bathtub filled with bubbles and oils. I nearly fall asleep, but I force myself to get out and start some laundry for the workweek. I pull on my silky robe and throw all my clothes from my bag into the washer. Once it’s started, I pop a bag of popcorn and grab some water to take to the couch.
I start a movie, and while the trailers play, I decide to check my email in case work sent me something over the weekend. The first message in my inbox is from Reveal Your Secret.
What’s that?
Confused, I click on the email.
Congratulations! You’ve been chosen to come on our show to reveal your secret! Please respond within 24 hours to set up your taping date.
What the fuck did I do? I scroll down to where it shows what I sent them. I read over the short paragraph. No! No, no, no, no, no! Why did I do that? Why can’t I remember it? Screw the why. I know why. I was drunk and high off that kiss. That kiss. Holy shit, I nearly forgot about that kiss! Shit. Shit, shit, fuck, damn, shit. Twenty-four hours? I have a day to decide. Clearly, I have to pass on this. I mean, Preston is not in love with me.
Or is he?
I can’t decide, so I call Riley, my best friend from work.
“‘Sup, bitch? How was your weekend?” She sounds happy and cheerful.
“I fucked up, Riley. I mean, I really fucked up.”
She giggles. “Let’s hear it.”
I tell her all about my weekend with Preston since she already knows about my crush. Then I tell her about the kiss and how I drunkenly sent that email to the show and how they’ve somehow decided I’d be a great guest. “What do I do now?”
“Duh, go on the show!”
“Seriously? You really think now is the time to tell him how I feel?”
“Why not? I mean, you guys did kiss. Maybe he feels the same as you but he’s afraid to say it because he’s scared of what it will change between you two.”
“I know, I thought of that too. But what if he doesn’t feel the same way? It will crush me. Do I really need that televised?”
She laughs. “Probably not, but I bet you’d end up with a date or two out of it. Guys would see that show and be like, ‘Hey, she’s hot and I’m in Chicago. Let’s look up!’”
“I don’t know, Riley. This isn’t just some joke. This is my life—and Preston’s life—we’re talking about.”
“Duh, but at least this way you can’t back out. We both know if you called him right now with the intention of telling him, you’d back out at the last second. Come on, Piper. Do it. You’ve never been a chicken before. Just take that step! Put this to bed already.”
I take a long breath. She’s right. It’s like a Band-Aid. I just need to rip it off and put it out there. If he doesn’t feel the same, fine. I’ll get over it and move on. But if he does, I’ll finally have everything I’ve ever wanted.
“Okay, I’m going to do it!”
She squeals with excitement.
I hang up the phone and get back to the email, confirming I’d love to be on their show when I reveal my secret. Now that it’s set and done, the nerves kick in. I wonder how long it will take. Now that I’m ready to tell him my secret, I’m not sure how long I can wait. I keep telling myself I’ve waited all these years, so a few more weeks won’t hurt.
I don’t get an email from them until the next day, when I check my personal email while I’m on my lunch break. It’s only one week away. I can wait seven days. I’ve given them even more information about Preston—his home address, email, and place of work. They’ll take all the necessary steps to get him to come to the set without telling him why he’s actually there.
The next week passes at an unbearably slow speed. But it’s finally the big day. Preston believes he’s going on the show to talk about his job. He’s all kinds of excited. He thinks the topic of the show is “jobs you never knew you wanted.” Not many people know about his job, and he’s looking forward to reaching kids who aren’t settled on a career. He thinks he can get the job in the mainstream.
I made it very clear that I would