Page 15 of Blindsided
“What?” I ask blankly.
“What are you about to say?”
I look from side to side in confusion. “Um, I don’t know. What do you think I’m about to say?”
Freya’s head tilts, and she nervously watches me while popping a bite of cookie into her mouth, and mumbles, “You’re not about to tell me you have feelings for me, right?”
“What?” I bark out loudly with a laugh. “Christ, woman, no! What would make you think that?”
Freya’s cheeks flame a bright red. “You’re acting weird! I mean, first you ripped me out of the party last night. Then you just got twitchy over the mention of Santino and said you came here to talk to me about whom I should be messing about with! If this was an episode ofHeartland, you’d be a cowboy about ready to drop down on one knee and propose!”
“For fuck’s sake, get out of your Netflix fantasies. I’m here to talk to you about something real.”
Freya flips her wet hair off of her shoulder. “Believe me, you proposing to me is sooo not in my fantasies.”
“Good,” I reply sharply.
“I couldn’t even imagine,” Freya adds.
“Good!” I snap again.
“I could laugh just thinking about it.”
“All right!” I roar angrily and turn to face her. “Christ, woman, I’m trying to do something nice for you, and you’re driving me so mental, I’m about to shove a pillow over your face to shut you up for a damn minute!”
Freya pulls her lips into her mouth and shrugs helplessly. “Speak then. I’ll be quiet. Promise.”
I exhale heavily. “I want to help you with that barista fellow you fancy near your work.”
“Javier?”
I nod.
“How?”
I rub my hands down my thighs. “Well, you said you’re shite at talking to men, and I think I can help you with that because, contrary to what you may think, I am, in fact, a man.”
“How can you help me?”
“I can train you,” I reply simply.
“So like, you want to be my love coach?” Freya bursts out laughing and nearly slops her coffee on her legs.
I clench my jaw in frustration. “Christ, I should have known you’d make me feel daft about this.”
Her entire body shakes with her giggles. “Well, it sounds ridiculous!”
“I thought it might help. You’re all bent out of shape about your upcoming birthday. Maybe going out on a proper date would help you lighten up a bit.”
Freya’s humour disappears. “You think I need to lighten up?”
“No,” I respond and reach over to rest my hand on her leg reassuringly. “I think you’re great. You know that, Cookie. But I also think you’ve been cooped up with me for the past year, and I hate to think I’m holding you back from something or someone you want to pursue.”
Freya ponders my response, which makes me hope she’s finally starting to take me seriously.
“What did you have in mind?” she finally asks.
I shrug. “Why don’t you tell me a bit about him first?”
