I ask my bestie. “What’s the second reason for going with you?”
“I don’t want to go alone,” she smirks at me. “Please?"
“Ah,” I laugh, “the truth comes out.”
Her eyes twinkle, “Please come, Lizzy. It’ll be fun, I promise.”
“I don’t know.” I try not to capitulate too easily. “What will I do while you are busy being John’s latest conquest?”
“Last. I’m going to be busy being John’s last conquest." She corrects me, while her mischievous grin smiles at me.
I nod and reword my question. “What will I do while you are busy being John’s last conquest?”
“Why don’t you go to The Lost Boys dinner show?”
“Tara,” I hug her, knowing she has given getting me out of my apartment a lot of thought, “that’s an excellent idea!” Then pick my phone up off the coffee table. “If I can get a ticket, I’ll come with you.”
She leans across the space and hugs me tight. “You can. They aren’t sold out Friday night.”
I laugh with her. “You’re the best!”
“I know.”
Three days later, Tara pulls up outside my apartment and my phone dings.
I’m here. Do you need help?
No. Be right down.
I grab my backpack, look around my apartment, then lock the door.
When I slide into the front seat next to her, she flashes her cute smile and her eyes twinkle as she greets me. “There’s my beautiful bestie. Glad to see your happy face is back.”
I grin. “No more Jack-asses for me! Let’s go!”
“Atta a girl!”
She backs out of the parking spot, puts the car in drive, and we leave our small town for the city and John’s house.
Tara and John met six months ago at the Medical Center where she is a nurse. He is a pharmaceutical representative and was there pushing a new drug to a staff doctor. Tara barged in on their meeting to announce that the Doctor’s wife had been in a car accident and was being admitted to the emergency room. The doctor left Tara to handle the transaction, she and John went out that night, and they’ve been dating since.
During the miles and miles of interstate highway, Tara and I talk about my dating woes. “So, what’s your advice for me this weekend? I’m obviously doing something wrong to keep getting Love Bombed.” I ask her.
“Don’t go out looking for love.” She cuts her eyes at me. “Just go out dancing to unwind. Have fun.”
I nod. “I will. My heart isn’t ready for anyone new. It’s tired of being strung along.”
“Lizzy, you have to stop worrying about finding the right guy. He’s just going to show up.”
I cut my eyes at her. “How am I supposed to know who he is? A lot of guys show up.”
“Your heart will know.” She states. I almost laugh at her, but I know she is serious, and I would never hurt her feelings. “Even if a dude is really digging you and he’s a good catch, if your heart doesn’t react,” she cuts her eyes at me again, “not respond but react, as soon as you see him, then he’s not the one.”
I mull over her answer. I’ve been with dudes that stirred my heart, but was it a response or a reaction? “Is that what happened with John?” I study her. As good of friends as we are, she never told me how she felt the first time they met, just the story of how they met. “Did your heart react?”
She laughs, “As soon as John smiled at me, my heart went nuts. I knew right then, that if he asked me out, I was going to say yes. By the end of the transaction, I knew that if he didn’t ask me, I was going to ask him.”
“Wow!” I’m surprised by her answer. Tara is a very reserved, shy person and the fact that she intended to be so bold and ask him out shocks me. “It was that fast?”
She nods. “It was. The more I get to know him, the better he gets too.” She grins so big I can’t help but believe her.
“Love looks good on you.” I state.
The GPS tells us to take the next off ramp, and our conversation is over. As Tara skillfully maneuvers the directions being issued, I think about what she has described. I’ve never believed in love at first sight, but it seems too real. Tara and John are proof.
The closer we get, the more excited she becomes, and the brighter her star shines. But as soon as we turn onto John’s street, we see a candy apple red Corvette parked in front of his house, and her status shifts from star to stalker in a split second. She blurts out, as if I have a clue. "Whose car is that?"
"How should I know?" I blurt out too, “but it’s a dope ride!”
She cuts scared eyes at me.
“Maybe it’s John’s.” I offer, but we both know it’s not. He’s not a ‘vet’ kind of guy. He’s conservative and guys who drive vets like to drive fast. Otherwise, what’s the point?
“It’s not John’s.” She states for the record. She pulls into the driveway and tells me, "Don’t shut your door when you get out, Lizzy. Just push it till it latches.”
"Seriously?" I look at her. She is on full bitch alert. “Do you think he’s going to cheat on you when he knows you are coming for a visit? Take my word for it, Tara. They cheat when they don’t know you’re coming.”
She cuts her eyes at me, and her look says it all. She didn’t tell John she was coming.
"What the fuck, Tara? He doesn’t know?"
“He knows I’m coming, just not a day early. I was supposed to drive up tomorrow morning. I thought I would surprise him." She looks wild eyed and I realize this could go sideways quick. Tara is a redhead with a fiery temper and cheating scars.
"Oh dear lord!" I reach over and grab the steering wheel. “No fucking way are we walking in unannounced!"
Beep. Beep. I smack the horn.
She slaps my hand away, looking both scared and angry. "Lizzy! Stop!"
“No, John loves you.” I smack the horn twice more. “He’s done nothing to deserve jealousy. That’s a leftover scar from Jimmy.”
We stare defiantly at each other for a couple of moments, then she blinks. “Fine.” Opens her door and gets out.
“Fine.” I open my door as well, but before I can stand, the front door opens, and John’s handsome mug appears on the front porch.
His smile says it all. Tara is going to be his last conquest. "BAE!" He shouts and opens his arms. “Wow! What a wonderful surprise!”
All doubt and jealousy disappear from Tara, and she runs to him shining as brightly as before. When she arrives, she jumps into his arms, and he swings her around, while she showers him with kisses.
I slowly close the car door and lean against it watching them. I sigh. I want that. I want an all-consuming love. The kind of love that makes you crazy.
When their lips finally unlock, they both turn to beam at me. I wave, laughing, happy they are together. “Hi, John.”
“Hi, Lizzy!" John smiles as he sets her down, taking her hand and walking to the car. “I’m so glad you’re here. This is perfect!” He grins at me. “You can meet my little brother."