Wherever the Dandelion Falls (38 page)

"No problem," I said.

The strange interaction with Callie made my shift seem longer. For the thousandth time, I was annoyed that the Box had no clock. The only way we could keep track of time was the appearance of new dancers in our midst and the way we swapped out for breaks every ten minutes. The Box had a weird timelessness to it that made time feel like time stretched on forever.

By the time my shift was done, I was tired and sweaty and ready to eat a big lunch. As I showered and put on my street clothes, I thought about why Callie had made a pass at me. Was it because I flirted unintentionally? Was it because of the nature of our work? Or was it just something that would have happened regardless of where we were and what we were doing?

Whatever the reason, it was a wakeup call that I needed to be firmer with my boundaries in
all
my relationships. It was easy to resolve to ask Justine to vacuum more often and to steer conversations with Kimi away from my work, but it was harder to distance myself from Faye. She had done nothing wrong, and from an objective perspective, neither had I. She'd been sweet and gentle with me, and I didn't want any of that to change. But I knew, for the sake of my emotional well-being, that I needed to back away from her.

So I resolved that I was going to text her less often and limit our hanging out to once a week in a public setting. That would be enough distance to help me move on, right?

But of course, the universe had other plans.

The following night, a few hours before I was going to leave for my Private Pleasures Booth shift, Faye called me.

"Hey," she said. She sounded anxious and distracted.

"Hey."

"Are you busy?"

I should have said yes, but my Midwestern upbringing made it hard for me to lie. "No."

“Oh, thank goodness," Faye breathed. "I'm having a hard time choosing what to wear tonight."

Tonight was her anniversary date with Isaiah.

“Can you come over? Schro says you need to see the full effect of my outfits. And he wants snuggles."

Wincing and knowing I should decline, I agreed.

Twenty minutes later I was seated on Faye's bed with Schro in my lap. Having the cat in my lap made me feel like I wasn't a total failure at having boundaries. His purring helped me stay settled as I heard Faye dressing in the bathroom.

She emerged first in a little black cocktail dress with a satin bow around the waist. It complimented the shine of her hair.

But she wasn't sure, so she went into the bathroom and came out wearing a floor-length dress that was eggplant purple. It was pretty, but it was more formal than was appropriate for the dinner she was going to have with Isaiah.

"It's pretty," I said. "But it's like you're..." I paused, looking for the right words.

"Going to a wedding?" she asked. "I know. Let me try the last one."

She disappeared and I heard her shuffling before the door opened and she emerged again.

My jaw dropped.

She was wearing a fitted, vintage, knee-length red dress with a bateau neckline. She looked equal parts sophisticated and sexy.

When she saw my expression, she grinned and looked down at herself. "It's a little different from what I usually wear, but... I like it."

I gave a blank nod before collecting myself and forcing my eyes up to her face. "If you're looking to spice things up in the bedroom, that's an excellent start," I said.

Faye's smile turned to a grimace and she turned to her desk, picking up a tube of makeup and applying something to her lips.

Seeing her in her dress, knowing she was going to have a romantic evening out with someone who wasn't me, hurt.

"Do you have your gift?" I asked, desperate to divert the conversation to anything else.

Faye nodded. "Right here," she said, tapping a small sparkly purse that hung on her desk chair. "I keep worrying I'm going to forget it."

I nodded and swallowed, feeling awkwardly rooted to the spot as her cat purred and she quietly put on makeup.

Then I realized I needed to leave before anything started hurting more. "My shift starts in an hour," I mumbled. "Are you good?"

Faye smiled and nodded. "Hope your night's easy," she said, putting her lipstick down on the desk.

"Me too," I said. And though it pained me to say it, I added, "Have fun with Isaiah."

Faye thanked me and I trudged down the stairs to my car. The image of her in her sexy dress, hair done up, lipstick wet and bright on lips that were reserved for Isaiah made something curl in my stomach and rest there, heavy. I hoped that Isaiah knew how lucky he was.

My shift passed without incident. One of my Private Pleasures Booth regulars wanted to do our standard role-play of boss and reluctant secretary. I played along, grateful he was generous with his money and didn't ask me to do anything out of our ordinary. A few other men came, came, and went, and after my shift I went home and crawled in bed.

I woke up to my phone buzzing at two in the morning. I cracked one eye open and saw it was Faye calling. I was instantly wide-awake.

I flicked the call open and tried not to sound too groggy as I answered, "Hello?"

"Hi," Faye said. Her voice was tentative and shaky.

"Hi," I echoed.

I heard Faye breathing, as though she were walking or crying. I couldn't tell which.

"Are you awake?" she asked.

"Um... Yeah," I said, sitting up as I willed myself to be more awake.

Faye didn't say anything as a few more shaky breaths rattled through the line.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Faye didn't answer. After a few more breaths, she asked, "Are you home?"

"Yeah."

"Can I come up?"

Was she here? Waiting outside?

"Of course," I said.

I rose off my bed, feet soft and quiet on the ground as I pulled a sweater on over my Wonder Woman shirt. "I'll buzz you in."

"Thanks."

I walked through my apartment to the door, flicking on lights to make it seem like I had been awake. I unlocked the door and pressed the buzzer long enough for Faye to open it downstairs. I listened as Faye's footsteps crescendoed up the stairs and stopped in front of my door. Then there was silence for five seconds before Faye knocked. My hand was on the doorknob already, so I simply pulled, revealing Faye, radiant in a knee-length wool coat and heels.

But her makeup had been wiped off and her hair wasn't as perfect. Her polished exterior had a crack in it.

She rushed inside, trying not to make eye contact as she came to a halt in the middle of the room. She fiddled with the top button of her coat, but kept it on. After a few seconds of taking stock of my apartment, she whirled around, eyes wide and scared as she met mine.

"
He asked me to marry him
," she gasped. "He asked-," she choked for a second. "I thought he wanted to move in together, but he-" Her words caught in her throat and she stood frozen in the middle of my living room.

My heart dropped into my stomach. I couldn't move or say anything. I swallowed, trying to loosen my throat. As soon as I could think, my eyes flew to Faye's hands. They rested at her side, open and helpless. She wasn't wearing a ring.

"What did you say?"

Faye stared back at me, eyes wide as she shook her head. "I couldn't say anything. I just
—
I just left."

I nodded and a seed of hope buried itself inside me. "What did he say?"

Faye let out a breath, and her shoulders curled further up to her ears. "I don't know. I don't remember."

I heard a buzzing in Faye's pocket, but Faye didn't move.

"Are you going to answer that?"

Faye shook her head, eyes wide.

I felt so sorry for this unraveled, terrified version of Faye. I wanted to wrap her in something soft and lay her on the couch and stroke her hair. But she was too spooked. Instead, I took a few steps towards her and tried to radiate calm.

Faye flinched. "He's worried about me."

I nodded, thinking that if I were lucky enough to be Isaiah, I would be worried sick about Faye right now too. "Do you want me to get it?"

Faye swallowed and nodded.

Being careful not to touch Faye more than was necessary, I reached into her pocket until my hand met vibration. I pulled out the phone and slid the call open.

"Hi, Isaiah," I said, trying to make my words gentle and reassuring. "This is Riley. She's at my house. She's safe."

"Is she coming back?"

I looked up and met Faye's helpless, pleading eyes mere inches from my own.

"Not tonight," I said. "But she'll call you tomorrow. At noon."

Faye swallowed, loosening as she gave a faint nod.

"Will you tell her she can forget the whole thing? I just want her to be happy," he said. His voice was panicked and I could tell he was upset.

"Of course," I said.

I moved the phone away from my mouth and repeated Isaiah's words to Faye. Faye stared up at me, her eyes seeming deeper and more scared as she nodded.

"Is she upset?" Isaiah asked.

"She's calming down," I said.

"Okay. Tell her I mean it. We can keep doing what we've been doing and nothing has to change. And
—
tell her I love her."

I looked at Faye, knowing Faye could hear every word.

"I'll tell her."

I saw relief pass over Faye's face as I ended the call.

Then, before I knew what was happening, I felt a strain in my neck as my head was pushed back, my lips melded against Faye's.

Faye was kissing me. Hard and fierce and sudden. The pressure of her lips on mine was the best feeling I'd had in years. I felt like I could jump up and fly.

The kiss softened and my eyebrows shot up as I took a step back. Our lips made a wet smack as I pulled away, stunned.

My mouth hung open as I searched for words. I had to pick the exact right ones so she wouldn't get spooked even further.

But before I could find the right words, Faye's face shifted into a look of panic. Her eyes opened wider than I had ever seen them as she gasped, hands flying to her mouth.

"Shit!" Faye gasped. She held her hands over her mouth for a second before she declared, "I'm drunk! I'm sorry, I have to go!"

She made a beeline for the door, reaching for the doorknob without looking back at me.

But I caught her wrist. I knew she wasn't drunk.

"Wait."

I looked at her, trying to tell her with my eyes that it was okay that she kissed me.

"You shouldn't drive."

Faye swallowed. "What should I do?"

Faye wanted guidance in so many ways. I didn't have guidance, but I had a couch and a need to make sure Faye didn't do anything else that scared her.

"Stay here on my couch. I have an extra toothbrush."

Faye's shoulders loosened an inch. "Okay," she whispered. She looked around the apartment again before covering her face with her hands. "I don't know what's happening to me."

"It's okay. You have a lot going on right now."

Faye kept her face covered for a moment before sighing and lowering her hands to clutch at her elbows.

If I acted like everything was fine, it would help her believe it. Although, let's face it, showing up at your stripper friend's house at two in the morning after a guy asks you to marry him and then kissing her is odd behavior.

"The extra toothbrush is in the drawer to the left. It's still in the package."

Faye shuffled into the bathroom as I started moving pillows off the couch. I spread a blanket over the middle section as I listened to her brush her teeth and rinse her mouth. When I was done, I looked up to see her leaning against the frame of the bathroom door.

"Do you need anything else?" I asked, gesturing towards the couch.

Faye shook her head, a loose strand of her hair swinging next to her face. "Just to not feel crazy."

"You're not crazy," I said with a tender smile. "You're under a lot of pressure."

Faye let out an exhausted sigh. She unbuttoned her coat and hung it over the chair next to the sofa. She was still wearing her dress from her date with Isaiah. Her very form-fitting, tight-in-all-the-right-places dress.

I swallowed. "Do you want a t-shirt or something?"

Faye looked down at her dress, as if realizing she was still wearing it. "Um... sure."

I smiled back and turned into my bedroom. I opened the bottom drawer of my dresser and took out the most comforting shirt I owned, a simple tee from my hometown coffee shop. I tucked the shirt over my arm, feeling the soft, worn cotton on my still sleep-warm skin. Hopefully the shirt would comfort Faye the same way it did me.

For a moment, I let myself imagine bringing Faye to my hometown coffee shop, watching her study the menu above the register before ordering the same thing she always ordered here. It was an exciting thought, but I tucked it away. It was no use fantasizing about a future that would never happen.