Page 45 of Legally Yours
“What a dick,” Jane continued. “I mean, first of all, who even thinks about sex like that anymore? This isn’t nineteen fifty-fucking-seven, you know? A, you’re not a girl, you’re a woman. Awo-man! And B, you have every prerogative to have any form of sex with whomever you want, whenever you want. We’re not virginal damsels protecting our fucking flowers!”
“Hear, hear.”
I held the bottle up in silent agreement before I took another drink. The bottle was almost half empty when I arrived, and we were nearly done with it. My head was fuzzy, but I welcomed the oblivion if it would block out the twin faces of Patrick and Brandon. I had done the right thing. I had.
“Was he at least good?”
I closed my eyes, downing the rest of the bottle before answering. “Unfortunately, he might be the best. He had me screaming, Janey. Like, the way those idiots in romance novels do, but you know that no one actually does in real life? Yeah, I was doing that.”
“Oh, thatisa shame,” Jane remarked with genuine remorse. She sighed and shook her head. “Why is it always the assholes who are good in the sack? Practice, you think?”
I cringed, not wanting to think about just how Brandon had acquired those particular skills. It only made me feel more stupid for letting him use them on me.I’m shit at dating, he’d said. Yeah, fucking right.
“I can’t believe you turned down a free trip to Paris, though,” Jane said with a giggle as she grabbed the second bottle of wine. “Girl, it’sParis.”
“Shit.” I fell back on the sofa. “I know, right?”
* * *
After nursinga hangover and forcing myself to swim on Saturday morning, I spent the rest of the weekend buried in case studies. There was no word from Brandon. With mild remorse, I remembered that we had never actually exchanged cell phone numbers. But every time I recalled that comment at the airport, a satisfying wave of rage would flood my system.
“Skylar! Hold up!”
I turned around on the cobblestoned street outside the student athletic facility on Sunday after another swim. Jared bounded down the steps. Despite the cold weather, he wore only a pair of fitted track pants and a t-shirt.
“A little underdressed, aren’t you?” I asked as he caught up and continued to jog in place. Both of our breaths were visible in the cold air.
“I jog to and from my apartment,” Jared said with a grin. Even in the dull winter light, his teeth were noticeably white and very, very straight.
“Oh?” I asked. “Whereabouts do you live?”
Jared nodded in the direction of Massachusetts Avenue. “Porter Square. I’ve had the place for a while.”
“Just you?” There was something that made it sound like he didn’t live with the usual ménage of roommates the rest of us dealt with.
“Just me.”
I tried to appear unimpressed. Jared couldn’t have been more than a year or two older than me, and Porter Square, another small enclave of Cambridge, wasn’t cheap.
“So, listen,” he said. His light-brown hair flopped charmingly on his forehead as he bounced up and down. It looked very soft. “I was thinking about that date.”
I blinked, drawing a blank. Then our last meeting at the bookstore came rushing back.
“Oh, jeez,” I said. “I’m so sorry. I totally forgot to call you, didn't I?”
Jared shrugged. “No big deal,” he said. “Start of term is always busy. But I thought you might want to go out now that things are settled.”
Jared’s normalcy sounded good, especially compared to the fiasco on Friday. But still I hesitated. I was really close to finishing school, and after that, I’d have the bar exam and most likely a new job that would take up nearly all of my free time. I shouldn’t have been getting involved with anyone, drama-free or not.
“Nothing too much,” Jared pressed as he stopped bouncing. “Something casual, like brunch. Next Sunday?”
I pursed my lips, considering. Jared was in the exact same position I was; he would understand the fact that neither of us had much time. He was cute and nice. Maybe he was just the thing to put these messy two weeks behind me.
“All right,” I relented. “Sunday, it is. Can you text me the details?”
I received a face-splitting grin and couldn’t help but respond in kind. Jared’s joy was contagious.
* * *