“I heard the news and watched the replay. You all right?” Huh, she sounds concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Bound to happen. Is that why you’re calling? To be the hundredth person to check up on me?” I sound exhausted, but I don’t want to keep repeating myself.
“Yes and no.”
“What’s the no part?” I set my glass onto the counter and head to my sofa to kick up my feet on the coffee table.
It sounds like she is walking around. “For some reason, I felt the need to check in, like genuinely check in. See how you’ve been. Did you find a new cheese to like? That kind of thing.”
My lips twist in an attempt to smile because it sounds like she sincerely means it. “I’ve discovered a Dutch cheese that’s sharp and hard. I would say it’s like my thrusts, but it is actually a very slow cheese that takes 10 to 14 months to ripen and must contain a fat content of 48%. But damn, it’s good.”
She snorts a laugh, perhaps remembering Connor’s wedding weekend where we mentioned cheese during our flirty yet odd topic conversation. “You can go slow, maybe not 10-to-14-months slow, though.”
“You phoned to talk cheese?”
“No, actually, I phoned to ask you to open the door.”
My eyes dart to my front door down at the end of the hall. “Why would I do that?” I shoot up and begin to step down the hall.
“Uhm, the Spinners played your old team, as you know. I guess you didn’t want to watch, which is understandable. I decided to come down to watch Briggs and also shadowed someone I met at that conference who works in marketing. Then I thought, hey, why not check on Vaughn.”
My pace picks up as I head straight for the door. I think she is insinuating what I think she is. Opening the door, I’m faced with Isla who has her golden locks down, a bit darker than last time, framing her face. She’s wearing a sort of long baggy dress that has buttons and stops short of her knees, and I wish this whole getup would show more.
I slowly bring my phone down until my arm hangs at my side.
Isla’s lips lift gently. “Hi,” she softly greets me.
“Hi,” I rasp.
“The front gate wasn’t keen on letting me in, but an old lady who lives a few floors down took pity on me and let me in.”
I don’t move an inch. “Why are you here? Our last encounter you kind of pushed me away slightly.”
She nods in agreement. “I did. But I figured you could use a friend.”
I can’t think of any reason why she would show up right now. It would take too much energy, and I don’t have that right now. “Are we friends? Because I’m really not in the mood to attempt to be anyone’s friend right now.”
“Fair enough. So, am I just going to stand here or are you going to let me in?” She gives me a humorous look.
I hesitate for a second before I step to the side so she can come inside. I watch her saunter as she slowly enters my home and examines the setting while I lazily close the door behind her.
She notices the scotch glass that I forgot on the side table; I’ve been nursing the glass for the last hour. “Are you somewhat sober?”
“Sober enough to wonder how you got my address.” I follow her until she’s by the window looking out at the near-dark sky.
“Hadley had your address from when she sent out wedding invitations last summer.” Isla seems nervous, and God, I hope it’s because we are alone with my bedroom not far away.
“Look, Isla, I have to be honest right now. I’m not in the best of moods. I can’t be a friend, and I sure as hell can’t be anything but a great fuck. So that’s the boundaries for tonight.”
She scoffs a sound and crosses her arms over her chest. I could swear her tits seem firmer or larger, which causes my dick to press against the zipper of my pants.
“That’s clear then. You do seem like you’ve seen better days.”
“It’s fine. This time was always going to come, but it’s a subdued feeling.”
She takes one step in my direction then pauses. “You don’t want to talk about it?”
“Nope.”
