“Oh my God!” She squeals, covering her face with her hands. I register the sight of Jimmy, my driver/security friend, chuckling in the rearview mirror.
I sigh out my laughter. “Plus, that girl was annoying. You saved me from having to listen to her blather on about trans fats.”
“Well, you probably take home a lot of girls like her,” she cocks her brow. “You must be used to it.”
“What are you insinuating?”
“Noah, everyone knows you’re a manslut. It’s fine. You don’t have to pretend you were interested in that girl for her glowing personality.”
My face morphs into one of faux-appall at her audacity, but clearly no one’s buying it. I guess my reputation proceeds me.
I huff and fold my arms across my chest. “Alright, yes. I do enjoy the company of women sometimes… But I’m more than just a gifted package, Alex. I have feelings too, you know.”
She laughs softly then turns her whole body in her seat to face me, resting her head against the back.
“Oh yea?” She sneers, grinning wickedly.
“Uh-huh,” I nod, mirroring her body language.
“What kinds of feelings do you have in here?” She asks, reaching out to tap her finger on my chest.
I instinctively tense from being put on the spot, and definitely not because she touched me. Honestly, I’m not used to talking about my feelings with anyone. It’s not something I do, ever. So her asking me about them makes me all fidgety.
“I feel… stuff…” I mumble, swallowing hard over my increasingly dry throat.
“Like what?”
“Nervousness,” I whisper.
Her eyes go round, the smile slipping from her lips. “What are you nervous about?”
“My new job,” I go on, and she visibly relaxes. “I’m excited about it, sure, but I’m also nervous. It’s really… big. What if I fuck it up?”
“You won’t,” she says with certainty that makes me laugh.
“How do you know?”
“Because, I barely know you and I can see how amped you are about it. This means a lot to you. You’ll rock the shit out of that role and make it your bitch.”
My lips curl into a giant smile. She’s so sweet. Sweeter than the cookies we just devoured.
“I also feel worried…” I whisper, my eyes stuck on the purple on her left cheek.
“You don’t need to worry, Noah,” her head shakes back and forth. “You’re a talented actor. You’ll be -”
“Not about that,” I cut her off, my brows pushing together.
She clams up when she catches what I’m focused on. Her eyes fall away, and I witness her gulping. I hope I haven’t upset her by bringing this up. But she asked what I was feeling. This is it.
“Leave it alone,” she breathes. Then her eyes come back up to mine, and they’re filled with angst. “Please?”
I nod slowly, because I have to. If she doesn’t want to talk about it, what can I do? I won’t push her. She’s the one dealing with the worst situation ever, and she doesn’t need any more grief, especially from her new friend.
I want her to tell me what she feels, because her feelings are much more important than mine. But she’s probably in her head constantly, obsessing over the negative. I should help her focus on the good in her life. That’s what friends do.
“Tell me what you feel about your upcoming art show,” I nudge her.
She smiles, relaxed again. “I’m nervous about that, too. But I’m also excited. Almost antsy. I can’t wait to have my pieces up in a successful gallery. I feel pride, for my work. I know I put everything I have into it.”
I grin. “What else?”
“These two contradict each other,” she huffs a modest laugh. “But I feel both inadequacy and victory at the same time. I’m sort of devastated that my parents don’t love me enough to check up and see how I’m doing… But I’m also vindicated because I proved them wrong. I’m showing pieces in a gallery. I made my dream come true when they never believed in me. Part of me wants to rub it in their faces. But then the other part knows they’d never show up, so it doesn’t matter.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Her parents sound like assholes.
What kinds of parents wouldn’t support their child in her journey to following her dreams? Mine did.
Sure, there were a lot of times when my parents thought I was insane for trying to be an actor. And they often questioned my decisions, but they always stuck by me, and supported me through all the failed auditions and rejection. Because that’s their job.
“When’s the last time you spoke to them?” I ask, my voice deep and hoarse with disdain for the morons she calls parents.
“When I was eighteen,” she answers, her tone and face not giving off the same repugnance I’m feeling. Clearly she’s made her peace with it, which is commendable. “They didn’t agree with how I was… living my life. So they basically disowned me.”
My heart lurches. This girl is so strong, it fills me with pride, while also making me want to ring so many necks for her.
Hmm… She said she’s been married for seven years… And she’s twenty-five. So it would seem her parents disowned her right around the time she got married to Captain Ass-Face. Makes some sense, I guess.
Still, they seem like giant pieces of shit.
“Alex,” I murmur her name in a confident tone and take her face in my hands so she’s forced to look at me, those green eyes large and coated in anticipation. “Fuck them.”
She laughs softly and bites her lip. But I’m not done.
“Seriously. Parents are supposed to support you no matter what. And if they don’t agree with something you’re doing, they don’t just write you off. They talk to you and tell you how much they love you. And they stand by your side, even if they’re right and you fail. They don’t say I told you so, or give up on you. I’m sorry that your parents are assholes, but you don’t need them. Clearly, because you’ve made yourself into a badass, dedicated, strong woman. It’s their loss.”
Alex blinks at me a few times, stunned by my words. She’s completely silent, just staring at me in awe.
“Now, if you want to give me their address, I will gladly have someone go over there and bust their kneecaps. But only if you want me to.”
She laughs out loud, and I grin. I really love making her laugh. It’s such a great look on her, and the sound is like a new favorite song I just discovered and want to play on repeat.
“You’re the best friend ever,” she whispers, chewing on her bottom lip.
My dick twitches, but I ignore it, releasing her face, but not before she can take my hand and squeeze it. More twitching. This is getting inconvenient…
“So is that a yes, or…?”
She cackles again and grabs the brim of my hat, yanking it down over my face. I reach over the armrest and poke her exposed stomach, tickling her while she squeals and giggles hysterically. It was a playful, friendly move, but now that I’ve felt it, I realize how toned her abs are beneath her soft skin, and it’s my new mission to touch her there as much as secretly possible.