Page 34 of Love in Fine Print

He showed up at my dorm room the next morning and took me out to eat at Denny’s. We ended up dating for six months before I told him how old I was. He freaked out and broke things off. He was twenty, and I was sixteen. At the time, I’d felt so mature. So much older than my age, so it confused me. Now, I understood why.

Since my deflowerment, I’d had about a dozen or so other sexual partners. They ranged from being mediocre to good. One stood out from the rest. But things hadn’t worked out between us.

“Hey, stranger! I thought I heard your voice,” Bailey said as she appeared from the back where the changing rooms were.

As soon as I saw her big blue eyes, round face, and freckle-covered nose my equilibrium was back. My world righted itself.She had always been the yin to my yang. The sweet to my sour. The warmth to my cold.

I hated small talk, was an introvert, and avoided interactions at all costs. People were intimidated by me. She was friendly, outgoing, and never met a stranger. People loved Bailey. But not as much as I did. She was the closest thing I had to a sister.

Bailey reached her arms out to give me a hug but dropped them, pointed at my casted hand, and gasped. “What happened?!”

“It’s nothing. I was at the park and a dog knocked me down.”

Birdie smiled as she wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin to remove the frosting that had settled there. “If this was a rom-com the owner of the dog would be smokin’ hot and would come to your rescue.”

“Right?!” Bailey chuckled in agreement with her sister before both women looked at me.

Apparently, my infamous poker face had failed me because Bailey shouted, “Wait! Is he smokin’ hot?”

Yes.

“He’s notnothot.”

“How notnothot is he?” Bailey pressed.

“He made me believe that arm porn was a real thing.”

Bailey’s mouth fell open so far it looked like her jaw was on a hinge.

“Did he come to your rescue?” Birdie clapped her hands.

“I refused to go to the hospital, so he took me to a sports clinic.”

“He did?!” both Bliss sisters swooned.

“Bailey!” A woman’s voice shouted out from the dressing rooms.

Bailey looked over her shoulder, “I’ll be right there, Isabelle.”

When she turned back to me, she pointed in my face and whispered. “She’s a level ten buzz, so I have to go.”

‘Buzz’ was the Bliss sisters' code for bridezilla. I thought it was cute since they were nicknamed the Bees.

“But donotsay another word till I get back,” she warned as she pointed in my face.

“I actually have to go in to work. I just wanted to stop by to see you real quick.”

“You can’t leave us hanging!” Birdie exclaimed.

“That’s emotional blue balls,” Bailey claimed.

“Come over tonight for dinner. I’ll tell you everything.”

“I’m coming!” Birdie lifted her arm in the air as she invited herself. She’d done that since she was three and we were five, so we were used to it.

“Okay, I’ll see you guys tonight.”

As I walked out of the store, I got a notification on my phone. When I looked at it, I saw that it was from Ben. Well, it was from Ever After; he’d found me a match. Already.

---