Love Love (19 page)

“
You know, Fran, you’d know
about this stuff if you were at the apartment more and not shacking
up with Kyle.”

She slaps me on the shoulder. “You
know you support my relationship with Kyle. Spill.”

“
Well…Brad took me to a
Looney Tunes marathon yesterday night to cheer me up.”

“
He took you
where?”

I can’t help the small smile creeping
up my face. “I just told you. He took me to see Bugs
Bunny.”

Fran raises an eyebrow. “And you seem
pretty happy about that.”

“
Well, it was fun. It was
just what I needed, actually.”

“
Gabby, what am I missing
here? I thought you were seeing Dane.”

“
Well, no, I wouldn’t say
I’m seeing Dane. I would say I’m screwing Dane.”

Fran’s mouth drops open in disbelief.
“Whoa. That sounded seriously bitter.”

Taking a deep breath, I try to gather
my thoughts before I speak. “Okay, so I saw Dane the other night,
and we had sex, just like always. And before you say anything, yes,
it was great sex. But, that’s all it was…”

Without letting me finish, Fran
interrupts. “And the problem is? I thought that’s what you wanted,
right? Isn’t it, Gabby?”

“
Yes. No. Yes. I don’t
know. It’s been for the past month or so, but now I’m not so sure.”
I tap my fingers on the table. “I don’t know. I know after we had
sex this time I felt empty, and for the first time in a long time,
I didn’t like it.”

“
Sweetie, I’ve known you
since fourth grade, and sometimes I actually think I know you
better than you know yourself. I’ve already told you what I think.
You’ve just been too thick- headed to want to hear it. You’re
running and you’ve been running for a long time. Dane is a band-aid
and that’s all he’s ever been. It’s time to rip off the freaking
band-aid; let go of the past, and go after what you really want.
Stop messing around, Gabby. This is your life we’re talking
about.”

Fran stops mid-sentence as Brad
returns with our drinks. “One Salted Caramel Mocha, extra whipped
cream, and one latte.” He gives me a quick wink and walks
way.

“
So, where was I, before we
were rudely interrupted by that dimpled cutie?” She smiles. “Oh
yes.” Her eyes sparkle. “Going after what you want. What do you
really want? Because from my perspective, I see things changing for
you. Maybe the question isn’t what’s changed, but who’s changing
it?” As she says the words, she glances over to the counter and
then back to me. “I have a couple of theories.”

I pinch her arm hard. “Stop looking
over there, Fran. He’s going to think we’re talking about
him.”

“
Oh yes, things are
changing all right.” Her whole face smiles. “You may not be ready
to admit it, but that’s okay. I can tell you this, Gabby Willis;
I’ve seen more genuine smiles from you recently than I’ve seen in a
long time. So, whatever or
whoever
is putting those smiles on your face, I’m rooting
for them. She pats my hand and gives me one of her sincere, loving
smiles. “Now, getting back to Dane, if you’re kicking his hot ass
to the curb, can I pick him up and dust him off?”

We burst into laughter so loud,
customers turn to stare. “Fran, you’re unbelievable!”

Fran and I say our goodbyes and I feel
Brad’s eyes follow me as we walk out the door. This time I don’t
look back.

***

Fran’s
words of wisdom seem to be invading my thoughts a lot lately. I
laugh out loud; she wants my leftovers. Well, she can have them,
and gladly. I’m feeling a bit more confident today and know I have
to call Dane. I need to face what happened last week, but I also
need to get him Robby’s new design plans for his apartment. Above
all else, I have a job to do.

On my lunch break, I pull myself up
from my chair, which I now seem to be stuck to, and head over to a
small conference room. I peek inside and when I don’t see anyone,
walk in and close the door behind me. I dial Dane’s number, feeling
pretty confident. He answers after three rings. “Hey Dane, it’s
Gabby. Listen, I want to apologize for leaving the way I did the
other night.”

“
That’s okay. I’m sorry
that I upset you. Can I make it up to you, say tonight?”

I’m not giving up my Friday night. “I
can’t tonight, but how about next week?”

“
Sure. I’ll call you
tomorrow. I can’t wait to see you, Gabby.”

“
Okay, bye
Dane.”

Friday is always takeout
and movie night. I rent
Pretty
Woman
. Why? Because I’m a hopeless, sappy
romantic and I love happy endings...especially one involving
Richard Gere. By the time I pick everything up and make it home,
I’m completely drained. Ripping off my work clothes in favor of my
trademark sweatpants and a tank top, I settle in under a warm, soft
blanket with some chicken and broccoli, and Richard
Gere.

Just as I get settled, my cell phone
rings. I consider not answering it since Fran is with Kyle, but
pick it up just in case it’s her. It’s Brad.

“
Hey, you,” he says, with
that ability to always make me smile even through the freaking
phone.

“
Hey, yourself.”

“
Whatcha up to?”

“
I’m getting ready to eat
takeout and watch a movie. What about you?

“
I’m closing up for the
night. What movie?”

I’m almost embarrassed to
share. “
Pretty Woman
,” I answer sheepishly.

“
That just happens to be my
favorite movie.”

Liar. “Yeah right.”

“
Seriously, I like Julia
Roberts.”

“
I’m sure you do,” I say
with playful sarcasm.

He laughs. “I don’t think I like your
tone, little lady.”

I think I’d like to see him. “Do you
want to come over and see Julia Roberts then?”

“
Okay, but only if you have
popcorn.”

“
Why is that?” I don’t
think we have any popcorn.

“
Just in case I need to
throw it at you.”

I laugh. “See you soon.”

“
You betcha.”

Putting down the phone, I let what I
just did sink into my brain. I just invited Brad over to my
apartment. What was I thinking? I wasn’t thinking. Or maybe I was
thinking. I don’t know. It’s only cute, sweet, adorable Brad. It’s
not a date or anything. Yeah, okay Gabby, whatever.

I rush into the bathroom to brush my
hair and throw a little lip gloss on. Realizing I’m bra-less, I
take one out of my drawer and put it on, then fish through my
closet and put a different shirt on; one without stains.

The doorbell rings, and inhaling a
deep breath, I make my way over to answer it. There stands Brad,
smiling with every ounce of himself.

“
Come on in, Julia’s been
waiting for you.”

“
Oh, I was hoping it was
you who was waiting for me.”

Gulp. “So, are you hungry? I have a
lot of chicken and broccoli left.”

“
Sure, that’d be great.” He
hands me a cup with The Brew House logo. “Here. I know it’s kind of
late for caffeine, so I brought you a peppermint hot chocolate.”
Brad’s eyes roam the kitchen counter and land on the bags of
Twizzlers and Swedish Fish. “What’s all this?” he asks, obviously
excited.

“
Ah, you mean my secret
addiction. I love candy. I buy it any chance I get and stockpile
it. I guess you could call me a candy hoarder.”

His amused eyes scan my face. “Well,
looks like your secret’s out.”

“
I’m truly relieved,” I
say, blowing out a breath. “It’s been hard hiding that for so
long.” I stop when I realize what I’ve said. He has no idea how
true that statement is. “So, what do you want to watch?”

“
What do you mean? I
thought we were watching
Pretty
Woman
?”

“
Wouldn’t you rather
watch
Terminator
or something?”

“
Terminator
? You actually have that
movie here?”

“
Well, no.”

Brad looks at me strangely. “Why are
you suggesting it then?”

“
Because it’s more…” I look
up at the ceiling, as if an answer is going to fall down in the
form of peeling paint. “I don’t know…manly.”

“
Are you suggesting I’m too
manly to watch
Pretty
Woman
?”

“
Well, no…but…”

“
Listen, remember me? I’m
the one who took you to see Looney Tunes. I think I can
handle
Pretty Woman
.”

I throw my hands up in the air. “Okay,
if you insist.”

“
I do.”

I meander into the kitchen and reach
up on my tippy toes, grab a plate and fork for Brad, and load it up
with chicken and broccoli, then fill up a glass of ice water for
him.

Panic sets in as I make my way over to
the sofa. I don’t know where to sit. Oh my God, I feel like I’m in
freaking high school. Standing there nervously, I start twirling my
hair with my fingers and sucking on my lip.

“
Earth to
Gabby?”

“
Um…Yeah?”

“
Are you going to sit or do
you want to finish eating your lip first?”

“
Uh…okay.”

I hand Brad the plate and sit down
next to him, but not too close. Then I reach around and grab a
blanket but when it doesn’t quite reach him, he eases over a bit.
Our knees are touching and it’s making it hard to concentrate on
the movie. I put my hands underneath my legs and sit there like a
statue. A very tired one.

Somewhere between Julia
Roberts watching
I Love Lucy
and Stuckey getting punched in the face, I fall
asleep. I awaken to a soft shoulder and tender brown
eyes.

“
Sorry, I didn’t mean to
fall asleep like that.” I’m completely mortified. I hope there’s no
drool on my face.

“
That’s okay. I quite liked
it. Except for the part where you were drooling and
snoring.”

I nudge his shoulder. “I
don’t drool
or
snore.”

“
How would you know?
You
were
sleeping.”

Being this close to Brad gives me a
chance to peek at the tattoo around his bicep that I’ve been eyeing
for so long. It looks like two scripted names wrapped around each
other, with a small pink rose in the center. Curiosity gets the
best of me. “Can I ask you a question?”

“
Sure,
anything.”

“
Your tattoo…” I trail off.
Brad’s expression falls and I immediately regret saying the words.
“I’m sorry…I ju…”

“
No, it’s okay, really.
It’s…it’s in memory of my mom and my sister. The name Clara wraps
around the name Sofia. Clara was my sister and Sofia was my mom. My
mom passed away when I was twelve, and my sister Clara, who I’ve
mentioned before, passed away five years ago. Both from breast
cancer.”