Sarah
Why was choosing a name so hard? It wasn’t for a child or a pet. It was for my business, but still. Every option I came up with was too basic or dumb or stupid. “Ugh!” I tossed the pad of paper on the floor and had instead regret, because it involved me bending down to retrieve it. Pico attempted to attack the paper, and the sight of the little dog pouncing made me laugh.
“Pico, chill, boy. Don’t use all your energy before our call.” I patted his head and brought him up for a snuggle. The warmth and color of his fur reminded me of Brigham’s eyes and I about smacked myself in the forehead for thinking about him. He was away on business and it had been three days since he’d tried texting me. My phone felt like a ticking bomb and it was hard not checking it every hour to see if he’d responded to my lame attempt at reaching out.
I sent it one full day after he’d announced he was gone, and not a peep. Not one little sound. It was fine. Totally fine and cool. It was one night, a couple kisses that were probably interchangeable for him. I’d see him when I saw him and be so chill.
And the cycle continues.
I stood up, stretched and jotted down a few more ideas for names.
Blue’s Buddies and Boarding.
Blue’s Boarding Babes
Board your babies at Blue!
My devil device buzzed and I assumed it was Megan calling to complain about her hot TA who was an asshole to everyone. It was her favorite thing to do, and I told her she needed to bone him and move on, but no one listened to the virgin. “What up, Megs?”
“Blue Bell.”
“Shit damn.” I sat up straighter and glanced at the door, like he would appear. He wasn’t a genie and out of town.Deep breath.“Brigham. How’s sports?”
“What are you doing? I need a distraction.” He sounded tired and sad, and it didn’t sit well with me. There wasn’t the quiet confidence in his voice, or the pep that made me giggle. Everything was off.
“I am coming up with names for my super-savvy business and having no luck.” I picked up the pen and twirled it around my fingers like I always saw people in movies do. It fell three times before I gave up. “I’ve had four Pop-Tarts today and am wearing purple shorts and a red shirt which don’t match.”
“Fuck. I’ve missed you.” He sighed into the phone. “I apologize about not calling you the past two days. Stuff came up.”
“Totally coolio, man.”
Oh my god, what the hell did I just say?
He snorted and apingstarted going off. Worried I’d done something, I checked my phone and saw him Facetiming me. “Oh, hi.”
His face appeared on screen and my toes curled in my slippers. I’d somehow forgotten how much I was attracted to him and I was so damn glad I’d washed my face that morning. “You are a goddamn sight.”
“You’re being awful complimentary today,” I replied, hugging my arms around my legs and holding the phone at a good angle so he didn’t see eighteen chins. “Are you okay?”
He frowned. “Sure. Why do you ask?”
“Your voice sounds…off. And your eyes look sad.” I swore I felt his melancholy mood in my bones. “Want to talk about it?”
“No. Not at all.” He wiped a hand over his face and gave me a quick view of his bare arm. Bare arms with muscles were like cleavage was for guys. It enticed me and I licked my lips. “Tell me about the naming process. Let’s see if I can help.”
I nodded and went through the four options I had, and his only response was a measlyhuh. “Right? They suck.”
“I like the use of your last name. Blue. Blue Bells Boarding. Blue’s Boarding. Board at Blues.” He got a pensive look for a second before his face lit up. “Have you reached out to any of the contacts you made from our date?”
“I emailed one but chickened out. There still needs to be a website, secure location, an app to even request appointments. The lady, Vee, said she would sponsor my website, which is cool. I reached out to her but haven’t heard back.” I moved from the table toward the couch and flopped on my belly. “It’s wild that people are willing to help me pay to get started.”
“Keep me posted on it. I’d love to help any way I can.” He moved and I got a glimpse of his surroundings, and my mouth dried up. He was on a bed, shirtless, and pillows were all around him.
“What time is it where you are?”
“Eight at night. Why?”
“You look like you’re in bed.”
