actually looked pretty good — aside from the whole desaturated watermelon look. I glanced at Tiffany, who clapped her hands eagerly together as she eyed my outfit with a precision that I could only expect from her.
“You’re gonna knock his socks off, honey,” she crooned, absolutely beaming at me. “Hell, you’ll knock the socks off of every man in the place. Maybe some women, too,” she continued, adjusting my dress straps a bit before taking a step back.
“Don’t be silly, Tiff. I’m only out to impress one guy, tonight,” I giggled, feeling a bit self-conscious. I could only pray David would find me as attractive as my friend seemed to, but there was nothing to do but bite the bullet and make my way to the cafe. I walked alo
ngside Tiff to the door of my apartment, allowing her to step out before turning to lock the door behind me. I inhaled a steadying breath, allowing myself a final hopeful stare at my friend. “You really think I look that good?” I asked with a faint grin. She chuckled, fanning herself as if dealing with a sudden gust of heat.
