Page 3 of Blindside Love

“I dropped the box, Natalie! Like, I full-on tripped right in front of this hot guy, and the box went flying. My god, it was so embarrassing. Scratch that, it was mortifying. Like, for fucks sake, who else but me would be clumsy enough to trip over their own damn feet. Not to mention, I was carrying a box that should’ve been labeled top secret or fragile, so I knew not to drop it in front of the hot guy!” I shriek, slamming the plates down much harder than I meant to. “Also! Has my dumbass ever heard of tape? I should have just taped the actual shit out of the box,” I grumble, both laughter and embarrassment filling my words.

Natalie silently cackles as she wipes tears from her cheeks.

I suddenly have the urge to push her off the counter.

“Natalie, I don’t think you understand. Not only did I drop the box full of my toys, but the big one—yeah, you know the one. The pink one you sent me the link to demanding I buy immediately. Yeah, not only did she fall out, she rolled her happy ass right onto the elevator with him like we were in a movie. It was awful.”

“But you said the guy was hot?”

“He was so fucking hot; it should be illegal. He looked like he was some mythical creature or a Greek god or something—I don’t know, but he belonged in a damn museum. I swear I’ve felt like I’ve seen him somewhere, but then again he has a face that’s hard to forget, so I feel like I would remember if I’d met him before.” I slide to sit up on the counter across from Natalie as I think about Mr. Tall, Dark, and Fuckable.

“You could tell he was built tough, he was tan with dirty blonde hair that was long on top, just begging to be tugged on. And Natalie, he had so much scruff. He was all man. Jesus, it was fucking hot. He had these broody eyes that just stared at me. I was caught between wanting to shrink away and disappear or go up and touch him just to see if he was real or not. But of course, when those damn doors were closing, and I was left sitting on my ass, the jerk never moved, didn’t even say anything—he just stared. I felt like I was inconveniencing him, like the hot God couldn’t be bothered to waste his time helping out a mere mortal as she has a damn sex toy catastrophe in the goddamn parking garage! I don’t know, it made him lose hotness points because it just proved that all men are assholes.”

By the time I’m done, Natalie is full-on crying—tears streaming down her cheeks as she laughs hysterically.

“So, what’d you do? How’d you get her back?”

“I didn’t! As soon as those doors shut, I immediately picked up everything, threw it back into the half broken box, and then hoofed it up the damn stairs because I was way too nervous that I’d run into him again if I went onto the elevator. Instead, I walked up fourteen flights of stairs in what felt like some shitty version of a walk of shame.”

“What if it’s still there? What if he left your toy in the elevator, thinking you’d go back for it? Now it’s just riding alone in the elevator all cold and scared,” Natalie says with a wink.

“Christ on a cracker, Natalie, don’t tease me right now. This is bad enough. She’s gone for good,” I whine.

“Just order a new one, you big drama queen.”

“Oh, I did, but it won’t be here for a couple of days.”

I ordered a new toy the second I got back up here. It’s seriously the best toy ever, and it works its magic every single time, unlike my soon-to-be ex-husband, who couldn’t give me an orgasm if his life depended on it. I guess it finally came in handy that I was raised to put on an act and be pleased with everything, because I had to do it every time with Tom to protect his fragile ego.

Now, I refuse to fake anything. I’ve realized it’s pointless—no one learns, so it remains the same, and this goes for things in and out of the bedroom. I will no longer fake emotions, friendships, or orgasms.

“That’s the worst. Online shipping and their ridiculously fast deliveries have ruined us. Now if we have to wait more than twenty-four hours, we get twitchy,” Natalie says dramatically before her expression turns downright mischievous. “You know… you could always go look for him.”

“And say what? Hi, it’s me, the girl that fell on her ass while you rode up in the elevator with my bright pink dildo. I was just wondering if I could get that back?”

“I mean… you could say that if you want to be a total weirdo. But could I suggest you try to be normal and just ask if you could take his dick for a ride?” Natalie says with a shrug as she switches the music on my phone from a random country station I selected to our usual Taylor Swift playlist.

The perfect playlist for my mood.

Feisty, fearless, and fucking single.

I hope Tom and Lena are happy and that they have a long life full of mediocre sex, which with his small dick and vanilla tendencies, that’s about all she’s going to get. He’s an absolute bore in the bedroom, a pillow prince who only cares about his release. I hope she doesn’t expect him to talk dirty during sex because the man is silent unless you count the awkward groaning sounds that always reminded me of a hyena mixed with a feral cat. It was like some fucked up love child that could only screech and howl.

“Yeah, Natalie, that’s exactly what normal people do. It’s definitely normal to just walk up to a random stranger and ask if they happen to have your sex toy, and if not, if you could use their cock instead,” I deadpan, as I grab another box of dishes and start placing them on the shelves, passing a box of silverware to Natalie.

She doesn’t even say anything; just grabs it and starts setting up the drawer. This is what I love about our friendship; she always knows exactly what I need. We’ve been friends for so long that I don’t even know if that term is strong enough for the two of us. She’s practically my sister. We’ve been there through a lot together, and she stuck by me through my shitty marriage—even though she has always hated Tom.

I should’ve just listened to her six years ago when she said he was a twat.

“I mean, who knows, the guy could be nice. I’m not saying you have to date the guy. Hell, you don’t even have to sleep with him, although, based on your description, that sounds like it would be a mistake not to. I’m just hoping you can see that not every man in this world is a complete and total douche nozzle like Tom. There are actually good guys out there, even ones who are absolute givers in the bedroom.” Natalie smiles the entire time she’s talking, like she’s trying to sell me on it. “I just want you to see that. I want you to meet someone who shows you how you deserve to be treated. You and Addy both deserve a real man in your life, and sadly, I doubt that’s ever going to be her sperm donor.”

“Dramatic, much? First off, it’s not that I’m against men; I’m just not in a position to date right now, especially while in the middle of a divorce.”

Tom is fighting me, trying to force me to take the blame for our marriage falling apart since he’s being considered for partner at his father’s firm this year. Apparently, my citing ‘infidelity’ as the reason for our divorce won’t make him look too good to daddy.

“Besides, Natalie, it’s not like I’m ever going to see the guy again. This building has hundreds of apartments, so the likelihood of ever even seeing him again is slim.”

“Improbable, yet not impossible.” She shrugs.

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