Page 13 of Reeling in Love

Right then, my phone rings and I see Nora’s name flash on the screen. She’s a savior, if there was one. I mean, how did she know I needed to talk to her right at this moment? But I can’t take the call in front of Sophia. I spot a café right next to the hotel.

“You wanna have coffee?” I ask.

She spins her head toward me and raises her brows. Then she smiles. “Sure,” she almost sings it. I park the car in the tiny parking place in front of the café.

“Oh, you meant here?” she says, raising her brows a little.

That’s when realization dawns on me. She meant ‘coffee’, in her room. I almost slam my head.

“I can take you wherever you want, So-phia,” I say, leaning a little and gazing into her eyes. That’s my move, one that no girl can resist.

That’s when my phone rings again, and I see it’s Nora. Second call. I need to take it.

“Give me a minute, and then I’m all yours,” I say, stepping out of the car and picking up the phone. “Hey, Nora. I’m out with Sophia and need your opinion.”

I hear a tiny sniff, and I feel my heart racing. Did anyone hurt her? “You okay? What happened?” I feel my palm clenching the phone a little too tightly.

“It’s Rick. He proposed.”

“Then why’re you crying?”

“I said no. That I needed more time. I even told him it was you who suggested I tell him the truth and not beat around the bush.”

“Wait! Wait! You told your BF that I, the person he’s jealous of, told you something regarding your relationship. Are you crazy, or what?”

“Crazy, I guess. That’s the word Rick too used for me. Maybe that’s what I am.”

There’s a lot of background noise. That of cars.

“Where are you right now?”

“Outside Rick’s home. We got into a big fight and I said I can’t stay with him another minute and he said I should leave. And I did, and he didn’t stop me. In fact, he threw my stuff in bags and handed them over to me. And the bags are so heavy. The big one’s wheel is broken and I need to find a hotel now for a few days till I can find someplace to stay. Ugh. I don’t know what to do.”

She says it all so fast, sniffing in between. It takes me a few moments to digest what she said.

“What! Rick made you go out alone with your stuff at this time of the night? Son of a…. What kind of man is he? Don’t worry, okay? You stay right where you are. I’ll be there in ten minutes. Can you do that?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

I disconnect and hurry over to the car. That’s when I remember Sophia waiting for me inside. Well, that’ll have to wait.

I get inside the car. “Hey, I’m so sorry. Something came up. A friend has an emergency and I need to help her out. Maybe we should get together again soon?”

She nods. “I understand. The classic friend-is-in-trouble,” she says, making air quotes with her fingers.

Oh, dear Jesus. She’s misunderstanding and I don’t have time to explain. She’s already out of the car by the time I find my voice.

“It’s not an excuse, Sophia. My friend is really in trouble. And I’ll drop you to the hotel. Please don’t walk away.”

“The hotel is right next door. Don’t worry about me. Help your friend, who obviously seems more important to you than I am. We’ll see about meeting again.”

She waves and walks away. Is she angry? I mean, I barely know her. Obviously, a friend will be more important than her. Does she expect people she has just met to prioritize her over everyone else? But she is pretty. And now, for some weird reason, I want her even more. Why do I like such girls? Girls who are nothing like me. Opposites attract. Yup. That’s the reason.

Well, I can deal with her later. I need to get to Nora first.

Chapter 5

Nora: #HotChocolateAndDoughnut

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