everyone needed me. I proceeded to tell her how lucky she was to work with the finest and smartest man at the company. She scoffed playfully, and when the elevator pinged open to the lobby, I took the leap and risked rejection as I reached for her hand.
Her smile faltered a little, but she didn’t push me away, and I continued to keep up my banter while my insides soared. Baby steps were good.
We held hands throughout the drive, and when we parked in front of the pizza joint, I faced her. Her eyes looked outside, scanning the area, her knees bouncing. It reminded me of the day at the church when she had been fidgeting in her seat, nervous to see the ex. I realized I didn’t want to do this, have dinner with Jean and Jeff and pretend I was having a good time, when all I wanted it to be was Sonia and me, alone. I didn’t want to share her.
Thinking of him and her and the past they’d shared had me itching to jump out of my skin.
“I don’t even know why I’m here.” Sonia bit her bottom lip. Her stare skittered outside, watching the people walk past our car.
My sentiments exactly, but today, silence seemed like the key. The key with Mason and now with Sonia.
“I didn’t want to be the loser. I didn’t want it to seem like I was too hurt to meet up. I didn’t want him to know that he’d hurt me … that he’d broken my heart so badly, so that’s why I agreed to come.”
I wanted to ask her again why it mattered. Why she cared about his feelings or what he thought months after they had broken up, but I was afraid to hear the answer.
“Do you want to go home?” I so badly wanted her to say yes. To ditch this fool and his blow-up Barbie. So that I could take her on a real date, to a movie and dinner, something better than second-rate pizza.
“It’s too late. We can’t.” Her voice was so achingly low, hopeless even.
I tipped her chin my way, staring at her pink lips and needing so badly to kiss her. “You can. We’ll do whatever you want to do. I know this Italian restaurant that makes a cloud of tiramisu.”
All she needed to do was say the word, and it would be done; we’d be on our way.
Come on.
The knocking on the window had her jumping and me giving a death glare to the culprit—Jean.
Her wave turned frantic as she bounced on her toes. “Hi, guys!”
Jeff was right behind her, looking … pissed?
Whatever he was, he wasn’t happy, but it wasn’t my concern.
Sonia rolled down the window. “We’ll be right inside.”
I leaned back in my seat, letting my head relax against the headrest, watching Jean and Jeff walk down the street. I rarely went where I didn’t want to be, yet, for Sonia, I was going to go into that pizza joint.
“If we’re going to get out of this, now would be the opportunity,” I none too subtly reminded her.
She laughed, her eyes trailing the two bobbleheads walking into the pizza joint. “Now, we can’t for sure. We’ve been spotted. There goes my excuse that I’m sick, and life is over.” She bit her fingernail, watching their retreating backs. I wished I could read minds to know what she was thinking. “Do they match?”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind.” She shook her head. “Maybe it’s true what they say; opposites do attract.” Then, she turned my way. “Is she your type? Do you think she’s attractive?”
I scoffed, “No.”
And, from my one answer, I knew she didn’t believe me.
“I’m being serious. You walk down the streets of downtown Chicago, and you’ll see five Jeans.”
“You’re just saying that because I’m here, and you’re trying to get in my panties.” The corner of her mouth lifted into an almost smile.
Now, it was my turn to laugh, and then I angled closer. “Even though I am wanting in your panties, my answer would still be the same. Not interested.”
She let out a low sigh and then stared back at the pizza joint. “Then, why do you think he picked her over me?”
I tilted her chin to face me, and I spoke with all the conviction and truth I had in me. “He messed up, Sonia, because what you don’t understand is that Jean’s not the upgrade; she’s most definitely the downgrade.”
Her eyes flashed for a second, and