Page 37 of Fraud
I wish I could tell her that love never faded. That, no matter what, Josh would wait for her.
But I couldn’t.
Because life didn’t always work like that.
A boy was going to be in my house.
Scratch that.
A man…a really, hot, honest to god man was going to be stepping foot in my house.
Soon.
Early, I’d been casually getting ready, enjoying the process of dressing up for the second time in a week. I shaved my legs, curled my hair, and walked around in my robe while I contemplated what to wear.
It felt indulgent and satisfying.
Even Loki seemed to be enjoying my change in temperament, cuddling up next to me on the couch, while I drank a hot cup of tea.
But then reality set in.
I wasn’t just going on a date.
I was being picked up.
In an hour!
A sudden look around my place caused a rush of panic.
Who had picked out those curtains? Did they always have ugly blue flowers on them? Maybe I should clean the bathroom. What if he was allergic to cats?
These questions plus a million more swam through my mind as I jumped up, unceremoniously dumping poor Loki on the floor, and I got to work.
First was the kitchen. I was fairly neat and usually did a good job of keeping up on the small amount of dishes I used on a daily basis. But that didn’t stop me from running a damp cloth over the counters and stuffing a few possibly embarrassing things in the cabinets.
The Cookie Monster jar that I kept fully stocked at all times? Now hidden behind several pots and pans. The picture of me with frosting all over my face from my first birthday? Tucked inside a cookbook.
I did this same thing for every room.
I quickly realized I didn’t have enough storage to hide the amount of lameness in my house. It shone through, like a bright neon sign written across my forehead.
I was boring.
From the stacks of books to my never-ending collections of crap I’d insisted on keeping, I was the epitome of dull. My home reflected the solitary life I’d been leading since college. Ever since Jane had run back to New York, ready to conquer the world, I’d been slowly retreating from it.
As the months and years had faded away, so had the handful of friends I still had around. One could only say no so many times before the offers ceased altogether, and that was exactly what had happened.
“Kate, come hang out with us.”
“Kate, it’s my birthday. Please?”
Until, finally, there was just me.
I didn’t know why I’d let everyone go. Jane had seemed to think it stemmed from loss, but whenever she’d brought it up, I’d cut her off.
I was good at diverting certain topics, even with a pushy friend like her.
So, I’d made a world inside this small apartment.
