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I was the only one who reacted with a nauseated emoji.
“He definitely is way hotter,” she spoke softly as she zoomed in the picture. “Does he normally shave?”
“I don’t know. The first time I met him, he had a very clean shadow, and it added to the appeal,” I nodded slowly as I recalled our first meeting. “On account of that, I almost set my new apartment on fire when I moved in.”
“What!” she shouted, shocked, and I scoffed, covering my mouth to stop myself from laughing. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We both got so busy, and I barely had time to let you know about the small things happening in my life,” I said as I moved our bags away from the center of the table and against the wall.
I smiled up at the waiter who had returned with our drinks and placed all four on the middle of the table.
“Four cosmos for the ladies,” his voice was so gentle, and it brought a sense of comfort. He was gonna get a huge tip from me today. “Have you decided what you would like to eat?”
“Creamy chili oil pasta for me, please,” Marie ordered.
“And I’ll have the summer bowtie pasta,” I said as he scribbled down in his notebook; he gave us a simple nod to confirm that he had noted down our orders.
“So, it’s one creamy chili oil and summer bowtie pasta, right?” Marie and I nodded, and he looked at us. “Anything else?”
“Oh, please bring us gin and tonic when you bring our meals. Just a glass each,” I specified, and he smiled as he scribbled down the additional order.
“Will that be all?”
“Oh, and can I please get red velvet cake to go, please. Two slices.”
“Got it. Will be back soon with your meal and drinks, ladies.” He walked away, and I met Marie’s confused gaze.
“You don’t like red velvet cake,” she said suspiciously, and I smiled.
“It’s for my neighbor’s daughter.”
“He has a daughter?” she gasped, and I hummed my answer. “Damn, the plot gets thicker, and I don’t know the plot yet. So, spill, Missy!”
I told her the story of how I almost burnt down my apartment and how Asher broke my door when he came to save me. Marie made some dreamy comment about him literally being my hero, but I wasn’t having it.
If anything, Asher was the reason why I didn’t want to make any new friends. I had never hated anyone so quickly as I did with him.
He was a horrible person, but of course Marie didn’t agree with me, even after I told her that he had started a petition to get me kicked out of the building.
“I don’t know; I just think he’s arrogant because of what he may have gone through in the military,” she pointed out, and while that might’ve been valid, I had to disagree.
“It’s an explanation, but it shouldn’t be an excuse. It makes me hate him,” I gritted out, and she giggled as she took a sip of her cosmos from her second glass.
“That sounds like a conversation you have to take up with him.”
“Well, I kind of did when he came to adopt a dog at our center.”
“You mean after you shouted at him because you thought he was stalking you?” she laughed, and I groaned as I hid my face in my hands.
“I was genuinely scared, Marie! He seemed angry at me, so I thought he was a stalker,” I shrugged, and she giggled, nodding.
“No, I definitely understand you. But I’m glad you actually confronted him when your colleagues were around you. I raised a smart woman.”
“Indeed.” I nodded as I felt that the drinks were beginning to take an effect on me, and we had barely touched our food as I told her all that had happened since I moved. “Anyway, so I thought we were starting to be civil with each other because he gave me a stellar review, bought me candles, and asked for my number.”
“He bought you candles and asked for your number?” She was starting to slur as we talked, and I nodded slowly.
“Separate events but same person, and that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. I suddenly smell like vanilla because of him.” Was I even making sense? The alcohol was kicking in way sooner than it normally did, and I was afraid of returning home completely drunk.
