I finish by telling them about the job offer from Anne, which sends them all into a hysterical round of cheers.
“We must go out and celebrate! We’re so proud of you, Jessica,” my mom says before hugging me again.
I lean into her arms, thankful to have my family by my side.
???
The next day, Sarah and I start our day at one of the local cafes, with a coffee and a bagel in hand.
Now it’s her turnto be questioned about boy trouble.
“Okay, so now that we’ve covered all of my love life, or lack of, it’s your turn,” I tell her, and she picks at her nails.
“Well, promise me you won’t judge.” I look at her uncertain expression, reassuring her that I’m her best friend and would never judge her.
“You know Alexander? The guy I slapped across the face and all that?” she asks me sheepishly, and I nod.
“Well, I might have let it slip in our previous conversations that the sexual chemistry is kind of off the charts. So, when I saw him last weekend, he was taunting me about the whole “I’m going to report you for assault” thing, and things got heated. I told him I’d report him for sexual misconduct since he called me a hooker the first time we met.” Sarah bites her lip, and I feel my anticipation rising.
“When I said that, he told me that if I was going to report him, he was at least going to make the most of it, stalked over to me, and kissed me like his life depended on it.”
“What? Oh my god, Sarah, why didn’t you tell me before?” I ask her, and she rolls her eyes at me.
“You’ve been MIA, and when I got a hold of you, I could tell that something bad had happened, so I didn’t want to bother you. Besides, Ialso wanted to see your reaction in real life.” She smirks at me.
“Okay, so what happened after that?” I ask.
“We made out, and when things started to get touchy, I ran out of there as fast as I could and have been hiding ever since,” she tells me, and I’m a little shocked.
Usually, I’m the scared little mouse that hides in the corner whenever a challenge arises. Sarah, on the other hand, is the confident cat that will bring out her claws and never hide from a challenge. Hearing her say she’s been hiding raises my questions.
“Hiding Sarah? You must really like this guy, then,” I tell her with a smile, and she brings her hands to her face.
“I think that’s the problem. He calls me on my shit. Usually, guys get threatened by that and turn the other way. Alexander’s been the total opposite. Whenever I push, he just pushes back twice as hard. And that kiss scared me. How good he made me feel with just a kiss and some touching. Imagine if we went all the way.” She sighs.
“What exactly are you afraid of? That the sex will be so good that you’ll catch fire?” We both laugh, but she gets more serious as we calm down.
“I’m afraid he’s actually going to see me, the whole me, and that scares me.” Sarah has always been aconfident woman who goes after what she wants.
Whenever she’s been with a guy, it’s on her own terms, and she’s always been the one to break their hearts, not the other way around. She protects herself, and I take her hand across the table.
“If you decide to give him the chance to see the whole you, Sarah, he’s one lucky guy. Don’t ever forget that.”
???
We spend the day shopping before getting our nails done, nothing like retail therapy. After we’ve finished dinner, Sarah, unfortunately, has to go back to the city; duty is calling.
I give her a tight hug and tell her that Alexander McGregor has nothing on Sarah Parker before she jumps in her car and starts driving back to Chicago.
I promised I’d try to swing by on the day I leave so we can see each other one last time before I fly to Europe for the next seven weeks on the road.
???
The next day, I’m chopping vegetables in the kitchen, helping mom with dinner when she brings out the million-dollar question:
“So, is there any men that’s caught your eyewhilst you’ve been away?” My family isn’t nosy in the way that they expect me to bring home a boyfriend from time to time, but my mom likes to check in and make sure her baby girl is being treated well.
I decide to be honest with her; she knows me better than anyone else and would see right through me anyway.
