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“HE’S SUPPOSED TO TRY TO GET A RISE OUT OF US.”
Clara
Friday comes so fast. I can’t believe we’re about to go public to the world. We’re fortunate that after the season ends, no one really cares who Xavier Greene is dating. Well, some might, but everyone is more interested in him during the season than off-season. We’ve had an easy go so far, but I know that Xavier is worried about backlash and what the mean girls will say.
I’ve already dealt with them by just being his friend. The eye rolls, the appraisals up and down my body, the judgment on how I’m dressed or how can I only be friends with Xavier Greene, I must be sleeping with him.
None of it truly bothers me. I loved Xavier as a friend and now as a boyfriend. No one else has to understand that, only the two of us. Did Giulia make me self-conscious? Of course. She was one of those one percent of people who look perfect. She was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen up close.
Xavier comes into his great room wearing jeans and an ivory sweater. “Boy, don’t we look like Alaska.”
I look down at my jeans, sweater that hits my waist, and fuzzy socks. “I’ll take my socks off.” I sit on the couch.
“No, you won’t. Your feet will freeze and turn blue.”
“I can at least put on socks that aren’t so puffy.”
“Clara, stop it. I want you the way you are. I love you and your cozy socks, except when we’re in bed.” He laughs and sits next to me. “I always get so jittery before these things. I can cancel. Do you want to cancel?”
“No. We’re going to do it.”
“Fine,” he says like a toddler who’s been told he has to eat his vegetables.
The doorbell rings and my stomach somersaults. This is it.
Xavier stands. “They’ll have to get set up, so you have a bit of time if you want to go take a shot of vodka or something.”
“That does sound appealing.” I smile, and he smiles back.
Once he’s out of view, I breathe a few times to get rid of the anxiety plaguing me. I hear the exchange of hellos. For some reason, I was expecting a woman, not a man. The closer their voices get, the more the nerves set in. I want to do a good job of this for X. Before I can do another breathing exercise, Xavier walks into the room with a guy behind him, and a camera guy, and a woman with a notepad.
“This is Clara,” Xavier says, and I stand. He comes next to me, putting his arm around my waist and pulling me flush against him as if he’s King Kong ready to climb the Empire State Building. “Clara, this is Mark, Paul, and Millie.”
They each wave.
Mark, who was leading the pack and is wearing a suit, steps up, and I assume he’s the interviewer. “Mark Roper.”
I shake his hand.
“Don’t worry about the camera, it’s just here to get anything I miss. And Millie takes notes just in case. So when I’m writing the article, I don’t forget anything. Like whether you look uncomfortable when I ask you those tough questions.” He laughs and his stained yellow teeth come into view, setting off a creepy vibe.
He’s just a guy here to interview you. Relax, Clara.
Mark points at the couch. “Is this where you two are most comfortable?”
Xavier looks around. “Yeah.”
“And I have in my notes that we’ll do a little tour of your small town too.”
“It’s adorable. We stayed at the Sunbay Inn last night,” Millie says.
“Oh.” I look at Xavier, and he shakes his head ever so slightly.
“What?” Millie asks, head tilted.
“They have a great chef,” I say, since I’m assuming Xavier doesn’t want me to say that Mandi is his stepsister.
“Oh, I ate breakfast there, but last night we went to the local brewery,” Millie says. She’s all smiles and I feel like we could be friends. Why is Xavier being so grumpy?
