Page 23 of Moonstruck at Midnight
“I’m telling you, Billie. Next time come to dinner wearing a loose dress. I always end up unbuttoning my pants.” Nina snorted. “I swear I don’t know where all his food goes to—he’s so slim.”
CJ stuck his tongue out at Nina this time and asked, “Yoga tomorrow?”
“You know I’ll be there,” Nina replied. “Billie, you should come too. Do you like yoga?”
I’d never done yoga in my life, but I was willing to try it out. Nina proudly explained that her boyfriend, Juan Pablo, owned an integral, holistic center where he taught yoga, amongst other activities I didn’t fully understand. I was curious, though, so I told her to count me in.
They brought dessert to the table, and CJ ended up eating the whole plate by himself. It was impossible for Nina and me to even look at it. We were full, and then some.
CJ promptly asked for the check once done with the last spoonful of what looked like a sugary sin.
We walked outside, and Aaron had the engine going. David kept his bodyguard stance in position—his arms relaxed, and his hands held in a loose fist in front of him. “Good evening,” David said with a discreet smile, acknowledging my new friends.
“Good evening, indeed.” CJ purred with a mischievous smile on his face, eyeing David from head to toe. I elbowed him gently in the ribs.
“Are these—” Nina started, but CJ cut her off with a glare, suggesting she didn’t ask questions. I suspected CJ knew about what happened to my mother. Surely their parents had told him about it if our mothers used to be good friends.
I’ve dealt with my fair share of sympathy looks and uncomfortable unfinished sentences throughout the years. It’d been a while, though, since I last had to deal with them. I planned to tell them myself about what happened, just not today.
“Do you guys need a lift?” I offered instead. Nina declined, but CJ whined about how he was still breaking into his new Pradas. “Are you sure you don’t need a ride?” I offered one last time.
“We’re fine, Billie. Seriously. Ireallyneed to walk this meal off, or I’ll have to sleep standing up. We’ll see you tomorrow at nine for yoga,” she insisted, clutching CJ’s arm and encouraging him to walk. I thanked them both for the evening and confirmed I’d see them the next day for yoga as David opened the door for me.
I was so glad CJ had reached out to me because I had so much fun getting to know them. I knew we could become close friends.
New York was starting to feel a lot like home.
My home…at last.
April 18, 2009
IT WAS EARLY SATURDAY MORNING,a week after my birthday. A week after I’d received those beautiful flowers from Thomas. I smiled as I drank my morning—still instant—coffee and reminded myself I would see him that night. Butterflies fluttered with excitement in my stomach as my mind wandered, reminiscing about the day I met him for the hundredth time.
I ran on the apartment building’s treadmill for thirty minutes before heading to the yoga studio. The gym was small but had the essential equipment to have a decent workout.
We got there ten minutes before the class started, and Nina and CJ were already there, setting their yoga mats on the floor.
“Good morning! Was I supposed to bring my own?” I asked.
“Hi, Billie! No, I mean—people are usually picky about the type of mat they use, so they bring their own, but feel free to grab one from the rack on the left,” Nina replied as she stood up to hug me.
CJ followed her lead and hugged me too. I suspected Nina had heard the entire story by now, and they wanted to coddle me. I honestly didn’t mind. I loved hugs.
“Hi Billie, why isn’t David with us today?” CJ grasped my shoulder with one hand and played around with my ponytail with the other. He wassotouchy.It was an extension of his personality.
CJ stared unceasingly out the window and said, “Sweet. Merciful. Lord.” I’m sure he meant Caleb.
I unrolled my mat beside them with a snort, thinking about Caleb’s universally appealing beauty. “Where do you find these—men, my God.” CJ fanned his flushed face with his hand to make a point.
“I can introduce you to Caleb after class.” I laughed. “But he’s straighter than straight. They both are. At least Caleb and Aaron.”
“And what about David?” CJ asked with hopeful eyes. “Is he gay?”
“David? Who knows—maybe on Fridays?” I joked.
CJ hollered and clapped his hands twice. “I’m sure it’d be my favorite day of the week.” The three of us laughed.
“He’s—something else,” Nina whispered, looking at Caleb. That’s when the yoga instructor, Nina’s boyfriend, made his appearance.
