Page 15 of Pucking Rebound
“As your wingman, maybe I should have taken you to a strip club tonight.”
His words are so unexpected that I let out an involuntary giggle. “Thank God you didn’t.” I scrunch my nose up. “That’s not really my thing.”
“I’m joking. It’s not mine either. I went once, a long time ago, when I was nineteen. Never again,” he confesses.
“In the movies, the stripper’s boobs always look great.” What I wouldn’t give to have larger boobs. I look down at mine, which look bigger under my winter coat than they are. “And long legs.” I wasn’t blessed with those either. “Legs for days,” I mutter. “Nicole, the girl Graham cheated on me with, had both,” I add, wishing I hadn’t. I sound pathetic and I've never been insecure about my body or my looks until today. I always thought I was enough for him, exactly his type. That’s what he told me in the beginning, and now I come to think about it, he hasn’t been that complimentary toward me for months. About ten months, I think.
“Okay, enough of that, Ms. My Ex Knocked My Confidence and Now I Feel Shit About Myself. Trust me, you are hot.”
I snap my focus in his direction. “You’re just saying that,” I say, knowing Jordy’s been on a mission to make me feel better. Which I did until I planted fresh new thoughts of self-loathing.
“I’m not.” He shakes his head as he stops at a set of traffic lights, then says, “You’re blonde, bubbly, and funny.”
“That’s not the same as saying I have a great rack and a fantastic set of pins now, is it?” I say, my voice laced with humor, as I roll my eyes at the same time.
“What the fuck, Lola?” He snorts as if he’s trying to hold back a laugh. “I can’t tell you those things. You work for the Eagles.”
“We’re off the clock. You can tell me what you think.” I’m secretly hoping he does find me attractive because my ego needs it after everything that’s happened today. “Like you said, we’re friends. And friends compliment each other.”
Yes, I’m feelingthatshallow tonight. I’m fishing for compliments from someone I suddenly find myself very attracted to.
I continue my argument. “I tell my best friend, Piper, how pretty she is all the time, and I can honestly say she has the best rack I've ever seen. Perky and just so…” I make bowl shapes with my hands. “Big.” I gasp when it hits me. “I've just realized how jealous I am of them.”
Jordy chuckles again. “Have you spoken to Piper about your breakup with Graham?”
“Not yet.” I screw my face up. “She hated him.” She’s such a good judge of character and I’m dreading telling her. That’s a job for tomorrow. “I should have listened to her when she said he wasn’t right for me.”
“That’s because you’re strong-minded, Lola.”
“Pig-headed, more like.”
“But you’re also positive, kind, and generous.”
“Are great boobs on that list?” I’m pushing my luck now.
He gives me a sideways glance, his lips twitching slightly. “Might be. Annoying is definitely at the top of it.”
“Shut up.” I pretend to be offended, folding my arms in a fake huff.
He taps his fingertips on the steering wheel in time with the music. “I think there is something wrong with the lights,” he says, looking out of the windscreen.
He’s right, they are taking forever to change.
But as we wait he says the most unexpected thing. “I think you’re special, Lola. I never feel bad when I’m around you. You make the sun feel like it’s shining, even on the gloomiest of days.”
With that one compliment, he’s made me feel all happy and glowy inside.
“You make the smallest of things exciting,” he adds. “I seek you out at work whenever I can for some unexplainable reason, and lately, you do something fucking crazy to my heart rate. When you smile, your dimples only make you even more beautiful. I’ve always wanted to believe that you were flirting with me when you couldn’t have been because you were engaged. I know how loyal you were to Graham and how excited you were about the wedding. While I would never act on my feelings, it didn’t stop me from just wanting to be around you. Talking to you, even for five minutes.”
I can’t believe his confession, and I love his confidence, which is sending a thrill through my entire body.
My throat goes dry as he keeps on telling me his innermost thoughts. “Nothing fazes you. I know you’ll bounce back from Graham cheating on you, and you’ll do it with grace and your head held high. Something not many people could do. But you will.” Licking his lips, he then adds, “You see, Lola, you’re so much more than just a great set of pins and a nice rack.”
My voice is small, unable to sound anything like me, because it’s surreal and also amazing that he feels like this about me. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Your ass is fucking nice too.” His mouth curves into a wicked smile, while mine falls open like a fish out of water.
We both jump when a loud hornhonksfrom behind, alerting us to the lights changing to green.
