Page 21 of A Me and Him Thing
When I first realized what the box contained, I stopped rifling through it and quietly closed the lid. I’ve never opened it again. I have no desire to read their private letters. The few I saw only confirmed what I already knew.
They are a match in every way, so in love with each other, it’s scary.
Now that I know it exists, I want that kind of love. I won’t settle for anything less.
Even if it means spending my life alone because I don’t deserve a happily-ever-after.
WAITING TO SEERen until Thursday night feels like forever. So when he texts me on Wednesday morning, I read it immediately.
Ren:Can I take your amazing palate to lunch? It will be wowed, I promise.
I’m already wowed, under his spell, and constantly reminding myself we’re standing on the sacred grounds of Friendship City.
I wait five minutes before I answer so I don’t sound too eager, even though I know he can see that I’ve already read his text.
Me:Can I come too?
Ren:Yeah, I guess so.
Me:I don’t want to intrude.
Ren:I don’t mind, really.
Me:You talked me into it.
Ren:Pick you up at 11:30? In front of your office. Please send address.
I do so, and he responds right away.
Ren:See you soon.
When I exit my office building at lunchtime, Ren is parked just outside, already impeccably dressed for his evening at the restaurant, leaning against his BMW with his arms folded. He’s wearing a light-gray suit, a light-blue button-up, a black tie, and sunglasses. Gulp. He looks like a model posing for a photo shoot. And he’s waiting for me.
Me.
It’s like a teenage fantasy of mine just came true.
I walk forward and stop just short of him.
He smiles. “You look beautiful.”
“Right back atcha.” I breathe in and out deeply, just because he smells so good. Whatever divine cologne he uses, I’m in love with it.
“I’m beautiful?” he asks.
“Yes, you are.”
“I haven’t heard that one before. When I get home, I’m pumping iron. Lots of it.”
“No need. You’re all man.”
Several heartbeats of silence pass between us, but it’s not awkward at all. Instead, it feels as though something is brewing in the air between us. We take each other in, letting only our eyes touch one another.
Finally, Ren says, “Ready to go?”
“Yes. I have an hour.”
“Nice. Three thousand, six hundred seconds. We’d better make them count.”
