Page 110 of The 21-Day Boyfriend
“You’re a dick.”
“I’m just trying to understand why I’ve been called here. I thought it was an emergency?”
“Is that not enough for you?”
“Kissing? Okay… That might mean something, but it seems a bit much for you to get all antsy and desperate and call your best friend.”
“I’m not desperate.”
“Then why am I here?”
“To help me get out of this situation.”
“How am I supposed to help you?”
“I don’t know! Do I have to do everything here?”
Jake puts down his lunch and dabs at his mouth with a napkin. He takes a sip of water then, calmly, as if my entire life weren’t falling to pieces because of him.
“Why don’t you try being honest with him, for example? Telling him that you want something real and possibly permanent?”
“You know where all my relationships end up.”
“Down the drain, along with your intentions.”
“You got me into this mess. Now help me out of it.”
“I haven’t got you into anything. If I remember correctly, I arranged a fake date that led to a series of other dates, and now things are starting to slowly feel less fake.”
Someone knocks at the door to my office before I can respond.
“This isn’t over,” I warn him, getting to my feet and opening the door.
“Mr. Walsh,” I say, surprised. “What…?”
He sticks his head into the room then studies me. “I thought these were your office hours, but if you’re busy…”
“No.”
“No, these aren’t your office hours or no, you’re not busy?”
“Come in.” I open the door fully and gesture for him to step inside. “We’re done here,” I say then, turning to Jake.
My friend gets up, gathers his lunch, and heads to the door as Mr. Walsh sits down in his place.
“This guy is trouble, you know,” Jake whispers to me in the doorway.
“Fuck off.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Jake leaves my office and I turn back to Walsh.
“What can I do for you?”
I head over to my desk, but before I can sit down, Walsh gets up, his hand on my arm, his breathing too close.
“I don’t think this is…”
