Page 75 of The Boss and the Wedding Mess
"Keep them as a good memory, there won't be more from me." So that's clear. He doesn't want a relationship.
"Damn. And I can't even recommend you to others," I joke, and we both laugh.
"I'll keep quiet about it too."
"And on Monday I'll come get my photo," I playfully threaten, before pointing to the exit. "I should get going now. Thanks for letting me shower here."
"Drive safely. See you Monday. Be on time."
"I always am."
I leave his house and quietly close the door behind me. My legs are still trembling a little as I walk to my car. Once inside, I drive off immediately—but only make it a few streets before I have to stop. My heart is racing, and I’m completely flustered.
Damn it.
Damn it. I think I have feelings for him. Or at the very least, it feels like I’m developing them. It hurt when he let me go. Now I’m sitting here with tears in my eyes, wishing for nothing more than to have accepted his meal invitation.
What if that was his way of testing whether a relationship with me would work? What if he wanted to get to know me better and I just ruined it?
I pull myself together and drive on. I’ll discuss everything in detail with Vanessa. There’s nothing better than a girls’ day with cleaning, eating, and analyzing men.
An hour later, we’re sitting on her couch eating Chinese noodles, rice, and vegetables with chicken, beef, and duck. A little bit of everything. Cleaning hasn’t even started yet.
"Why didn’t you stay?" she asks with her mouth full. Nobody else would understand her, but I can piece the words together while she shovels more food in.
"Well, I wanted to come to you. And it was kind of totally weird. I just didn’t want to stay. Actually, I did, but I also sort of didn’t." I hang my head.
"Here. Open." She pushes both fortune cookies toward me since I’m already finished, though her appetite seems endless. "Pick one."
Vanessa then sighs. "And I thought I’m the one with problems."
"Yeah, and I’ve been talking your ear off for an hour."
"It’s better than a soap opera. Nobody could make this stuff up. What’s that saying? Life is stranger than fiction. Who said that again?"
"Someone wise," I murmur, staring at the two fortune cookies, taking them in my hand and weighing which one appeals to me most. I take the one that sparkles a bit more. At least I think it does. I open the package, break the cookie, and read aloud: "Don't be deceived, the truth will soon come to light."
"Cryptic."
Yep, I can agree with her there.
"What does that even mean?" I ask, baffled.
"That someone in the Chinese fortune cookie factory had a bad day and thought: Yeah, I'll give a hell of a headache to a poor woman whose heart was broken today after she reads this note."
That must be it. I can’t help laughing.
"So, I'm being deceived right now, but the truth will come to light. Well, if that refers to Alexander, I wonder what he's deceiving me about." It could be anything. "What if he took the photo through the app when he sent it? Then he wouldn’t even have it. What if he's fallen for me? What if he's just using me sexually and will fire me a day before my probation ends?" I take a deep breath. "Then I really will call his mother!"
We both burst out laughing. Yeah, that would be something—talking to her. She’d definitely be on my side. But that’s not the point.
"I’m really curious about what he has planned for you on Monday," Vanessa says, raising her eyebrows meaningfully. I sigh. I’d like to know too. Then I push the remaining fortune cookie toward her. She opens it and cackles loudly before reading: "Your ex wants you back. Let him go, it's not a good idea."
That can't really be written there, can it? I take the note in my hand while she curls up on the couch, almost choking on her food.
"You know, I don't usually believe what horoscopes or things like that, but this is really striking. Don’t you think?"
, sitting back down. "The other way around wouldn’t have made any sense. Must be fate."
