Page 45 of Sincerely, Your Enemy

TJ

All better. Doc gave me some topical antibiotic.

Lacey

Thank God. How would you play with your balls without hands?

TJ

Ha. Ha.

TJ

Minus a hundred points for the bad innuendo.

I laugh, shoving my phone back into my pocket. Six days have gone by since TJ showed up at my house uninvited and took care of me.

It was weird, butgoodweird.

I can still feel his arms around me as I choked on sobs. He didn’t let go until I calmed down. Then he poured my soup into another mug, and I drank the whole thing.

He had to leave ten minutes later because he had basketball practice, and thankfully, by then, the storm had cleared up. I still have to pay him back for all those meds and the soup he got me.

My phone chimes once more, and I fish it back out of my jeans.

TJ

Did you end up saying yes to that second date?

His question makes me cringe. I don’t know why I told him about Aaron asking me out again. I’m not even sure I want to go.

Lacey

Not yet.

TJ

Ouch. It’s been days. You might want to answer the poor bastard.

He’s right.

Today is Thursday. I should’ve just told Aaron I wasn’t feeling it when he texted me on Monday. He said he’d noticed I hadn’t been around much, and he wanted to make sure I was okay.

I informed him that I’d been sick, and after a few minutes of chitchat, he asked me if TJ and I were serious. To which I replied that we weren’t exclusive and just having fun.

It seemed like a good idea. That way, I was still available and free to date around, but it seems to have made Aaron think that I’m interested.

I haven’t forgotten seeing him and Heather together after he ghosted me. Still, I’m not completely against giving him a second chance. It’s not like we were serious. We’d been on one date at the time.

I select my conversation with Aaron. He asked me if I wanted to have dinner at the same restaurant where TJ and Chance work this Saturday. I told him I’d get back to him as soon as I got my work schedule.

What do I do?

What the hell? I’m going to say yes.

The food there is great. Worst-case scenario, it doesn’t lead anywhere, and I get a nice evening out of it.

I make it home a few minutes after I’ve texted Aaron to confirm our dinner plans. I’m working all afternoon tomorrow, as well as Saturday and Sunday, but tonight, I’m looking forward to parking my ass on the couch and watching a romantic comedy—after I’ve made dinner and helped Oliver with his homework, of course.

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