Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Finally, I dialed Ronny’s number.
“Well, hello there,” Veronica answered. “Fancy hearing from you.”
“What?”
“Uh, nothing, just that you’re usually texting me at this time of night,” my bestie replied. “Any reason you’re so quiet lately? Hmmm? This wouldn’t have anything to do with the devilishly handsome billionaire man you just happen to be rooming with.”
“Hey, you didn’t text me either,” I said, and grabbed one of the cushions on the sofa nearest me. I hugged it to my abdomen.
“I was playing hard to get,” Veronica said. “I assume you’ve been doing the same with Mr. Handsome—”
“Ron!”
“What? It’s not like Jax is a real name anyways,” she replied. “It sounds like a detergent or something. Ha! Like Ajax. Remember? From the Deadpool movie?”
My mind hopped around from topic to topic as she prattled on. “Wait,” I said.
“So, how is Ajax? Doing well? Still cooking you dinners? Still—”
“We fucked.” It came out crass—unnecessarily so, but hey, that was my brain under pressure.
The resultant silence on the other end of the line could’ve deafened an airport ground staff worker. And those guys listened to jet engines all day long.
“Ron?”
“No.”
“What?”
“No ‘Ron.’ You’ll address me as ‘I told you so’ until further notice,” she replied, humor sneaking into her voice. “Seriously though, what was it like?”
“Are you—I thought you’d freak out when I told you,” I said.
“I figured it was bound to happen eventually.”
“Why?”
“Because of how googly-eyed you go whenever you talk about going back to the apartment, or the lasagna you had, or the conversation over pizza.”
“I mentioned that?” I asked. God, I’d probably motormouthed it off at some point during the day.
“Mentioned it? He’s all you’ve been talking about for the past week. So yeah, kinda makes sense that you fucked the guy.”
“Ugh, don’t call it that.”
“You called it that,” she replied.
“I know, but I was nervous. That’s the only reason. We had sex,” I said and lowered my voice. “But that’s not the problem.”
“Then what is?”
“I think—Veronica, I’m feeling something for this guy, and it scares the living piss out of me,” I managed.
“Piss isn’t living,” she said. “While we’re hovering around the topic, I mean.”
“Well can we stay on the actual topic, here? You know that this type of thing is exactly what I don’t need. My plans—”
“Plans, plans, plans. You realize that’s all you ever talk about? I get it, sister, you want to be in control of all the variables that could mess you up, but that’s not life. Life is, oh, I don’t know, meeting some high-powered businessman and becoming his roommate. It’s chaos, and that’s OK. The more you plan, the less you’ll actually be able to control, because life’s just gonna be like, ‘pa-hah, fuck your plans, sucker,’ and mess it all up anyway.”
I scratched the back of my neck and worked that over in my mind. Yeah, I liked to plan because I was afraid of everything screwing up like it had with Michael. It was a healthy outlet for my fears, wasn’t it? It could’ve been way worse. At least I hadn’t collapsed after the break-up.
“You still there?” Veronica asked.
“Yeah.”
“OK, so you’re feeling something for this dude. The crazy dude who just invites women into his home, cooks them Italian, then insists on them staying for more than just the night.”
“I don’t want to define anything. I want to figure this out before it becomes a royal fuck-up.”
“OK,” Veronica said. “So, I know you always figure everything out on your own, and I’m just your sounding board right now, but I’d like to meet this guy in person. Way I see it, he’s either a catch or a scumbag, and I’ve got a nose for scum-sucking, whore-faced—”
“Easy!”
“Sorry, I was thinking about Michael. I called that one, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you did,” I replied.
“And I didn’t even ask you to address me as ‘I told you so,’ because I’m a good friend.”
“So, what does that make you now?” I couldn’t help but smile. Ron always cleared my fears away. She was so strong. When her world had fallen apart, she’d leaned on me, but not for long. She’d pulled herself back on her feet so fast it’d stunned me.
“A genius,” she said. “Always right. The light in the darkness. I am the beacon of Gondor in Lord of the Rings.”
“There was more than one beacon.”
“Then I’m all of it. And you’re calling for aid. Like Gondor.”
“I’m a city? Listen, if this is your way of calling me fat—”
“Don’t make me reach through the phone and slap you.” Veronica chuckled, then sighed. “I’m serious, Riley. I want to meet this guy. Maybe, I can help you figure this out before you lose your mind.”
I nodded. I’d been there for her, and she’d be there for me. “It’s not my mind I’m worried about.”
“It’s not your virginity either.”
“Oh ho, rich coming from you, single momma.”