Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
“Cal Shelton’s.” When his name comes out of my mouth, a strange sense of pride comes over me, and I don’t like it. I shouldn’t be feeling it. Not me.
“Shut the fuck up,” Sarah laughs, turning back to the mirror.
“No, I’m serious!” I reply. “It’s Cal Shelton’s. He came into Henry’s tonight.”
“Henry’s? What would Cal Shelton be doing at Henry’s? Why wouldn’t he be at The Blue Ivy or one of those places working on three Michelin stars? This is New York, for crying out loud!”
I shrug in complete agreement. This is why Sarah and I became friends and stayed friends for so long. “Beats me! But he was there.”
I go on to recount all the details of what just happened back at the restaurant, and by the time I’m finished, there’s a look of total disbelief on Sarah’s face. I completely understand why.
Sarah has diagnosed me with a heavy case of RBF, aka resting-bitch-face. As such, men simply don’t come up to me. In my entire eighteen years of being on this planet, I’ve only ever had one single boyfriend, and that was back when I was fourteen. His name was Tucker, and I found out later that the only reason we ended up dating was that his hockey bros dared him to.
“So you told Cal no?” Sarah asks, even though I just told her I did.
“Yeah.” I nod. She also nods.
“Good.”
“Good?” I reply, more than slightly confused. Sarah is normally the one pressuring me into doing things I don’t want to do—like dancing. She’s been telling me to apply to Tigress’s ever since I turned eighteen.
“Yeah.” She nods, moving past me and going into her bedroom. Confused, I follow her.
“Wait, what?” I ask. “I expected you to be telling me to say yes to his invitation.”
Sarah shakes her head as she pulls out some new pieces of lingerie from her closet and examines them.
“Nah, you wouldn’t be able to handle a guy like Cal.”
All of a sudden, it’s like we’re back in high school together, and Sarah’s telling me it’s a good thing that Tucker and I are breaking up, and an even better thing that it wasn’t Brad, the captain of the hockey team, who asked me out, because I wouldn’t have been able to deal with being his girlfriend, even if it was just for a few weeks.
I scoff and put a hand to my chest. “I think I’m actually offended.”
Sarah laughs and shakes her head. “Don’t be. It’s just the truth. He’s a twenty-eight-year-old rockstar. He’s beyond you, Reese.”
Cal had me feeling heated back at Henry’s, but Sarah has me feeling a different kind of emotional now. Despite never wanting to actually dance at Tigress’s, I’ve always admired her ability to go out there, put herself on display in front of all those guys, and somehow not give a shit.
Now here we are, talking about me simply going on a date with a guy, and she’s telling me I couldn’t handle it.
“You’re saying I couldn’t even go to dinner with Cal Shelton?” I ask her slowly as she finishes packing her bag for the club.
Sarah looks up at me and nods.
“That’s right.”
Yet again, something inside me snaps. This time, my response is to grab my phone and brandish it in front of her. “Oh, yeah?” I exclaim. “Well, how about this then?”
Very deliberately, I begin inputting the numbers Cal gave me as a brand-new text message. Sarah looks at me like I’ve lost my mind and starts slowly shaking her head.
“Don’t do it, Reese.”
“What are you, my mom?” I ask childishly. “Because you’re sounding an awfully lot like my mom now.”
Sarah frowns and crosses her arms across her chest. “No, I’m not your mom–”
“Or maybe you’re just jealous,” I suggest as I begin to type my text to Cal. “Could that be it? Jealous that the ugly duckling is finally getting some attention?”
Sarah’s jaw drops. “No!” she gasps. “Sarah, I would never–”
“Dear Cal Shelton,” I say out loud as I type my text. “Thank you for your half apology tonight at Henry’s. I would gladly go to dinner with you another night to accept the rest of your apology. Just let me know when and where. Reese. Send.”
“Oh my God,” Sarah groans, plonking back on her bed, giggling into her hand. “You are nuts, you know that?”
Grinning, I lean against the wall and take a deep, satisfied breath. “Well, I guess we will see, won’t we?”
Almost instantly, my phone vibrates in my hand. Sarah hears it and looks up like she can’t believe it. “That fast?”
“I know, right?” I check it and see a simple message from Cal that I almost can’t believe.
“Well?” Sarah asks, leaping to her feet. “What does it say, dummy?”
I read it out loud as she rushes over to my side. “Be ready tomorrow.”