Page 30 of Fall Into You
So, I make sure that Vinny sticks to our academic shenanigans, like that time we pranked our anatomy professor by having each student dress up as a human organ for Halloween. Sure, it was weird as hell, but it was incredibly funny at the time.
I also learned all about how Danielle and he started dating, how he turned from annoying bro into doting boyfriend the second he met her, falling for her on their first date—at least according to Danielle. Vinny just blushed and huffed uncomfortably, which gave me hope. To me, that meant that he’s actually much more of a softy than the man leads on.
“So, are you seeing anyone now?” he asks at a certain point during dinner as he shovels a huge bite of Danielle’s Chinese chicken salad into his mouth.
Danielle chokes on her water, and Liza shifts uncomfortably in her seat.
Nice going, guys. Super subtle.
“Uh, yeah, actually.” I look down at my plate, suddenly taking a huge interest in the food on it.
“No way.” His eyes widen. “Is it serious?”
“I really want it to be,” I say, and I see Liza’s cheeks flush from the corner of my eye.
“Whoa, dude. Never thought I’d see the day.”
I roll my eyes at him, hating that he’s so surprised at my willingness to commit to someone.
“You know, I really don’t get what your deal is,” I snap at him. The whole table goes dead quiet.
Shit.
“What?” He frowns at me, and I see Danielle shaking her head at me, a warning not to push things.
“I just mean that…” I sigh. “I’m not twenty-five anymore, you know. Like, my hobbies do not include avoiding responsibilities and sleeping around anymore. I think I’m a pretty good guy, and you keep acting like I’m still this immature college student figuring shit out.” I shrug.
No one says a fucking word at the table, and I swear I think this is where it all ends. This is where we get into an argument, and it all goes to hell.
Danielle kicks him under the table, and he grunts. He turns to look at her, and she gives him a meaningful glare.
Vinny sighs and looks at me. “I’m sorry, man. I guess it’s just difficult to disassociate you from my partying days, you know? Just because we haven’t really seen each other since then. But you know how glad I am that you’re back in the city and that we’re getting to know each other better. I like this guy too.” He slaps me on the back.
What is happening? Are we having a moment?
He has just admitted that he’s wrong.
The fact thatI’msurprised by Vinny’s apology means that he’s not the only one still making assumptions based on who we used to be. Despite his crazy overprotectiveness, I guess it’s evident that he’s grown emotionally. Who would have thought?
This is good. This is really good.
“Thanks, man,” I say.
We’re all quiet for a bit until Liza breaks the awkward silence with, “Dinner’s amazing, Dani.”
“Yup, incredible,” her husband says.
“Absolutely,” I agree.
And with that, we catapult into a normal conversation, leaving behind any bitter memories of confrontations or uncomfortable moments at dinner.
Hope. There’s hope.
“SO THE GUYwent all the way to the restaurant and back to look for your necklace and then spent the night holding you in bed while you cried because he didn’t want to leave you alone?” Barbara asks over coffee the day after Vinny’s dinner. She flips her long, blonde, stick-straight hair over her shoulder before leaning back into her chair.
“Yup.” I take a sip from my cappuccino. We’re sitting at a cafe near campus for our weekly hang. It’s really easy in this city to get caught up with other things and lose touch with people, so Barbara and I make it a point to set time aside to sit down and catch each other up on our lives.
“You know not every guy would do that, right? Especially not one who hasn’t even been on a date with you.Especiallynot someone who hasn’t slept with you yet,” she says seriously, narrowing her ice-blue eyes at me.
