“You did see mejusttake it off the stove, right?”
“I was hungry.”
He just laughs at me.
When he sits down to join me, I say, “This is really good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he replies. “But I don’t think just feeding you deserves a thank you. It’s really not that big of a deal.”
Clearly, he doesn’t comprehend just how awful my previous relationships were. That’s okay. If I fully explained that, I don’t think it would make me look great either.
“Still,” I say. “Do you cook for all your girlfriends?”
“All?” He smiles. “How many do you think I’ve had?”
“Well, it’s been ten years. I imagine quite a few.”
He takes another bite of his omelet. “It hasn’t been that many.”
I cock an eyebrow at him. “With the way you use that thing inside your pants, I’d say you’ve had a lot of practice.”
“You asked how many relationships I’ve had. I canpracticewithout putting a label on it.”
I laugh. “Fair point.”
I definitely understand the concept.
Looking at him, I ask, “What about Christie?”
“What about her?”
“Was there a relationship there, or was it justpractice?”
“Why do you want to know?” He quips.
“Call it curiosity.”
“You know that killed a cat, right?”
“Don’t want to tell me?”
He laughs. “I’m just giving you shit. Christie and I just had sex. That’s it.”
“Sorry for prying. It’s just crazy to me that you two hooked up. She was a pretty big bitch back in the day.”
He finishes the last bite of his omelet and sets his fork down. “Oh, I remember. But one day, she and I happened to be at the bar, drowning our sorrows. We got to talking, and it just kind of happened. We never even considered taking it further.”
Relief washes over me, but I’m not quite sure why. Did I think he was going to be a monk?
I go on to ask, “Was there anyone youwereserious with?”
Why do I care? Do I really want to know the answer?
“I had a couple girlfriends, but it was never serious.”
“Why not?”
His eyes stare into mine. “Maybe because I knew no one could compare to who I really wanted. I was holding out hope for her.”
