Page 7 of Just A Little Love

Rory

“Anders, am I really going to consider this?” Gabriel hadn’t said it was a secret or anything, but even if he had, my best friend didn’t count. We’d never kept secrets from each other, and this was too juicy not to share.

“Do you think he’d want you to wear diapers? Do you want to wear diapers?” Anders had questions I couldn’t possibly answer.

“I can honestly say I’ve never considered that wearing diapers was an option. When we meet later, I’ll ask,” I said, rolling my eyes.

We’d exchanged numbers last night so we could meet today, and he texted me first thing this morning, which was a surprise. It wasn’t a weirdly long text, but a quick‘nice to meet you and looking forward to this afternoon.’

The completely ordinary message went a long way toward easing my nerves. Hearing him out wouldn't hurt anything. Yeah, the conversation swerved left, but I still enjoyed my time. What was the worst that could happen in a public restaurant in the middle of the afternoon? If it was weird, I’d thank him for his time and leave.

We’d agreed to meet around two at a small café situated several blocks away from my school. It was far enough from campus that the odds of running into anyone I knew were low. I still needed to pick an outfit that projectedlittle meeting potential Daddy but also a savvy businessman who can negotiate. It was a lot of pressure to put on some jeans and a T-shirt. After Anders arrived, we raced upstairs to my bedroom to toss my closet until we’d narrowed down the options.

“Anders, what do you think about these?” I held up two choices for him to choose from. My love of punny slogans was working in my favor today because I had so many options.

“Do the book one. He’s an architect, so he probably reads.”

I shrugged and slipped on the winning shirt. My rain jacket had been MIA for the past week, so I went with my favorite cardigan and my beloved Chucks with the cloud design on them.

“And please text me when you get there, if you go somewhere else, and when you get to that place.”

I smiled at Anders because no one was sweeter than him. His heart was so big, but his taste in men was worse than mine. “Anders, thank you for not judging me for considering doing this.” I grabbed him for a quick hug. “I love you.”

Anders hugged me back and said, “I love you too. But remember, this is for a job. You love the idea of being in love, and that’s not what this is, okay? No, heart eyes for you.” He grabbed my face in both hands, and I couldn’t resist the urge to stick my tongue out at him like when we were kids.

“Yes, I know. It’s business. We are going to make a deal and go our separate ways.”

“Do you already like him?” Damn Anders and his perceptive perceptions.

“I think he’s a nice guy.” Definitely true. “I don’tlikelike him.” True-ish. “It will be okay, and maybe we can figure out how to save this place.”

“Uncle Tobias was such a pain in the ass--no, no, don’t make a face at me. He was and made this house stuff as difficult as possible. If this guy can help you, go for it. Use your head. Okay, tell me again about the little stuff. I want to make sure I understand it. Why does he need one?”

“He said he made up a boyfriend and now has to show up with one on New Year's Eve. I’m not sure exactly what he needs me to do, but it mostly sounds like going to the party and pretending to be a little. It’s a public place, so how awful could it be, right?” I gave Anders a stern look because his eye roll was not helpful. “He reached out to his ex, who is an actor, and his ex put him in touch with another actor that he intended to hire to play the part. Gabriel was at the Diner to meet with the actor, not his ex, but the guy ghosted him. Now he has to find a replacement boyfriend.” I added air quotes to the last part. “I was too exhausted and emotional last night to discuss it. We are meeting today so we can talk and see if we can make a deal between us.”

“Damn it. I thought this story was going to be significantly more scandalous. I am disappointed in you. Get going before you’re late for your new daddy,” Anders said, cackling.

***

The café was thirty minutes from my house. Taking my car would’ve been easier, but I hated driving. Instead, I braved the steady drizzle that had been coming down all day from overcast, gray skies. I left the house in only my cardigan, and I looked like a drowned, not-quite-ginger rat by the time I reached the restaurant.

Warm, delicious heat hit me the moment I stepped over the threshold of the café. When I moved farther inside, I stopped to take it all in. This place was magical.

Twinkle lights hung in tight swaths across the ceiling and trailed down the walls. Someone here had a green thumb because plants were everywhere. Along one wall were a couple of shelves with stacks of coloring books, toys like cars and plastic soldiers, and a metric ton of board games. A working fireplace with flames dancing in the iron grate along the back wall. The walls were painted to look like a woodland forest in a classical, not a childish, style. How had Anders and I never been here? It was fantastic.

I was early, but I looked around for Gabriel anyway. I found him in a small, two-seater booth in the back. I waved and headed over. As I approached the table, I saw a scowl form across his face. Was he here to call the whole thing off? Did one look at me in daylight convince him his friends wouldn’t believe he was dating me? I had been so worked up about whether I wanted to go along with this sham, I hadn’t considered he could walk away too. Crying in public was embarrassing, but I was about two seconds away from it.

“Hey,” I said, cleared my throat, and started again. “I’ve never been here before, so I gave myself plenty of extra time. I’m glad you’re here early, too. I can’t believe I’ve never been here before. It’s so cute. Anders, my best friend, would love it.” My words came out in a rush. I was wringing my hands and rambling. I always did this when I was nervous, and I’d never learned how to control it, except when I was lecturing at school. My mom always said it made me look like a little kid, and she wasn’t wrong. The scowl on Gabriel’s face deepened.

Maybe my outfit was wrong? I’d thought the book T-shirt was adorable when I bought it, but maybe he was expecting someonewho dressed more professionally? My college was pretty lax about the dress code, which I loved because wearing suits was the worst. With all of my non-traditional students, having a teacher who was less formal made the daunting task of seeking help less intimidating. Gabriel still hadn’t said anything except to keep looking me up and down.

“Ha! I look like a mess, don’t I? I didn’t expect the rain to get me as much.”

Shut up, Rory.

It felt like he’d been staring at me for hours, but it was probably seconds. Involuntarily, I added shifting side to side for his perusal of the embarrassing nervous tics I had. This was clearly a mistake. Whatever Gabriel thought he potentially saw last night in, this arrangement he didn’t see today.

“I-I-I’m gonna go.” I tried hard to blink back the tears. I always fell into the silly trap of thinking people were who they said they were and acted accordingly. Every so often it worked out in spectacular fashion, like with Anders. Usually, my rose-colored glasses got ripped off, and I was left disappointed again instead. It looked like this was going to be one of those times.

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