Page 51 of Crazy for You

Emma went to open the door. Carly stood there, carrying a bottle of white wine.

“Hi.” Emma motioned her in.

“So are we celebrating or commiserating?” Carly asked.

“I think I know the answer to that question,” Gabby said, coming up the walkway. “I heard Ryan took the day off yesterday and went to Charlotte with you to get a tattoo.”

“You got a tattoo?” Carly exclaimed.

“Yes, but?—”

“More importantly,” Gabby interrupted, “what else did you and Ryan do in Charlotte?”

Emma laughed, ushering them inside. “You ladies cut right to the chase, don’t you? Shouldn’t we wait for Mandy to get here before I tell all?”

“Yes, yes, you should,” Mandy said from the doorway, two tubs of ice cream in her arms.

Emma took the ice cream from her and walked to the kitchen to put it in the freezer. Carly opened the bottle of wine and poured four glasses. Wineglasses in hand, they headed for the living room.

“So, I got a tattoo yesterday,” Emma said.

“Cool! What is it?” Carly asked.

“And where?” Mandy added.

“It’s a red poppy, on my hip.” She pushed down the waistband of her skirt to show it to them.

“Oh, wow. I love it,” Gabby said. The others agreed.

“Did it hurt a lot?” Carly asked. “I’ve been thinking of getting one, too.”

“Not too bad. It was pretty quick, anyway, for such a small tattoo.” Emma took a gulp of her wine. “And to answer Gabby’s other question—yes, Ryan and I spent the night in Charlotte, and yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking.”

“Oh my God!” Gabby squealed, clapping her hands together in delight. “Tell us everything.”

“Well”—Emma could feel herself blushing already—“maybe not everything, but let’s just say, the sex was everything I was hoping for and then some.”

“Way to go.” Mandy looked impressed. “It’s about time you had a little excitement in your life.”

“Yes, it was.” Emma chewed her bottom lip. “You guys want to hear something funny?”

They all nodded, hanging on her every word.

“I’ve had a crush on Ryan since high school.” There, she’d said it. She’d never told a soul about her crush on Ryan. As a teen, it had seemed ridiculous. He was so much older and cooler. And as an adult, she’d just felt silly still harboring feelings for her teenage crush. But now? Now she’d slept with him, and the idea of her and Ryan was definitely not farfetched.

“Really?” Gabby’s eyes were wide. “Wow. I never would have guessed.”

“This changes things,” Mandy said, tapping her wineglass thoughtfully.

“How so?” Emma asked.

“Because now this is much more than a casual hookup between two people who happen to be friends,” Mandy said.

“She’s right,” Carly said. “You’ve been fantasizing about him since high school? That’s a long time. You’re probably already halfway in love with him, aren’t you?”

“What? No!” Somehow she managed to dump her glass of wine in her lap. “Crap.”

They were all staring at her.

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