Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 111165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Was that what Marina was doing with me? Did she sleep with me to finally get it “over with,” losing her virginity? Was I just a safe bet? Is that what she meant when she said she felt “safe” this morning?”
Marina is frowning at me now and I’m not sure what expression is showing up on my face. Fear, maybe. I guess that’s what happens when you sleep with your best friend and don’t have a discussion afterward to what any of it meant. It meant everything to me—it might have just been a stepping stone for her.
Oh fuck. What if this is just part of a lesson to her. The art of seduction. The very thing she asked me to teach her.
What if she’s going to take what she learned from me and use it on the next guy? After all, according to her, most of her problems came from the fact that she had no real physical experience with men. That she was so nervous about having sex with them, she’d freeze up. Now, now that doesn’t stand in her way anymore.
“Laz?” she asks quietly.
I need to hold it together. My mind is running away from me and it’s not running to a nice spot. I know my own shortcomings, my own habits, and over-analyzing anything right now about our relationship isn’t going to be good for anyone.
“Sorry, I was thinking,” I tell her.
“I can tell. What about?”
“The flight home,” I lie. I lie because there’s no way I’m going to tell her my real fears right now.
“Ah,” she says, buying it because I probably do look scared. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you nice and liquored up at the airport bar.”
“Ugh, don’t mention liquor right now, I’m going to be sick,” Jane says. “Lucky for me, I’m taking the Amtrak back to Boston. I’d hate to be crammed on a plane for five hours all hungover.”
“Again, Jane, you’re the only one in pain,” Naomi points out.
“Yeah, yeah,” she says. “But aren’t you guys all on the same flight?”
“Same row,” Naomi says.
Jane gives her a devious grin. “You should take the middle seat between these two.”
“As long as I get a window,” Marina says.
“Oh hell no,” Naomi protests. “I always have to have the window.”
“No,” Marina says, eyes full of panic. “I like to look out it and dream.”
“Yeah well I get airsick. Don’t you remember when we flew to Chicago?”
Marina looks at me. “Laz,” she whines.
“Don’t go crying to your boyfriend,” Naomi chides her. “Like a crying kid running to their mother.”
But I’m stuck on the word boyfriend.
Is that what I am?
What are we?
I look to Marina for the answer.
She gives me a small, shy smile.
I smile back.
Nod.
Guess that’s what I am.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
MARINA
“SO MUCH LOVE”
“Matcha latte for Martina!” the barista calls out.
Loudly.
Right in my ear.
It’s not like I haven’t been standing by the pick-up counter for five minutes or anything.
Normally I would grumble about the fact that I’ve been coming to this coffee shop for years now and they still can’t get my name right. Normally I’d complain about how long it takes to make a matcha latte.
But I am no longer normal.
I am sunshine.
I grin at the barista and take my drink from him. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” the guy, Chris, says. See, I can get his name right. “You look different.”
“Do I?”
“Yeah. Did you go on vacation or something? You’re all glowy.”
“I went to New York over the weekend,” I tell him. “Must be that east coast sun.”
He just nods and I turn away beaming at the compliment because I feel different, like I’m a whole new woman.
And the cause of that transformation just walked in the door to the coffee shop. Helps that Laz literally lives right across the street.
“Hiya,” Laz says to me, smiling broadly, causing those gorgeous crinkles at the corners of his eyes.
“Hi,” I tell him and even though I’m overjoyed to see him, there’s still a sliver of awkwardness between us. I haven’t seen him since we got off the plane yesterday. He kissed me goodbye as he dropped me off at my house and I wanted him to come in so I could fuck him in my own bed but he had already made plans to head to Long Beach to jam with Frank and the band, and I had a lot of stuff to do at my place.
So we made plans to meet here for coffee, like an actual date, and then see what happens next.
Honestly, I just want him to drag me across to his apartment, which is why I picked this location to meet, but I also want to keep my hormones in check for one moment and actually talk to him.
Because we have a lot to talk about.
Or, at least, one important thing.
And until we discuss said thing, I’m not sure what I should do right now. Do I go over and kiss him? Here, in public? Is that what we do? Is that acting out of line? I have no idea?