“Struck out again?” The asshole was laughing at me.
“Not exactly. And fuck you,” I huffed without heat, making him laugh even louder. “Andshhhh. He might fuckin’ hear you.”
Alejandro shook his head at me. “There’s my best friend that cusses like a sailor.”
I leaned to the side and reached for the door to close it, just in case Nick happened to wander by. He was right. I did cuss like a sailor, but only when I was anxious. He’d figured me out a long time ago. “Yeah, well, I am what I am, and you love me anyway.”
Alejandro pulled out a notepad and pen from inside his desk and started to write. I crossed my left ankle over my right knee and spread my left arm over the back of the small sofa. My insides were squirmy, just like every time Nick blew me off. And not in the good way.
Now I was ready to hear what he had to say. He was one of only a select group of people I gave one fuck about their opinion. And he knew it.
“Are you ignoring me, too?” I was feeling testy.
“No, just writing this down to make sure we have a record of the second time you’ve been rejected in your entire adult life.”
My eyes narrowed. “You’re an asshole.”
He just laughed and tossed the pen onto the paper. “Preston, what do you want me to say? You fucked up, and you’ve been pining for him for months. Have you considered telling him what he thought he saw between you and Eliana wasn’t what it appeared to be?”
I scoffed and rolled my eyes like a petulant teenager. “What’s the point? He’s not into me anymore.”
I looked at my nails, then back at him to vent my frustration.
“I almost kissed him out there in the hallway, and he just pulled back and looked at me like I was out of my fucking mind. Which I might be since I double dipped myself in cologne and ate half a container of cinnamonAltoidson the way over here.”
Alejandro rolled his lips in, trying to smother a grin at my situation. The fucker was enjoying this. “What, fucker? Just say it. Whatever you’re thinking, just say it.”
Chuckling, my best friend continued to shake his head at me. “I can’t remember a time I’ve ever seen you so worked up over a guy. This isn’t like you to drag your feet when you want something. You usually jump in and solve the issue before it has a chance to become a problem. You feeling our age or something?”
We’d been best friends since we were college roommates at UC-Berkeley twenty-plus years ago. Both of us were bisexual and had felt an enormous relief that we had each other to talk to. Our preferences were not as widely accepted in the mid-90s when we were in college.
“No, asshole,” I muttered. “I just don’t…I don’t…” I couldn’t remember the last time I was this off kilter.
He sighed. “You, my friend, are not used to having to work for it. Men and women have always fallen at your feet, and now when one doesn’t, you’re a fucking mess.”
I grunted and ran my hand over my hair on the back of my head. He was right. Finding a date had never been a problem for me. But this situation was different. It had taken a long time to get him to flirt with me, and I’d gone and blown it.
Again—not in the fun way.
Looking at him, I huffed. “I don’t know what to do. As much as I love a challenge, he’s got me second guessing myself. Maybe I need to lose a few pounds and hit the gym a couple more days a week.”
“Preston,” he said, rocking forward in his chair. He was clearly exasperated with me. “Have you ever thought you might need to have a genuine conversation with the man that isn’t flirting or about what game is playing on the TV above the bar?”
My brows knitted as I considered it. “That’s not as easy as it sounds when he doesn’t want to talk to me. He avoids me at every turn. I think I’ve been fucking transparent about my interest in him.”
Alejandro sighed, then chuckled. “You’re right. That sexy glare you wield like a sword is pretty obvious. And even more so when you do things he has no idea about.”
I flipped him the bird, but he just laughed.
“Keep in mind Nick’s plate is pretty full. He’s finishing the last year of his master’s degree in architecture and working full time. The guy is probably not on the hunt for a hookup. I’ve never known him to just do a one and done. Why don’t you just go sit at the bar and try to talk to him?”
I leaned forward and propped my elbows on my knees. I knew he was right, but I honestly didn’t think Nick was interested anymore.
Mulling over what he’d said, I ran my index finger back and forth over my lips as he watched me struggle with myself. But he was right. I needed to have a conversation with Nick and set the record straight.
I stood up and smoothed down my shirt.
“I’m gonna take your advice and go have a drink at the bar. Wanna come with me?”
