“Ah… Matthew, you love everything about me. I’m perfect just as I am, remember?” she spits sarcastically, and a genuine smile creeps on my face. She’s right, though, I do love everything about her. Her weird, her quirks, her image, her personality, her bright spark, everything about her, I love…
My heart races a little faster, and a lump forms in my throat from those thoughts.
“You’re perfect, Alex, don’t let anyone tell you any different.”
“Thanks, but you’re biased. Anyway, I can’t have completely cold tacos now, can I? Let a girl eat, Matt!”
I chuckle. “Sure thing. I’ll just sit here with my tub of ice cream and get fat.”
She snorts. “You have thirty-six abs, Matt. I’m quite sure one tub of ice cream will only drop you down to say thirty-five. Your abs might be a little lop-sided, but they’re safe. Just do an extra one-handed push-up or something?”
I burst out laughing. “Thirty-six abs?”
“Don’t think I haven’t seen your abs under your tight shirts, Matt, I know what you’re packing.”
“You been checking me out, Alex?” For some reason, that thought electrifies me.
“Matt, c’mon, who wouldn’t check you out? But that was right at the start when I first met you. I mean, you walk into the gallery looking like that? What’s a girl supposed to do?”
My mouth twitches and turns upward into a lopsided grin. “Well, so you think Nate’s hot too then?” I ask, and she chuckles.
“Nate’s hot too, yes, no doubt, but he had a sad puppy dog look about him that was never appealing to me. In contrast, you walked in and had an aura about you. You look similar, but you’re vibing totally different. Nate’s hot, but I’m not attracted to him. Plus, he’s my boss and my friend’s fiancé, so that would be weird.”
I want to ask if she’s attracted to me, but that’s crossing a line that we can’t come back from. And that isn’t fair on Madeline or us. Plus, with everything that’s happened today, we don’t need something like that thrown into the mix, which would only confuse things further.
But I really want to know.
Because the truth is, I find Alex attractive.
I always have.
Everything about her attracts me, and if things were different, if we’d met under different circumstances, at a different time, we might have been more than friends.
But that’s not who we are…is it?
“Yeah, thatwouldbe weird,” I finally say and shove another spoonful of ice cream into my mouth to stop me from saying anything further. “Are we good now?” I ask through a creamy mouthful.
“Yeah, we’re good. Sorry for overreacting.”
“No. You didn’t. I went about it all wrong. I’ll never put you second again, Alex.”
She sighs. “If you and Madeline become a thing, you’ll have to put her first, Matt.”
“Can’t you both be equal in my life?”
“No. She will have to be your top priority. And I get that, I do—”
“Okay, but I’m only going on a second date with her, Alex. Nothing is set in stone just yet, all right? So you’re still my number one girl, got it?”
“Got it. Tacos… must eat… dying of starvation… fading away… shrinking before my eyes… must… have… Mexican…” She says the last words like she’s dying and ends the call, making me chuckle.
I look at my cell to see a reply message from Madeline.
Madeline:I look forward to the wedding. It should be great to meet all your friends. Especially Alex. I can’t wait to meet her and see you again. Hope you’re having a good night. I’m going to be busy at work now, so I’ll check in with you again tomorrow. Night. xo
I don’t bother replying, knowing she’ll be busy. The last thing I want to do is disturb her while she’s hostessing. Which I’m guessing is a fancy term for a waitress. Sure, it’s not the bestjob in the world, but hey, she has the ambition to dance in music videos, and it’s in the same industry I’m in. It seems we’re destined to cross paths. Even if we don’t work out as a couple, at least I’ll be able to help her career.
Shoveling another spoonful of ice cream into my mouth, I sit back on the sofa and sigh. Today has been one hell of a fucking roller coaster. Highs and mother fucking lows, but it’s all smoothed out in the end. Alex and I are okay, I think, and Madeline and I are fine. Charlotte is none the wiser. I should probably tell her I’m seeing someone, but I’m not going to cut her off completely until I make things official with Madeline.
