Page 28 of Lessons in Love
“How can I help you, my friend?” he asks when I take a seat at the bar in front of him. We’re open, but at four in the afternoon on a Monday, it’s not busy. Yet.
“I need to ask you about something,” I start off awkwardly. This is so far out of my comfort zone. Not just the spider web of feelings complicating my life, but asking anyone for advice. I’ve given plenty of it, but I’m not used to needing it. “There’s this girl.”
He leans against the wood bar and smiles. “I never thought I’d see the day when the boss himself would need advice from one of us lowly tenders.”
“This was a shit idea. Get the whiskey. I can tell I’m going to need it.”
While he pours me a glass, I say, “I wouldn’t come to just anyone. I’m coming to you because you’ve had long-term relationships and one broken engagement. I don’t think the other guys know the names of half the women they sleep with, so you’re the chosen one.”
“I’m honored.” He pushes the glass toward me.
After shooting the amber liquid, I set the glass down, and say, “I met her here.”
“Whoa!” His body jerks as if he’s been hit in the chest. “You live by two rul?—”
“I know. That’s why I can’t wrap my head around what’s going on. I have,” I start to say, but pause, not believing that I’m about to say it out loud for the first time.
“You have what?”
“Feelings.”
“Holy shit, Hardy. How’d that happen? Is she hot?”
“So hot. Wet dreams hot. And I really have no fucking clue how this happened.” I rub my temples. “One minute I waskissing her leading into more, and then the next she’s telling me she’s a virgin and I’m offering to dance with her instead.”
“Instead of what?” he asks shocked.
“Sex.”
“What the fuck? You passed up sex with her because she was a virgin?” Now he’s rubbing his temples as if he can’t comprehend this actually happening.
“I wasn’t going to fuck her for the first time on a desk. She deserves better than that.”
“I get that, but wow. I’m seriously impressed with your restraint.” Resting his hands wide on the bar, he asks, “Maybe you have feelings for her because she’s a virgin.”
“No, I almost find that aspect more intimidating. I mean really. When was the last time you were with a virgin?”
“Last week.”
He answers so casually that I make sure I heard right. “You were?”
“Sure. So I get what you’re saying. You can’t just bend them over and have them begging for more when they’re virgins.”
“Exactly. Virginia deserves romance. She deserves to be wooed into bed and then made love to.”
“Let me get this straight. She’s a hot virgin named Virginia?”
“The irony wasn’t lost on me either. Anyway, I haven’t been with a virgin in a long time. Those aren’t the typical women I hook up with.”“You’re overthinking it. All they want is to be made love to. Once you get that first time out of the way, it’s like they’re making up for lost time. I’m fucking exhausted. We’ve been going at it three times, sometimes up to five times a day since I popped that cherry.”
I stand up and take a step back. “We might have crossed that line of what I need and what I don’t need to know.”
Romeo laughs. “We got off track, but if you have feelings for her, even developing ones that you aren’t ready to admit to, youowe it to yourself to see if something’s there. I know you live by your two rules and they’ve served you well, but maybe it’s time to see if there’s something more with this girl.”
“Stop making so much sense. You’re supposed to be the one telling me to back as far away as I can.”
Shrugging, he says, “You don’t ever come to me for advice. These roles are usually reversed, so when you say you have feelings for a chick, I know it’s serious.” Swiping the glass he turns and sets it in the sink behind him. “Even the greatest of men eventually fall.”
“Sounds like I’m heading into battle?”
