Page 59 of Body Shot

I throw the pillow back at her.

“Look.” She leans forward. “Falling in love like this is fun. It’s the kind of thing I usually do, and while it typically doesn’t end well, it feels wonderful while it’s happening. And girlfriend, you definitely haven’t had enough fun in your life. Go with it. Enjoy it. Enjoy him.”

“He has the V,” I say dramatically, fanning myself.

“The abdominal V?” Her eyes round. “Oh, man. He might actually be perfect.”

We burst out laughing.

“What about Felix? You done with him?”

“That ship has sailed.” She waves an impatient hand. “I don’t know what I was thinking. He’s so not my type.”

“But Aiden is.”

She smiles. “He is.”

“Did you call him?”

“Nope.” She says it a little too quickly, and I narrow my gaze at her.

“Did you text him?” I ask slowly.

“Maybe.” She gives me an impish little grin.

“Are you going out with him?”

“I might. He’s cute. And I like his…bike.”

I laugh. “That all you like?”

“Oh, I like the whole package, but you know my luck with guys. So I made sure to friend-zone him. We’ll see if he still wants to hang out since I’ve made it clear I’m not going to sleep with him.”

“How is that fair? To either of you?”

“I’m protecting my heart. That’s what makes it fair. A guy like him could hurt me and I don’t have the time for that right now.”

“What, you think I do?” I shake my head. “But you keep telling me to go for it. I think you need to take your own advice.”

“You’re moving a two-hour flight away. In the same country. I’m going thousands of miles away, without a visa that allows me to come back regularly. This has disaster written all over it. Now, don’t get me wrong—if you manage to get me a job, that could change everything. But until then, I have to be smart. It’s probably time for me to grow up. At least when it comes to matters of the heart.”

“Oh, but I should throw caution to the wind?”

“You’ve never done it,” she says firmly. “And everyone should experience this kind of thing. Meeting a guy who makes your heart go crazy and your insides get all squishy. A vacation fling that might or might not go further. Drinking in that tall, cool, Swedish drink of water until your thirst is quenched.”

“Wow, that was a hell of a metaphor.”

“I know.” She grins. “But seriously, we’re at different places in life. You should be living it up. It’s time for you to experience all these things, even if you get your heart broken.”

“That sounds terrible,” I protest.

“But how can you know when the right guy comes along if you’ve never experienced the wrong ones? And don’t bring up Seth—he wasn’t worth your time or energy.”

“Anders is.”

“Agreed.”

“Maybe Aiden is.”

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