Alicia giggled and nodded. “Probably. Jared would be able to convince an Eskimo they needed to buy ice from him, if that was what he wanted.”
“Poor you,” I teased. “You’d never be able to get away.”
“She wasn’t trying to get away,” Alicia exclaimed. “It was a misunderstanding. That’s all.”
“Those seem to be common in relationships,” I remarked, thankful that if nothing else, there were no misunderstandings in whatever it was Caleb and I were doing.
“That’s my point. Communication is really important in relationships. If there isn’t proper communication, then misunderstandings are bound to happen. In that way, the plot was kind of realistic, don’t you think?”
“Realistic if you’re a hopeless romantic. Why would she forgive him just because he runs after her?” I enjoyed a good romantic comedy as much as the next girl, but mostly, the plots just depressed me.
Alicia’s jaw dropped, and she spun to face me. “She didn’t forgive him because he chased after her. She forgave him because he came clean. Cleared up all the misunderstandings and then told her the god’s honest truth.”
“Even so,” I said as we stepped onto the busy sidewalk outside the movie theater. It was a clear, balmy night, and the streets were alive with activity. Alicia and I hooked arms and headed off toward our favorite Mexican place just a few blocks over. “After all that, he told her the truth, and voila! She forgives him for everything?”
“Haven’t you ever heard that love is forgiving?” Alicia countered. “It conquers all.”
“You mean it conquers psycho stalkers that try to kill you and rock stars with their heads up their asses about their feelings?”
She rested her head on my shoulder as we walked and squeezed me tighter. “Well yeah, there’s that too. But it worked out all right in the end, didn’t it?”
“It sure did,” I told her, smiling because if anyone truly deserved happiness, it was Alicia. As nauseating as the two of them might have been together at times, it was super cute. “Good thing you believed in romance, right?”
“I didn’t, though. Not really. I believed in being practical, not romantic. But then I bagged a guy that I never would’ve imagined before, and he might be annoying and frustrating at times, but I really do love him.”
“I know. You two are great together.”
“We are,” she mused. “What about you? Are you dating anyone at the moment? It’s been a while since you last told me about going out on a date with someone.”
We reached the restaurant, and the bell above the door jingled as we went inside. Alicia’s question had made me nervous, and I appreciated the respite that arriving at the restaurant had given me to think of an answer while we were seated. The place wasn’t too busy, with only a few other diners scattered around, so we didn’t have to wait for a table.
I didn’t want to lie to my sister, but Caleb and I weren’t dating. We weren’t really going out on dates either. We had meals together for interviews, or so we kept telling ourselves, and that was it. But if I said that, it would still feel like I was lying. I didn’t know why.
Alicia and I were shown to a table just off the center of the room, the smell of garlic and spices in the air. We ordered nachos and a pitcher of margaritas, then sat back in the wooden chairs, and Alicia waited for my answer.
“So, dating?”
“Oh, yes. I mean no. I’m not dating anyone. I’m focusing on my career for now, new job and all. It’s pretty demanding.” As was the man I was sleeping with. It felt like we were spending a lot more time together than “fuck buddies” or “friends with benefits” or whatever, but Caleb had made it very clear that we weren’t dating.
He had, however, invited me over later.
I hadn’t decided if I was going to go yet. I had a lot of work to get done, but on the other hand, my body started buzzing at the very thought of going over to his place. It was a tough choice to have to make, but really no choice at all.
Alicia was watching me closely, then nodded and poured us each a margarita when the pitcher arrived. “I hear you. New jobs can take up a lot of time, but I’m still kind of new too, and I’m making it work. You deserve to have some fun, even if you just go out and get some. Doesn’t have to be a relationship.”
“Says the engaged person,” I teased, taking a sip of my drink. As always, the margaritas here tasted amazing. Just the right amount tequila and a thick rim of salt around the top. Yum.
Alicia rolled her eyes and gave me a pointed look. “I wasn’t out to get married, you know? It was just supposed to be a bit of fun at first.”
“And look where that got you.” I snagged a nacho off the plate that the server dropped off and pulled a stray bit of cheese that was hanging off the end between my teeth before popping the rest in my mouth.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t have to be that way if that’s not what you want right now. Although there’s nothing that says you can’t have success both romantically and professionally if that was what you wanted. Want me to ask Jared if he knows anyone we could set you up with?”
“No,” I answered immediately. That was the last thing I wanted. Even if Caleb and I weren’t dating, he was sure to hear that Jared and Alicia were setting me up with someone, and I wasn’t quite ready to let him go yet. “I’ll think about going out on a date once I wrap up these articles I’m working on. Happy?”
“For now,” Alicia said, but I could tell she was going to bring it up again soon if I didn’t do something.
“How about this? I’ll think about giving dating a chance if you start planning your wedding?” Score one for the home team, I silently congratulated myself.
Alicia shot me a look, sighed, and popped a few more nachos into her mouth, washing them down with her drink. “Fine, I guess you’ve got me there. I’m still too busy at work to even think about it.”
“You see what I mean?”
“I do.” She grinned. “Hey, at least I’ve got the part down that I have to say at the end, right?”
I giggled and snagged the last few nachos. “Sure, but you’ll have nowhere to say it if you don’t start planning soon, since I’m guessing you never confirmed that venue?”
“Remind me why we can’t just get married in the courthouse again?” Alicia grumbled thoughtfully.
“Because you’re marrying the Emperor of Rock. That man isn’t going to let the day go by without making a huge spectacle of it.” Her fiancé, true to his profession and the role he played in his band, had something of a flair for the dramatic. He’d even proposed in front of hundreds of people at a press conference that was being streamed live.
“I hate that word, spectacle,” Alicia complained, before finishing off her margarita. “But it’s a fair point. Okay, so you think about dating if I start planning the wedding. That’s our deal?”
“You got it. A date for a wedding.” It sounded so much simpler than it actually was. Why the hell did I have to go tumbling into something as complicated as casual sex with a freaking rock star?