has a radar to know when I’m about to get laid and then he kills the mood.” I genuinely wondered if he’d had cameras installed in the house, but when I mentioned that to Jacoby, he searched every room and came up empty handed.
“Well, it’s like I always say—better to almost have sex with a guy than to dry hump four women.” His antics never got old. “Just promise me that you’ll at least stick your hand down his pants before you leave. The suspense is killing me.”
I laughed, unsure if I should be proud or offended that my best friend thinks the guy I’m after is hot enough to fantasize about. “No worries, Dave. I’ve still got plenty of time to get that information for you.”
If the house of cards didn’t come crashing down at Jeannine’s dinner party tonight.
“And really,” I continued, as if a valid argument had just smacked me in the face, “it’s not like we’ve known each other for that long. Sure, I’ve been here for over a month, and sure, I met him on, like, day three. But you have to remember that he thought I was Tiffany for the first two weeks.”
“Yeah, which means he’s known that you’re you for longer than he thought you were your sister.” He quietly counted to himself before resuming his excited voice to add, “That was nearly three weeks ago. Normally, you would’ve already gotten yours and blocked his number by now.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “This is different, Dave.”
“How so?”
Even though I knew he’d ask me that, I had hoped he wouldn’t. Because I didn’t have a good enough reason—or, more like, I refused to accept the only reason that would be good enough. “I’m not interested in a situationship with Jacoby.”
“Are you saying you want an actual relationship? The real deal?” Shock filled his tone.
If I rolled my eyes any more or any harder, they’d get stuck in the back of my head. “I don’t know what I want, okay? I’m figuring that out. And to do so, I need time. There’s too much to figure out in a week or two. This will take longer than that, and before I make any decision, I want to make sure it’s the right one.”
“Wow,” he whispered with heavy exaggeration. “I never thought I’d see the day. It’s like you’re growing up before my very eyes.”
It wasn’t that I had anything against relationships or had some sort of commitment issue. The reason I didn’t date much was because there was really no one to date. Almost everyone I’d ever been interested in saw me as one of the guys. I was immediately friend-zoned before I ever had a chance at being more. Maybe if I played fewer video games, drank sparkling wine or mimosas instead of beer, and wore dresses or low-cut shirts instead of something more comfortable, then I wouldn’t be dismissed so quickly.
That was probably my biggest problem with Jacoby. While he seemed to appreciate those qualities in me, there was a chance he only did so because he’d originally been under the impression that I was a celebrity who was widely known for being a materialistic snob. For all I knew, he’d been more impressed with the idea of Tiffany Lewis playing video games and drinking beer than an everyday woman doing the same. Not to mention, he hadn’t met the plain-Jane Tasha. He’d met the made-up version of me—bleached hair, fake tan, and expensive clothes. Things could drastically change after I went back home.
“And this is why I haven’t said anything to you about it. I knew you’d give me a hard time.”
“It’s like I always say, hard is always better than soft.”
He made it physically impossible to be upset with him. “Yup, you’re right. You definitely always say that.” He’d never said that, but that didn’t matter. It was his way of proving to me that no matter how much he teased me, he was always there when I needed him…and even sometimes when I didn’t.
“Have you ever thought that maybe I give you a hard time to test the waters?”
I was so confused. “Test the waters for what?”
“We live together in a small, two-bedroom apartment. And since this guy doesn’t even live here, there could potentially be a very real chance that he might come back with you. I’m simply preparing myself for any outcome. You know I don’t like to be surprised by things.” While he’d said all that with