“Dex? Really?”
I don’t understand why she’s so surprised, she knows we’ve been dating. I guess we haven’t really talked in the last few weeks. Julia and I used to be really close. But not anymore.
“I’m going to miss Nate too, you know.” She says this like we’re competing for the top prize in the worst relationship drama contest. Then she stares down at her engagement ring and waves her fingers. “And I’m stressed about all the wedding plans I have to make. It’s overwhelming.”
Yeah, right. What a hard life.
“I bet waking up every morning as his wife will be all worth it, though. He is the best lover I’ve ever had,” she says dreamily. “He’s moving all his stuff in when I get back.”
Now I want to make a face and do a full-body shudder. I just nod my head and carry the bag I just finished packing over to the quickly growing pile of them. I’m going to need to soundproof my walls if Nate’s going to be living with her in the apartment next door to me full-time.
“I bet sleeping next to Nate every night will be orgasmic,” she laughs.
I’m so tired of hearing about their sex life. Dex and I have a great one too. We just don’t make the same monkey noises Julia and Nate do. And I’ve never actually slept next to Dex in my bed, which is suddenly weird to me. But that will be remedied when we both get back from our fieldwork. My chest heats.I bet sleeping next to Dex feels like a romance novel and a warm bath.
“Wait, you never stayed over his place?” Julia asks.
Damn, I didn’t realize I said those words out loud. “Um, his sisters are staying with him for a while. It’s pretty chaotic there right now.” Honestly, it sounded bat-shit crazy, not just chaotic.
“So why hasn’t he just stayed by you? How come you’ve never had a sleepover?”
Why indeed? “We’ve fallen asleep on the couch together while watching Netflix but we’ve never actually went to bed together. And his sisters have been visiting and it’s been, well, rough. He doesn’t want them all there without him. I gave him my extra key, he just hasn’t had a moment to use it to sleep over.”
“And, you don’t think that’s a problem?”
I don’t give her an answer. It didn’t bother me when it wasn’t happening so why should it bother me just because Julia pointed it out?
“Seriously, Janie. Dex is an asshole. You’ve said so yourself about a million times before. Why are you wasting your time with him?”
Oh, I hate her right now. I know what I’ve said in the past about Dex. Reminding me is a nasty thing to do. Yes. I did at one time loathe him with a strange sort of hateful passion only written about in those dark romance books, but it’s changed now. And you know what? I could go on for days about how much she’s wasting her time with Nate. But I don’t. I could tell her all about how Nate was the guy who kissed me on a Kiss Cam, before I ever knew who he was, while they first started dating! Or, how he tried to get me to be his secret girlfriend while they continued their relationship after he caught her cheating on him. But I don’t say a thing. Nate is the asshole and honestly, so is she. After millions of years of evolution, Nate and Julia as human beings are both disappointments.
“Seriously, Jane. Dex isn’t nice.”
“Well, he’s got a ginormous dick, so that part of him is really freaking nice.” I count back from ten in my head to try to calm down.
She rolls her eyes, and I almost lose my shit.
“You know, for someone who has to screamevery single timeyou have sex with Nate how big he is, you should understand.”
She waves her hand at me, the one with the sparkly diamond, and huffs. “Trust me, as soon as you land in London and stand in front of Damian Miles, you’ll see how much of a nightmare it’s been with Dex.”
“Nightmare? It’s been more like one of those wet dreams you wake up from, all sweaty and desperate to fall back asleep to.”
“Ew,” she says, dragging the last piece of luggage to her pile. “Can you start bringing these downstairs for me?”
I grab two of the bags and heft them over my shoulders just to get away from her. By the time I take the elevator down and stash them in the corner of our lobby, I’m sweating so much my shirt is stuck to my back. I make two more trips while Julia pretends to have a nervous flyer’s stomach in the bathroom. It’s only when all her luggage is downstairs that she miraculously feels better.
Julia would have never helped me like this.
That’s the understatement of the year.
Gail splurges for a car to take Dex and Julia to the airport. Their planes depart an hour apart, and I ask to bum along on the ride to JFK. No one argues. I want to see him off and be able to kiss him goodbye.
When the car pulls up in front of our building, Julia elbows me. “I’ll sit in front with the driver and flirt so you could properly say goodbye to Dex. Nate and I spent the night together.I woke up next to him.”
So why didn’t he help with all the packing? Or carrying it all downstairs? “Wait. He was there, in your apartment? Why didn’t he help?”
Her eyebrows meet, like two perfectly confused caterpillars. “Of course, why do you think we were packing everything in the living room?” She smiles and lifts her shoulders, “I wanted to let him sleep in. It’s too early for him. And besides,” she grabs my arm with a squeeze, “you were there to help me with everything.”
