I sigh. “One would think. But we’re exclusive only temporarily. It’s hard to explain.”
“Temporarilyexclusive? That’s a new one. I gotta steal that.”
“It was me who suggested it.”
He flashes me a look that says, “You’re an idiot.”
I rub my face. “This week was just a unique set of circumstances. We were together day and night, doing this crazy thing to help Sarah, and it was this incredible, fairytale existence. It’s like we were in the fantasy suite onThe Bachelorfor an entire week—and my feelings for him were so freaking intense and surreal—and now it’s like the show is over and the cameras are off and it’s back-to-reality time.”
Dax nods.
I shake my head. “I just don’t know if what we felt in Vegas will translate to real life. Plus, he lives in L.A. and travels a ton and I’m here, obviously. So, I dunno, it might be kinda tough to keep the fantasy alive.”
Dax motions to the Sybian. “Looks like he’s giving it the ol’ college try.”
I bite my lip to suppress a huge smile.
“I must say, giving you a Sybian as a gift is an interesting choice—he could have gone with shoes or a purse.”
“Oh, he did. Both.”
“And you still don’t know if he’s serious about you? I think you might be overanalyzing things here. The guy’s making his feelings pretty clear.”
I sigh. “I don’t wanna get my hopes up.”
“This is so unlike you. Why are you being so...?”
“Analytical?”
“Annoying.”
I make a face. “I don’t know. Josh and I are just so incredibly...” I was about to saysexual, but then I remember I’m talking to my little brother, not to Sarah. “Physical,” I say, opting for a tamer word tofinish my sentence. “The physical chemistry is so off the charts, it makes me wonder if I’m just in some sort of hormone-induced coma and not seeing things clearly.”
“Just because you have incredible physical chemistry with the guy doesn’t mean it’s not serious, too,” he says.
“So I’ve heard. But from what I’ve seen personally, at least as an adult, it’s one or the other.”
He pulls back and looks at me, stupefied. “Are you serious?” he asks.
I nod.
“Jizz, that’s fucked up. How’d you get so fucked up?”
I shrug.
“You can have off-the-charts physical chemistry without it being ‘serious,’ for sure—and thank God for that.” He snickers. “But it doesn’t work the other way around: you absolutelycannothave something serious if you don’t have physical chemistry. The fact that you think it’s one or the other is so fucked up, it’s pathetic. It’s like you’ve got a... what’s the word I’m looking for... that complex thing?”
I make a face. “A Madonna-whore complex?”
“Exactly. Only in reverse. What’s it called when a woman thinks that about a guy?”
“A Jesus-manwhore complex?”
We both laugh.
“Yeah, I don’t think society has a cute little phrase for when it’s a guy.”
“What about that Nate guy?” Dax asks. “You guys were pretty serious, right?”
