“Is this from you?” she asked, holding the phone against her shoulder while she ripped open the package.
“Of course, it’s from me.”
Inside the box, she found a bobble-head cowboy with a note hanging around its neck that read:Cowboy the fuck up! You’re going to be great.
She smiled to herself and took a deep breath to subdue the panic and anxiety. He always knew just what to do. And the fact that he constantly surprised her with these little gifts even though he was so far away only made her fall for him more.
“Feeling better?” he asked.
“Yes.” And she meant it.
“All right. I’ll call you later.” He paused for a few beats. “I love you.”
That was another thing friends didn’t do. He told her that every day and he was so used to her not saying it back that he hung up right after. After one more calming breath, she felt ready and walked up on stage.
*****
“So how was it?” Kevin asked as soon as the video chat box filled the screen. Sometimes he preferred phone calls because seeing her messed with his head. It fooled him into believing she was so close when she was so far beyond his reach.
“It went better than I expected.”
“Stop being modest.”
“Okay, it was awesome! And we had this open discussion at the end and everyone exchanged ideas. I learned so much today.”
He smiled. “I knew you’d nail it. I wish I could’ve been there to see it.”
“Yeah.” Her bubbly mood dipped a bit. “Me too…but you were there in spirit. I kept that cowboy doll with me the entire time and—uh…you’re doing that weird staring thing again.”
“I know. Sometimes I forget how pretty you are.” After a few moments of flirty smiles, blushing and more staring, he jumped back into the conversation. “What are you doing tonight?” He already knew what she had planned. He was just stalling for more time, trying to get rid of the nervous knot in his stomach.
“It’s Tuesday. You know I have dinner with my dad on Tuesdays. We’re making chicken korma tonight. The first time was a disaster, but your mom gave me some cooking tips, so hopefully this time—” She stopped and leaned forward, scrutinizing him through the screen. “Are you okay? You look like you ate bad sushi.”
He kept his hands under his desk so she wouldn’t notice how much he was fidgeting. “Um…I wanted to ask you something.”
Wariness caused a little crease in her eyebrows. “Okay.”
He took a deep breath and swallowed hard before he began. “So…you know Max is getting married in two weeks. The wedding is in Montana because Danny doesn’t have any family and Max thought it would be better if he and Danny flew here…instead of all of us flying to California.” Her slightly raised eyebrows told him that she was waiting for him to get to the point. “Anyway…uh…I wanted to know if…if you would like to come with me…to the wedding…as…as my girlfriend.”
She was stunned and the silence that ensued made him more nervous. For the last six months, they had toed the line between a friendship and a relationship. They talked like friends and flirted like lovers. Despite the distance, they got closer every day. But the silence made him doubt whether she was ready to make it official. He’d broken her heart and it was very possible that she still didn’t trust him.
“Your girlfriend?” she asked, sounding a little shocked. “Your girlfriend?” And then the widest grin took over her face. “Oh, my God! Kevin wants me to be hisgirlfriend.”
“You’re gonna make this awkward, aren’t you?” He rolled his eyes, sat back, and watched her craziness unfold on the screen.
“Am I blushing right now?” She fanned herself with her hand. “I feel so flustered…I feel like a really hot guy just ask me to be hisgirlfriend.” She raced to her bedroom window and stuck her head outside. “Hey, you!” she shouted. “Random citizen. Kevin just asked me to be his girlfriend!”
“Congratulations!” someone yelled back.
Kevin shook his head as he watched her walk back to the computer and sit down. “You’re a jackass.”
“Wow. Your girlfriend. Now we can be like those couples who wear matching colors when they go out together.”
“No.”
“And we can have those cute names for each other.” Her eyes lit up. “I’m gonna call you Bae.”
“Please don’t.”
