Page 21 of That First Date

I let out an aggravated groan. “Don’t remind me. I am looking forward to this the way I look forward to my monthly visits from Aunt Flo. And you know she’s a bitch to me every time she visits.”

“Oh, we know,” Kali and Emiline say in unison.

“Hey! You two just be thankful that Aunt Flo isn’t as mean to you. I wouldn’t wish those cramps on my worst enemy.”

Kali laughs. “Why do you think we leave you alone that week?”

“Yeah, yeah.” I roll my eyes. “In summary… I am not looking forward to this.”

“Why are you two even going on a date?” Emiline asks. “Is this a meeting with his boss?”

“No.” I shake my head. “He wants to go out and get to know each other more, get our story right and you know, make sure this works.”

“I mean…” Kali pauses. “It’s a little late to decide if it’s going to work, isn’t it? The boss already thinks you two are getting married. He can’t just show up with a new fiancé for the summer.”

“You’re kind of locked in regardless,” Emiline adds.

The conversation is interrupted when my phone chimes with a text message on the kitchen counter.

Dean

Whatcha up to, Sweet Cheeks?

“It’s Dean,” I huff.

“You haven’t broken it off with him yet?” Kali asks.

“Truth be told… I’ve been avoiding him.” I snort. “How the hell do you break up with someone when you weren’t even official to begin with?”

I actually haven’t spoken to Dean since the morning he called me on my way to work. This is my defense mechanism to avoid confrontation. I avoid and avoid until eventually they take the hint and just stop contacting me all together. Is it wrong? Sure. Do I give a shit? Never. They know my stance on not making things serious when we first start.

“It’s funny if you think about it. I have no filter and give no shit what comes out of my mouth. But I can’tbreak-upwith a guy to save my life.”

“That’s normal.” Kali shrugs. “You don’t like the cry-baby shit. I’ve only met Dean a couple of times, but I can tell that he would be the whiny type of guy who doesn’t want things to end.”

“Thatwould make you uncomfortable,” Emiline adds. “For the sake of argument here, I never saw that going anywhere to begin with.”

“How come?”

“Because you don’t need soft. You don’t need sensitive.” She sits up straighter in her seat and flexes an arm muscle. “You need masculine. You need someone who matches your attitude and gives it right back to you.”

“I don’t have an attitude,” I snap.

“Attitude is the wrong word,” Kali cuts in. “You’re strong-willed. You’re not afraid to share those wild thoughts in your head, regardless of what others think. You respect yourself enough to stand up for yourself. Which you definitely learned from your mom growing up.”

“You don’t like to be coddled either.” Emiline laughs.

The girls arenotwrong here. Could that be the reason I never let any guys close? It can’t be. I know deep down my dating issues stem from my childhood. It’s definitely daddy issues and the fact that I was raised by the same exact woman they describe me as.

“That’s why my brother couldn’t be a more perfect fake fiancé for you.”

“Right,” I scoff. “I have no doubt that Marc can handle my shit. He does every day at work. But I can also read him like a book. Deep down, he wants romance and a happy ending.”

“You’re good at the happy ending.” Kali winks in her seat.

“We arenotfucking going there.”

“Stooppp it,” Kali drags out the word. “You’ve already had his dick inside of you and you have been weird around him ever since.”

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