Page 7 of Red Zone Realizations
After getting out of the shower, I lean close to the mirror and check on my poor nose. I touch it lightly on each side and on the bridge. It’s a bit tender, but it’s definitely not broken. I might have to call Chelsea, the client I was supposed to have dinner with tomorrow night, and tell her that I have to cancel since my face might be black and blue.
Nicole will be here any minute for our weeklySurvivorepisode. She works Wednesday nights so we’re streaming it tonight. I’ve been dodging spoilers online all week. I’m hoping they bring back the auction this season, and tonight might be the night. I want to see someone spend all their money on a giant fish eyeball—and actually eat it.
A key sounds in the door and I know it’s her. She has my only spare.
“I’ve got boxed wine and the Whirley Pop Popcorn Maker!” she announces as she lets herself in. What started as an excuse to see each other on a school night in high school continued over video chat when we went to different colleges.It has reemerged as my favorite night of the week now that we both live in the city.
Nicole sets her offerings down to take off her boots.
“Bless you. I’ve been swamped with work. Who would have thought working for influencers was so stressful?”
“Literally everyone.”
I point at her with one finger. “You’re right.” I giggle. “I just thought I could win them over with my Type-A personality or beat them into submission with it.”
“You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, Audrey,” she scolds teasingly.
When Nicole and I first met in kindergarten, I didn’t fully appreciate her friendship because she was so mature for her age. I mean, she organized her nail polishes in rainbow order. She hates ketchup and mint. She has an obsession with trashy dark romances. And I don’t know what I would do without her.
Nicole and I move easily around one another, a dance that we’ve fine-tuned over the years. First at our parents’ houses, making her mom’s signature sugar cookies, the Christmas tree all lit up behind us. Then at each other’s first apartments when we went to separate colleges. We’d take turns driving the hour to visit one another and hang out. We always run our errands together, too. Target, HomeGoods, Trader Joe’s—the holy trinity of a girls’ day.
I groan. “I need this night so bad, you have no idea.”
“Tough day?” she asks.
“Hot Yoga Guy hit me in the face with a door today.”
She slams the boxed wine down on the countertop. “What? When did this happen?”
“Literally like two hours ago. I went to an earlier class so we could doSurvivortonight instead of Friday and he wascoming in for his regular class as I was leaving and he just wham”—I smack one hand into the other—“got me with the door.”
“Are you okay?”
“My nose is fine.” I wave her off, but she is a nurse, so she comes closer to me and holds my face still so she can look at it. When she’s satisfied, she lets me continue, turning back to getting the popcorn ready on the stove. “He felt so bad though. He tried to get me to go with him to urgent care, which I said no to. Then he tried to get me to let him take me to dinner as an apology, which I also said no to.”
Nicole whips her head back around. “Hot Yoga Guy asked you out and you said no?”
“His name is Noah, we really should start calling him that.”
“Audrey, why would you say no when a perfectly handsome and concerned man asks you out?”
I frown at her. “You know I’m not ready.”
She dumps the popcorn and butter from the ready-made bag into the Whirly Pop. “Maybe this is a sign that you should try and get back out there.”
“Getting assaulted by a door is asign?” The turning of the kernels is so loud I almost have to yell to be heard over them.
“No.Heis the sign. Don’t be so quick to say no. At the moment, maybe it seemed like a bad idea since you were in pain, but you’re fine now. It’s time to think about the future again.”
“It’s too soon.”
“It’s just a first date. If you see even one red flag you can block his number and move on, but I don’t think you will.”
I set the huge bowl I got for our popcorn next to her. “I’llthink about it. I have his number so if I decide I want to get ahold of him I can.”
She dumps the steaming popcorn into our individual bowls. “That’s all I’m asking for. Let’s catch up onSurvivorand you can figure it out later.”
I move to the fridge to get the fresh veggies out for the girls. “I’m going to grab Dolly and Reba so they can hang out and eat.”
