“No, you started this. She is your type.” He smiles. “You never say a woman is not your type unless she really is. A weird fucking thing you did growing up, and it looks like you are still doing it.” Grayson grins, the kind that always used to con teachers out of late slips and now just gets him free drinks at neighborhood bars.
“She’s about as indifferent as it gets, Arch.”
Grayson snorts. “You like a challenge.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s not like that. I’m shadowing her and I need to stay professional. But damn, man, you should have seen her face when she found out I write romance novels. Like I’d admitted to a felony.” I try to remember if she was always like this, if she’s always been a human paper shredder disguised as a woman. Back in college, Minji was serious, sure—focused, ambitious, always two steps ahead of everyone else, but therewas something else there too. A softness to her that I can tell is long gone.
“I don’t blame her for not believing in all that lovey-dovey stuff,” he says. “Just imagine all the shit she sees and hears on a daily basis.”
“Besides, not all women love the romance genre. It’s too fucking sappy if you ask me,” Grayson continues.
“I didn’t ask.” I cut my eyes at him.
“Well, it’s true. Eight times out of ten, you meet a woman who wants the fucking fairytale love story she read in some shitty romance novel. No offense.”
“I’m taking all the offense. Because if I remember correctly, the hockey romance genre has been doing wonders for your sex life.” I lift one eyebrow. Grayson is one of the best defensemen in the league, and when hockey romance novels became the trend… There wasn’t a day this man didn’t have a story to tell about a new woman gracing his bed.
He chuckles. “Puck bunnies don’t want romance.They just want to getthoroughly fucked,and who am I to deny them?”
“Until you knock one of those bunniesup. So, I think you should start denyingsomeof them.”
“Do not wish death on me.” He almost falls off the barstool. “I would never wish kids on my worst enemies. I hear some people say kids are a blessing, but I think otherwise. I could never. Your life isn’t yours anymore with kids, and that scares me. Just imagine having to give your last piece of food to your child because they won’t stop staring at you. Or changing fromESPNbecause they want to watch fuckingBlue’s Clues.”
“Gray. You can’t be serious?”
“Dead serious, take it back. I swear if some?—”
“Relax, Grayson.” I chuckle. “Just wrap it up.”
“Whatever, man. I still stand by what I say. Romance novels are too fucking sappy or just filled with fucking and no plot. Sothat attorney you’re shadowing is right. But it pays your bills, so I won’t judge too much.” He winks.
If Grayson and I hadn’t spent our childhood in the same orphanage, our friendship probably wouldn’t have lasted this long. I can handle outsiders criticizing my career choice, but when it comes from Grayson, my best friend, my brother, it hurts. I always sensed he thought my decision to become a romance author was odd, but he’d never openly expressed it until now. Even though he didn’t use those precise words, I can read between the lines.
“I think I’m going to call it a night.” I stand, pulling out my wallet.
“I’m sorry.” He stands quickly, grabbing my wrist. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just feel like the genre is not—look, I’m proud of you and what you do. I brag about you to anyone who listens, I swear it. I don’t want you to think I think your career is lame. You’re the only family I have, besides Axel… we are all we got?—”
“Aww hell, the hot ones are always gay.” A woman stumbles by us, slurring her words as she holds onto her friends to keep her upright. Grayson snatches back his hand as if it’s on fire and scratches the back of his neck.
“If I didn’t know any better, I would think you’re acting out some sappy romance.” I tease. “I hate to break it to you but I love me some pussy.”
“Hey, so do I.” He looks offended. “But for real, I didn’t mean any harm. You know I’m proud of you and all your accomplishments.”
“I know, Gray. Apology accepted.”
“You sure, man?” he asks, and I can see he is about to give me that damn puppy face. It won’t hit the same anymore since he cut off his curls. That gave him the golden retriever look. “I don’t like it when we?—”
“We’re good, so please don’t start your shit. I forgive you because if I don’t, I know you will harass me until I do. But I need to get going, I can’t show up late tomorrow. That might give Minji more ammo not to want me to shadow her.” I scoff.
“Minji, so that’s her name? She’s Asian?”
“I believe she could be East Asian.” I shrug playing it coy, but I know for a fact she is Korean. “I didn’t get around to asking her, and I don’t think I ever will get around to asking. I know for a fact that woman will not share anything about her personal life with me. I’ll be surprised if she tells me her coffee order.”
“Wait.” He stops walking, and I know what he is about to ask. I should have made up a fake name, but it’s too late, the cat’s out of the bag now. “Is she the Minji from college, the TA? The one who you slept with for two months and then ghosted you? That Minji?”
“Yes, that Minji.” Her ghosting me had to be one of the top five worst things I think I went through, and it’s not like I had her number. She restricted our contact to Facebook Messenger, and then, that dreadful thing, she was supposed to stay the weekend with me, she deactivated her Facebook, and I never heard or saw from her again. But the chem professor said she graduated early and went off to law school.
“Holy shit. Fuck. Did she recognize you? Is that why she was being hard on you? I mean, she has to remember you, she practically lived in our dorm suite for those two months getting cracked like an egg.”
