“Oh my God,” Peyton sighs. “You can’t be serious.”
“Very. Now go.” Peyton grabs our coats off the back of our chairs and then does as I ask, as I stay crouched with my hands gripping her waist and we make our way slowly across the bar and towards the door. I let out a relieved sigh once we’re outside in the chilly night air, and take my jacket from Peyton before sliding it on, just thankful that What’s His Name didn’t see me, because running into him again, after how fucking awkward it was the first time, would just make all of this shit with Stacy ten times worse.
Chapter Three
Bentley
So, how’s it going?Peyton texts a few days later as I sit in the coffee shop and google apartments in my area. On top of having my girlfriend cheat on me, I also need to find a new place to rent since the lease on my place is up in a couple of weeks, and I’m hoping to find something a bit closer to work, and ideally a bit nicer.
Fine, I reply.I have a couple of places lined up to go look at.
What does it say about us that we work together and spend almost all of our free time together, and when we’re not together we’re texting each other?she asks.
I think it says we’re codependent best friends who probably need therapy.
We’d probably do that together, too,she replies, and I laugh.
So, from one codependent friend to another, how off the table is the hottie from the bar?
Seriously?
Ugh. He’s so cute, though. Lip biting emoji.
I reply with an eye rolling emoji, and she responds with a laughing emoji.
I glance up just as the door to the coffee shop opens only to nearly shit myself when I see him again! What the actual fuck? Is he following me? Why am I running into him everywhere now? He’s got a dark peacoat on and his raven hair has snowflakes in it. I watch as he brushes his hand over his hair and stomps his boots on the floor to get rid of the snow.
“Shit,” I whisper when his gaze lands on my spot near the back corner, and I duck, trying to hide underneath the table. When I peek back up he’s in line and looking at the menu behind the counter, so I quickly close my laptop and shove it in my bag, then stand and shrug my coat on, before grabbing my coffee cup and holding it in front of my face as I make my way to the door.
I’m stopped abruptly when I slam into someone, courtesy of staring at the floor while I walk instead of actually watching where I’m going, and my coffee cup flies out of my hand. I hear a startled “Shit!” as the remaining coffee splatters all over the front of What’s His Name.
Fuck! I’m so flustered and absolutely mortified that I don’t even stop to help him. I just rush out of the damn coffee shop like my pants are on fire.
“God, if you love me you will never ever let me see that man again,” I groan as I sit in my car, banging my head on the steering wheel and wondering if it would be less painful to just drive off a cliff and get it over with, because this slow death by humiliation is just not for me.
Alex
A week later I’m chuckling as I dump a load of laundry into the washing machine, remembering the incident at thecoffee shop. I probably deserved what happened, honestly. I definitely wasn’t expecting to get lukewarm coffee all over my nice clothes, though. But after seeing Bentley through the huge window I couldn’t help going inside just to see what he would do when he saw me. Fuck, I don’t even drink coffee. Him ducking under the tiny table and thinking I didn’t see him had me holding back a laugh. Just like the other night at the bar when he was crouching behind his petite female friend, or date, maybe? But their dynamic said she was a friend. Either way she is maybe five foot two and him thinking she provided any sort of cover was hilarious. The guy sucks at hiding.
A grin is still on my face as I start the wash. If he knew how much entertainment he’s given me over the past couple of weeks he’d probably be mortified. I can’t say I blame him for not wanting me to see him though. Finding out your girlfriend is cheating on you has to suck, and running into the guy she was cheating on you with certainly wouldn’t help. I really hope he gets back out there and finds someone who will treat him right, because even though it was only a couple of awkward minutes that we exchanged, I could tell he was a nice guy, and those seem to be few and far between these days.
I change into a clean T-shirt and a pair of sweats, then simmer some water on the stove before pouring myself a cup of earl gray tea and settling on the sofa. I pick up my book, the pages worn and the spine creased and cracked from all the love it’s received.
I don’t work tonight, and while I did do some grocery shopping and still have some things on the to-do list, I’m also going to spend as much time as I can with Josephine March and her sisters. I’ve readLittle Womana dozen times at least but it’s a comfort read for me and it never gets old.
I take a sip of my tea as Marble, my Himalayan, jumpsup on the sofa and then proceeds to settle onto my lap over top the blanket I’ve draped across myself. She purrs as I pet her soft fur. “You know you’re spoiled, right?” I tell her. She lifts her head, tilting it to the side as if to say,Yeah, what about it?Before making herself comfortable again as I scratch her neck.
I must doze off because I’m awoken by the sound of voices in the hallway, and they don’t belong to my neighbors. I’m on the bottom floor in my building, currently with a vacant apartment across the hall, my brother living above me with his husband, and my parents across the hall from them. Yes, my whole family lives right next to each other, and while I know a lot of people would hate it, and no doubt think it’s a bit strange, I love it. My parents and brother are everything to me and having them close gives me comfort. My parents own the apartment complex and have always taken great care of it and their tenants. Each building in the complex houses four units and there’s a dozen buildings in all.
I grab Marble and move her onto the floor as I stand. She stretches and yawns, then hops back up on the sofa and sprawls out on her back.
I stretch and pick my book up off the floor, setting it down on the coffee table, before I make my way to the door and peek out through the peephole. There’s someone moving in next door and there’s a few different movers carrying boxes and furniture into the apartment. Call me curious, but I have to know who my new neighbor is, so I open the door and step into the hall. I nod at one of the movers as he steps out of the open apartment door and moves back down the hall towards the door of the building, while another guy heads inside, passing him on the way. This guy isn’t wearing the movers’ shirt and hat. Instead he’s dressed in a thick tan coat and jeans, carryinga very large, very familiar plush penguin. No way. It can’t be him.
It’s not until he turns towards the door to his apartment that I see the long blond and brown hair pulled into a messy bun at the back of his head and my suspicions are confirmed.
Oh. My. God. He doesn’t see me because the penguin is covering the entire right side of his face and blocking me from his view.
“Hey there,” I say, and he nearly jumps out of his skin. Okay, I honestly didn’t mean to scare him, but that was kind of funny. “Sorry,” I add with a chuckle. I can’t help biting the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing even more when he turns around with the giant penguin in front of his face and says nothing.
