Page 14 of My Never
Sydney: We’re going to need margs
Holly: 6 too early?
These girls are the best.
???
I sling open the door to Phil’s and spot Holly straight away. She’s already got a pitcher of margs at the table. I didn’t have time to run home and change because things were running late at the office, but I ditched the blazer and unbuttoned my silk blouse a couple of buttons. My hair was freshly styled this morning, so it still looks great, and I slapped on some sexy lipstick in a gorgeous red shade to give me a little pizzazz after retouching my eyeliner and mascara. I even put on heels versus my typical ballet flats. I look business hot. To prove my point, a few heads turn from the bar. It feels good to be noticed again. I’m done hiding. I proudly strut over to the booth and set my bag down.
“Wow, you look hot!”
“Gee, thanks. I’m trying something different. Sick of hiding myself. It’s time I show off a better me.”
“You’re gorgeous any way you choose, but I get it! I’m all for this new look too! Did you see the way some of the heads up front turned?”
“Thanks, friend. And yes.” I do a little shimmy of my shoulders to convey the thrill that gave me.
“We’re here! I had to pick up Syd on the way,” Jane states as she slides into the seat next to me then freezes as she takes inmy appearance. Sydney is grinning from ear to ear as she takes her place next to Holly. “Girl! What is going on with you?”
“You like?”
“We love!” Sydney exclaims.
“We do, now spill. Wait, hold on a sec, let me pour a marg.”
I purse my lips to hold back a giggle as she pours both herself and Sydney drinks from the pitcher. She takes a sip and exhales deeply.
“Okay, go.”
“So, the other night, I was at the grocery store after a long day at work. I filled my basket with wine and tampons because, go figure, I started at work, when I ran into Mark. It was our typical run in, but at least he was nice enough to suggest ice cream instead of saying something else snarky when he saw what was in my basket.”
The girls are just eyeing me, waiting for me to continue.
“So, I’m walking out of the aisle when I run straight into a hard chest and drop all my stuff on the floor. I’m there apologizing and picking up my items while thinking to myself, “what happened to the gentlemanly behavior of helping a lady gather her spilled things?”, when I look up and notice it’s Eric. He was awful. To shorten that bit of the story, Mark had been coming out the other aisle and overheard the way that Eric was talking to me. He stepped in and introduced himself as my boyfriend, and you guys, Eric saw red. It was great. He didn’t like someone standing up for me and got nasty when Mark started to lead me to leave. Mark said a couple of things that left Eric speechless, grabbed my hand, and paid for our stuff. Then he asked for my keys and drove us back to my place.”
Their faces say it all. They’re dumbstruck.
“What happened when you got home?” Sydney asks as Jane takes a big slurp next to me, staring hard like I’m her afternoon soap opera. Holly giggles with excitement.
“We chatted for a while. Then he told me to go get comfy while he baked the pizza for us to eat. By the time I was done, he was handing me a plate of pepperoni and directing me to the couch. He brought me over my drink and my ice cream to eat for dessert, then covered me with a blanket and sat down next to me and chatted some more as we ate. Before he left, he refilled my plate with pizza.”
Holly sets down her drink with a thud, and all three of them have their mouths agape like fish trying to suck in air because they jumped out of the damn water onto the rocks.
“He took care of you?!” Sydney squeaks.
“Holy mother, I never saw that coming,” Jane says in bewilderment.
“Who the fuck stole Mark’s body?” Holly chimes in, and we all giggle.
“I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it for days. It was an experience, let me tell you. I had no idea what to think.”
“I can’t picture all of the smug hotness getting all soft and nurturing someone. Fuck, that’s hot,” Holly exclaims. Sydney tosses her head back, laughing at our friend’s frankness. She’s not wrong though. It was hot.
“He even called me beautiful in Italian, but I don’t think he knows I heard it.”
“What?!” Jane asks, practically bouncing in the seat next to me.
“Yeah, when I came out in my comfy clothes and sat back down at the island, I tossed my hair up into a messy bun. I caught him watching me out of the corner of my eye. He whispered “bella” under his breath, but I didn’t know what it meant. You’d think being part Italian, I would’ve known someof the basics? Nope. When I got to the couch, I pulled up a translator on my phone.”
