“I couldn’t believe it either. I warned him about your obnoxiousness, but he still wants to do it.”
“Sounds like he’s serious if he’s willing to go to toe-to-toe with me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why does this have to be a hostile meeting?”
I chuckled. “Renee, I’m kidding. Everything will be fine…unless I don’t like him.”
“You will like him. And honestly, I don’t care if you don’t like him.”
I grinned. “Yes, you do.”
She looked out the window and shook her head.
“Come on, admit it.”
“I don’t,” she repeated.
“Whatever you say, sis.”
She kept her eyes out the window, playing with her earring. We spent the rest of the drive in silence until we pulled up to her building. She opened the door but turned to me before she got out. “Alright, I do care.”
“Knew it.”
“So, it would mean the world to me if you would try as hard as he’s going to try.”
I watched her leave the car and shut the door behind her. “Always.”
Nathan and I met up after a day at the office. We got a couple beers and sat in the booth, waiting for Jeremy to join us whenever he got his ass over here.
“How are things with Kat?”
He drank from his beer and looked at the TV behind me. “She’s pretty cool. She’s laid-back, easy to talk to, got great style…I like her.”
“See it going anywhere?”
He shrugged. “You know me, I like to take things slow.”
“You mean, never commit until you’re coerced,” I teased.
“Yeah, same thing. What about you? That whole thing with Carson is really done?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
He shook his head. “What kind of chick gets pissed when she finds out her man is a secret billionaire? No offense, man, but I think you dodged a bullet.”
The contrary, actually. The fact that she didn’t want me even though she knew my status made it harder to let her go. She was the real deal, and I’d screwed it up so badly, beyond repair. When she’d told me how she felt, it gave me the closure to move on, because it really was never going to work. Friendship was all we would ever have. “Didn’t dodge a bullet. I like that she doesn’t care about my money.”
He shrugged. “The fact that she won’t look past it makes her seem dramatic.”
She was just my friend now and I didn’t have to defend her, but I felt obligated. “She’s not dramatic. I understand her perspective, and it’s fine.” I wouldn’t share the intimate details about her marriage and her heartbreak. It was no one’s business.
“I guess I’ll always dislike her for hurting you.”
“Well, don’t. Because I’m fine with it.”
He watched me for a while, pity in his eyes. “She’s the first woman you felt anything for since Rose. And now you’re just fine being friends?”
I shrugged. “I’m not going to fight for a woman who doesn’t want me. She made her decision, and I respect it. No drama. No hard feelings. Let’s just move on.”
He shifted his gaze back to the TV. “Alright, if you say so.”
Jeremy walked in a moment later and joined us. “Hey, what are you bitches talking about?”
“Carson,” Nathan said.
“Oh yeah, so that’s really over?” Jeremy asked me.
I didn’t want to have this conversation again. “We decided to just be friends.”
“Is that going to be a problem for us?” Jeremy asked. “Because Matt and I are joined at the hip.” Jeremy was lean and athletic, working for a fashion designer as a photographer. He was artistic and creative, and his blond hair and blue eyes made him look like a model who should be on the other side of his camera. “What about you and Kat?”
“We’re still seeing each other.” Nathan had always been reserved, never being vulnerable or putting his feelings on the line. He had his heart broken a long time ago and never learned how to drop his guard. He had dark hair and green eyes, with a muscular build despite the fact that he sat in a chair all day at the office.
Jeremy turned back to me. “So, is that going to be weird?”
“Not at all,” I answered, holding my beer. “We can be friends.”
“You’re sure?” Jeremy asked.
“Yes,” I repeated.
“Come on, look at him,” Nathan said. “This guy can get pussy every night of the week. He’s fine. He’ll be over her in a couple days.”
“True,” Jeremy said. “You’ll bounce back.”
“Definitely.” I drank from my beer and didn’t correct them because letting the assumption linger was the best way for this conversation to end. “I’m going to get another beer.” I scooted out of the booth and walked to the bar, setting my bottle on the counter and ordering another.
“I feel like every time I see you, you’re drinking.”
I turned to see Charlie beside me. “When you don’t see me, I’m drinking more.” I smiled and extended my hand to shake his. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m meeting someone.” He was a lot more relaxed around me compared to our last interaction, so Carson must have said positive things about our conversation.
“Like, a lady?”
He nodded.
“Who is she?”
“I was in Brooklyn, working on an assignment, and we bumped into each other at a coffee shop.”
“Cool.” I took the beer from the waitress and twisted off the cap before I took a drink. “So, still no Denise, then?”
He shrugged. “I can’t be celibate, right? Guy’s gotta eat.”
I chuckled. “True.” I was fine not seeing anybody for the time being because it hadn’t even been two weeks since I’d tied Carson to her headboard and fucked her good. But give it another week, and I’d probably start to get anxious.
“So…Carson told me about the other day.”
“Yeah, we decided to be friends.”
He studied me, as if he expected a rebuttal. “You’re okay with that?”
“Yeah.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Wasn’t meant to be.”
“So, you don’t want me to try to change her mind?”
I shook my head. “No. But thanks.”
“Alright. But for the record, I did want this to work. I really pushed her on you because I thought you would be great together.”
“I appreciate that, man. But she and I never had a chance.”
“Are you going to keep dating the way you did before?”
I shrugged. “No idea. I’m not really interested in dating right now. Carson was an anomaly. Wasn’t expecting to find her. She’s a needle in a haystack, but I found her too quickly. I’ll probably just fuck around for a while.”
“Guy’s gotta eat, right?” He clinked his beer against mine.
I nodded.
“Well, enjoy your date.”
“Thanks.”
I turned away.