Page 73 of Take A Number
“That’s not how sex works.” She pins me with her chocolatey brown gaze. “You get out what you put into it, and if you said it was better than a soufflé, then it was just as sweet for him, honey. He’s probably genuinely busy. It was a little crazy that you two were seeing each other every night last week. Even real couples don’t do that.”
“It just…felt right.” My brow furrows as an embarrassing thought crosses my mind. “And this is going to sound crazy, but…I miss him.”
Rachael’s lips part as she inspects my face like she’s counting my pores. “Do you have feelings for him, Norah?”
“Obviously,” I huff defensively and cross my arms over my chest.
“I mean more than sexual. More than friendship.” She grabs my arm so I’m forced to look at her. “Has Miss All Work and No Play finally cracked?”
“I don’t know, okay?” I exclaim and stand to get some space between Rachael and me. It’s like she’s in my mind, and I don’t know what my mind is thinking, and it’s all a bit overwhelming. “I can’t figure out what’s going on with me. How do I even know what I’m feeling? What are feelings? Feelings are stupid. I do not like feelings. How does one even interpret feelings?”
Rachael sets her champagne flute down and follows me to the three-way mirror. “Okay, relax…just tell me this: You said you missed him. Do you think you miss him like you’d miss a salty chip? Or miss him like a piece of really good chocolate?”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask, completely confused by her thought process.
“Well, if you miss him like a salty snack, it’s a quick fix. One pretzel nugget or Cheez-It and you’re satisfied. But if someone told you that you could never eat sweets again…how would you feel?”
“Devastated.”
She pins me with a look, and it hits me.
“Oh my God, I have real feelings for Dean!” I twirl and hold my hands up like the room is closing in on me. “How did I get real feelings for Dean? How did he become a sweet to me?”
“I don’t know, girl.” Rachael laughs knowingly. “White boys aren’t my type.”
“Especially Dean,” I exclaim and pin her with a look. “He’s arrogant and stubborn and pushy. He thinks he knows everything. I have goals and a plan. I don’t want a real boyfriend. How on earth did this happen?”
Rachael crosses her arms and hits me with a smug grin. “You stopped working for once and let yourself have some fun.”
“Well, that was stupid,” I reply with a huff. “I immediately regret that decision.”
“No, you don’t,” Rachael says and points her finger at me. “You’ve been happier in the bakery these past couple of weeks then you have been in ages.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Yes, you have. You’re coming up with new recipes, you’re not micromanaging the Denver construction anymore. You didn’t lose your shit on Zander when you saw the dumpster mess last Friday, and it was his turn to clean up back there. You just cheerily picked it up yourself…and you hummed while you did it.”
“I don’t remember humming.”
“There was definite humming,” she volleys back. “And let me tell you, classic power ballads hummed loudly without a backup band are not nearly as impressive even with those back-alley acoustics.”
“Oh my God, this is terrible.” I stomp over to my dressing room, throw back the curtain, and sit down on the bench. “This is not what Dean signed up for. He’s not into me like that. If he knows I have real feelings, he’s going to lose his mind. What am I going to do?”
“I’ll tell you what you’re going to do.” Rachael walks over to squat in front of me and places her hands on my thighs. “You’re going to look hot as hell for that wedding.”
I roll my eyes and hear her growl as she squeezes my legs to make me look at her. “You’re going to look hot at that wedding, and you’re going to go there and have fun. Don’t say anything to Dean about your feelings. Just…remind him why you two couldn’t stay apart for an entire week. Be yourself! You can be kind of adorable when you’re not bossing everyone around.”
My lips curl with disgust. “Thank you, I think?”
“You’re welcome,” she chirps back with a smirk. “Seriously, just go enjoy the night. Have fun and see how he is with you. Weddings are a great place for couples to evaluate their relationship. If you get good vibes from him, you’ll know when to talk about these sugary-sweet feelings you’ve developed.”
I nod as I take in those relatively easy instructions. “I think I can handle that.”
Rachael stands up and places her hands on her hips. “Now please God, take that basic dress off. We need to find you a real dress. If you only have one more night with this man, it needs to be the best night of your life.” My smile is wobbly as she closes the curtain and calls out to the attendant who helped us earlier.
One more night with Dean doesn’t feel like it could be enough. But if he’s pulling away, I’m not sure I have much choice in the matter. I have to hope I can prove to him I’m more than a fake girlfriend. That what we have is far from fake.
Ican’t help but laugh as Kate attempts to stuff her layers upon layers of tulle wedding dress through the hoop of a tire swing.
