I quickly skimmed Hazel’s text.
Hazel Ridley.
Ridley. Where have I heard that name?
The meeting ran longer than expected. It was already 6 PM, so we agreed to finish the details tomorrow. I gathered my things, and as everyone was about to leave, I decided to talk to Ethan.
“Hey, man, you’re gonna find out soon, so I’ll just tell you and ask you not to make a big deal out of it.”
“What the hell? Who starts a conversation like that?” Ethan looked concerned.
“Nothing. I asked Hazel to come with us to Portugal, and she said yes. So yeah, she’s coming.”
“Hell yeah, man. That’s awesome.” Ethan said, throwing me off.
“Really? I thought you were gonna give me shit about it.”
“Oh, I will. I would much rather enjoy abusing you in a group. Don’t get me wrong, you are totally into her. But Hazel’s cool. Watching you embarrass yourself in front of her is just a bonus.”
“You’re a douche, you know that? There’s nothing between us. She’s nice, but not my type.” What a load of crap. I couldn’t fool even a 5-year-old.
“Oh, right. Because cute, blonde, beautiful women with blue eyes are definitely not your type.”
“No, I mean women who want a relationship with me are not my type.”
“Who said she wants one?” He got me there. Sure, she responded to me sometimes, that didn’t mean she wanted anything serious. Maybe I shouldn’t worry too much. The wife club would leave me alone for now, and Hazel would just enjoy the vacation.
“I don’t know Hazel that well, but I know you, andyouare the one in trouble.”
“Whatever, man. Did Summer give you some of that strong weed she’s smoking? You know you can’t handle that stuff.”
“Hey, where did this idea come from that I can’t handle my weed?”
“Somewhere around when Logan and the flamingo incident happened.” I patted his back as we left the conference room, remembering the idiots we used to be.
* * *
Thursday flew by despite working until 10 PM. There were endless meetings, competitor analysis, and things to organize before the trip. I didn’t even get lunch, which meant I didn’t see Hazel. Well, technically, I saw her across the street from my fourth-floor window, but the odd thing was that she had the damn box again. Was she traveling like that now?
Anyway, it was Friday, and I needed a stronger coffee than what we had at the office. Ten minutes later, Alex, Logan, and I were crossing the street.
“So, Alex, isn’t your anniversary with Ava coming up?” I asked as I opened O’Riley’s door and stepped into a warm cloud of roasted coffee beans.
“Yes, next week,” Alex confirmed.
“Have you figured out what you’re getting her?” Logan asked.
“I’ve got some ideas,” Alex said mysteriously. “But I’m not telling you guys anything. You can’t keep your mouth shut.”
“I’ve never done anything like that! How dare you?” Logan said dramatically, like he was in a Greek play. “Did I ever tell Luke about the time you hooked up with Tracy at that college party? Same one he was at?”
My laughter turned to shock. “What?”
Alex looked at Logan and said sarcastically, “Thank you for that. Ask me again why I don’t tell you anything.” Logan grinned, enjoying the chaos. “And Luke, take a chill pill, you kissed at least three other women that evening if I remember correctly.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right.”
The queue finally moved, and we were greeted with a bright smile.
