Page 13 of Written in the Stars
ZANDER
Next Friday comes faster than I had expected it would. The week leading up to it flew, and before I knew it, I was standing outside of Valerie and Matt’s door, ringing the bell.
“You made it!” an over excited Valerie pulls open the door.
I smile, handing her a gift bag. “Happy Birthday, Val!” Inside is a Lenox picture frame I picked out with the help of some women working in Macy’s home department.
She smiles wider as she takes the bag in her hands. “Awww, thank you, Zander!” Turning to look over her left shoulder, she says, “Baby, Zander’s here.” She then turns back to face me. “Come in, come in, please.”
She moves to the side and allows me to enter their home. She walks over to a table where the other gifts are settled on top of a table against the wall and places the one I had just given her next to the others. As I look further inside, I get a glimpse of balloons and streamers hanging on the walls. Three people, two women and one guy, gather around the living room over drinks while modern music plays in the background. The dark-haired lady and the man are obviously a couple, obviously by the way they’re sitting next to one another and his arm draped over her shoulder. They immediately catch sight of me and I wave once they do. The blonde woman just stares and smiles. I smile back politely. The last thing I need is to come off like a dick to Matt and Valerie’s guests.
As I step in further, I see Matt emerging from one of the back rooms. Once he sees me, he explodes. “Hey, you made it!”
“I did.”
He pats me on the back and says, “Let me get you something to drink. What’ll you have?”
I think for a moment and then say, “Beer?”
He nods. “You got it.” He goes off toward the kitchen.
Valerie comes back over to me. “Matt and I are so glad you could make it, Zander.”
I shift my weight from one to the other just in time as Matt comes over with two beers. He hands me one and stands next to his soon-to-be fiancée… as long as she’ll accept, which I know she will. “I wouldn’t have missed it.”
Matt winks and before he says another word, Valerie comes over to me, entwining her arm with mine.
“Zander, I’d like you to meet some of my friends,” she says, swishing me away from where I’m standing and into the living room.
I glance back at Matt as he shrugs and mouths the word, “Sorry.”
The three other guests rise to their feet once they see us standing before them.
Valerie removes her arm from mine and steps further. “Guys, this is Zander Carter, one of Matt’s firefighter co-workers and lifelong best friend.”
They say hello and smile politely, and then Valerie turns to face me. “Zander, this is my sister, Trina and her husband, Josh,” she says as the brunette and the man take turns shaking my hand. Once we get acquainted, they sit back down, and Valerie pushes the blonde forward.
“And this pretty little thing here is my best friend, Kimberly, who I’ve known for a very long time,” she says to me, practically throwing her onto me. “She’s very single…”
Kimberly visibly blushes and hits Valerie’s arm softly, probably embarrassed by the remark. Valerie then faces Kimberly and says, “This is Zander Carter,” and then, in a hushed tone that I can still make out, says, “he’s the one I was telling you about, the single hot firefighter.” Kimberly’s eyes light up.
Awesome. I already know what this is. This isn’t the first time one of my friends or one of my friend’s significant others have tried setting me up with a friend of theirs. Or their sister. Or their cousin. Or hell, even their mother’s best friend.
I’m not desperate, and if I really wanted to, I could find my own woman. I’ve never had that problem, nor do I think I’m an ugly guy. I mean, all these people that have previously tried setting me up, the girl that they try setting me up with, always finds me attractive. That’s never the problem.
The problem is me. I was never ready. I haven’t been ready. I’m still not ready.
Tonight is no different.
I would have easily walked out of here without thinking twice. I don’t like being set up. But because it’s Valerie’s birthday, and she means so much to Matt, I’ll stay and be polite about the whole thing. Plus, he’s supposed to be popping the question tonight right before they cut the cake.
Matt walks over, and I give him a smirk. He shrugs once more. He knows I don’t like these types of things. I’m going to give him a piece of my mind later.
“Hi, Zander, it’s so nice to meet you,” Kimberly says, holding out her hand.
I take her hand in mine. “Likewise, Kimberly.”
“Oh, no. Please, just call me Kim.”
