by Grace Risata
Ever since Cara spontaneously kicked Bruce to the curb without having the foresight to realize she had nowhere else to live, things had been interesting. Needless to say, it did not go over very well for all parties involved after my friend crashed on her mom’s couch for a week. That’s how the house-sitting idea came into play.
“Shouldn’t you be dressed by now?” I asked, looking at my phone and realizing the guys would be showing up any minute.
“I figured I’d do my face and hair and then make a final decision. I’m not just limited to my wardrobe tonight. The lady that owns this house is pretty close to my size and she has the most amazing closet you’ve ever seen!”
“What? Now you’re stealing strangers’ clothes?” Her lack of a conscious was a bit appalling.
“Borrowing, Andi. It’s not like she’ll know I wore it if it’s returned to the very same spot. You need to quit worrying so much.”
“What if you accidentally spill something on her clothes? You could be eating a French fry and a huge drop of ketchup takes on a mind of its own and splatters all over the shirt.”
“A French fry?” she asked with a raise of her eyebrow. “I haven’t eaten carbs in six months.”
Cara suddenly dropped the robe and spun around to show off her outfit underneath.
“Ta da! What do you think?”
My friend wore a figure-hugging black sundress with cross-over ribbons on the bosom area that drew attention right to her ample chest. The hem landed mid-thigh and showcased her lean legs.
“You look gorgeous, but I thought we were going to dinner and a concert,” I complained, eyes darting from her outfit to mine. I was prepared for a casual group outing and not anything more. I paired my favorite skinny jeans with a tasteful blue flower print shirt that had decorative billowy sleeves. Comfy sandals rounded out my look. It landed solidly on the spectrum of ‘cute’ and nowhere close to ‘sex kitten.’ Had the plans changed and no one thought to inform me?
“Yes,” she confirmed, “but I have no other details. It really doesn’t matter though. I’d rather be overdressed and have all his attention on me instead of wishing I’d worn something more alluring.”
“Well I guess it depends on the venue and type of music. If it’s a symphony orchestra and a five star restaurant, you’ll be perfect. However, a mosh pit and a drive thru would be a total waste for all that glamour.”
Cara laughed until she was close to tears.
“Andi, you’re hilarious. The day I let a man take me to a drive thru is the day I need my head examined. Don’t ever settle for less than the best,” she shared as though imparting some vast wealth of knowledge before giving me a once-over to assess my outfit. “You look cute. Don’t stress out about it. It’s not like this is a double date anyway.”
So I’ve been told numerous times. Still…it would be nice to blend in without looking like trash in comparison. I guess I knew that wasn’t an option from the start. Cara always spent hours on hair and makeup, while I was more of a ‘comb your hair and throw on some chapstick’ kind of a girl. If I had a full assortment of cosmetics at my disposal, I wouldn’t know what to do with them anyway.
DING DONG.
“Do me a favor and go answer the door while I put the last minute touches on my face,” Cara instructed, pulling out her eyelash curler. “Tell them I’ll be down in a minute.”
I nodded my head, fully aware that her ‘minute’ would likely be several. If these dudes were wearing suit coats and ties, then I was absolutely going to throw a fit and bail on the whole thing.
Marching down the stairs with all the joy of a prisoner being led to his execution, I sent up a silent prayer that Tyler’s cousin wouldn’t be a douchebag. That’s really all I could ask for at this point.
Taking a deep breath, I plastered on a fake smile and flung open the door. My mind was completely blown when I saw what awaited me on the front step.
Holy shit. I mean like holy fucking shit.
Two of the best looking men that I’d ever seen in my life stood on the porch. I knew Tyler was easy on the eyes from Cara’s Friendbook posts, but the camera really didn’t do him justice. That was entirely beside the point. The man next to him was really what caught my attention.
“Hello,” I squawked in a voice that reminded me of a teenage boy going through puberty, trying desperately not to drool at the creature that had clearly just dropped down from Heaven.
Yes, he was that fine.
Tyler’s cousin was a work of art. Chiseled cheekbones, deep tan, medium length silky brown hair that I could have run my fingers through all night long, tight t-shirt that showed off muscles as well as a myriad of tattoos, and piercing blue eyes that could stare right into my soul.
If Tyler was an eight, then his cousin was a solid ten if not more. He would have broken the ratings chart entirely if such a thing existed.
“Is Cara around?” Tyler asked. “I’m supposed to be going out with her and her friend tonight.”
“Yeah,” I replied. “That would be me. I’m her friend.”
Both men appeared taken aback by my confession, as though neither of them expected me to be the one that was joining them. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. Cara and the guys might as well have just crash landed from Planet Supermodel, while I arrived on the bus from Average-Ville, USA. It was as plain as the nose on my face that I did not fit in with the group of beautiful people.
“Ah, of course you are,” Tyler said suavely, breaking into a grin and regaining his composure. “Where are my manners? I’m Tyler and this is my cousin Roman.”
“I’m Andi.” Turning toward Roman with every intention of shaking the man’s hand, I quickly nixed that idea as soon as he stuck his hands in his pockets and simply nodded in my direction with a look of disinterest.
Thank goodness this was not a double date. Roman was so stunning that I would have been speechless the whole night, not to mention he was clearly lacking in manners and had no desire to interact with me. Evidently King Shit thought he was too good for a commoner such as myself. We’ll see about that…
“So…where’s Cara?” Tyler asked, peeking in the door over my shoulder.
“She’s not ready yet, but I guess you can come in and wait for her. It’ll be a minute or two.”
The men walked past me and entered the hallway, giving me full access to smell someone’s cologne. It was to die for. No way in hell would I ever hang out with guys like this in my normal day-to-day existence, so I decided to enjoy each moment as it came and soak up the aura of the popular kids. Why not make a game of it and act like I belonged? I invent my own fun.
Roman glanced at his watch and nudged Tyler in the arm.
“I’m getting hungry. Is she really going to be done in a few minutes or is this going to take awhile? I don’t have the patience for this shit. If she can’t be on time, I say we go eat without her.”
Interesting. Upon closer inspection, Roman was definitely no angel. The man hadn’t lost his scowl since the second I opened the door. His good looks must have temporarily blinded me to the obvious chip on his shoulder.
“What exactly are the plans for this evening?” I questioned, desperate to confirm I wouldn’t be out of place with my casual attire. Tyler sported the same stylish jeans and trendy t-shirt as his cousin, so I think I can safely assume it’s nowhere too upscale. “What type of restaurant is it?”
Completely ignoring his cousin’s complaining, Tyler answered me instead.
“We’re going to one of my favorite pizza places and then a music festival where my buddy’s band is performing. You’ll have to excuse Roman’s behavior…he gets cranky when he doesn’t eat.”
I shrugged and turned my attention back to the Greek God standing mere feet away. Maybe he was Italian? Not sure. Definitely of Mediterranean descent. I bet women threw themselves at him every single day. I bet he expected me to do the same exact thing and that’s why Cara insisted this wasn’t a double date. Heaven forbid that R
oman might be inconvenienced with some unwanted attention from a member of the opposite sex.
This should be entertaining. Let’s see what happens when I flip the script.
“Roman…just so you’re fully aware…this is nothing more than a friendly group outing. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea and think we’re being set up or anything romantic like that.”
It was extremely hard to keep a straight face while observing his reaction. By some miracle, the guy managed to prevent his jaw from dropping wide open in shock. However, I couldn’t help but notice the confusion in his eyes. Priceless.
“Are you seeing someone, Andi?” Tyler asked casually. “Or maybe you’re not into guys at all? That’s cool too.”
“Nope,” I replied. “Perfectly single and definitely appreciative of a good man.”
I left it at that and smiled brightly. These two were fun to mess with. The only way I was going to survive tonight would be to act like it was no big deal at all, no matter how fast my heart pounded in my chest and how much I wanted to lunge at Roman and rip off all his clothes to see what might be waiting underneath. The best way to interact with intimidating people was to pretend to be on the same level as them. My dad taught me that trick when attending all the museum gala events and work functions that popped up throughout the year. It hasn’t failed me yet.
By some miracle, Cara actually chose to sashay down the staircase and make an appearance. I honestly thought it would take her longer, but I guess she was in a hurry to show off her outfit.
“Hello boys, I’m ready to party,” she purred, taking each step slowly in an effort to properly navigate the stairs while wearing sky high stiletto boots. Why some people chose looks over comfort, I have no idea. I was definitely not one of them.
Instead of watching my friend’s over-the-top entrance, I focused on Tyler and Roman’s reactions. Not exactly what I expected. Roman spared a two second glance before scowling and surveying the room as though he were casing the joint for a later robbery, while Tyler’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. If I didn’t know better, I’d get the impression that neither of them were impressed with Cara’s beauty. If she couldn’t win them over, then I certainly had no chance. Not like it mattered because this wasn’t a double date.
“Babe, you’re spectacular as always,” Tyler mumbled, wrapping an arm around Cara’s waist and attempting to go in for a kiss. She instantly pulled back and warned him not to smudge her makeup.
“No flowers for me?” my friend asked with a mock pout. “You know I loved the roses you brought last time.”
Wow. I’d be thankful to have a man at all and not be complaining about the lack of trinkets presented to me. However, no one was knocking down my door, yet Cara never suffered from a lack of male attention. Maybe I was doing something wrong? Perhaps tonight should be a case study in human interaction. I will observe Cara in her native environment while simultaneously pretending Roman held no appeal to me. Yeah. Let’s see how long that lasted.
Game on.
“I’m leaving,” Roman declared, turning and walking out the door without waiting to see if anyone followed, nor bothering to introduce himself to his cousin’s girlfriend. Such charm.
I trailed behind him to the driveway, letting out a low whistle as I checked out our mode of transport. A shiny silver BMW sports car gleamed under the streetlights.
“Nice wheels,” I stated, walking around to the back passenger door.
Roman angrily stalked over to the passenger side with every intention of riding shotgun. Naturally my friend put a stop to that.
“I can’t ride in the backseat,” she protested. “I get carsick.”
Cara side-stepped around the man and slipped into the seat, flashing a nice view of her thigh as the dress rode up seductively. In response, Roman let out a massive grunt that reminded me of a combination between a sigh and a growl.
Instantly moving to the back door, he cocked his head at me and asked, “Do you get carsick too?”
“No. I do pretty well in cars, on boats, and on roller coasters…as long as they don’t go upside down. The loops freak me out. I’m not much of a daredevil.”
“I’ll file that away for future reference,” he responded. “Would it be too much to ask for you to sit behind Tyler? His seat is moved back as far as it can go, and I’ll have no leg room if I take that spot.”
“Sure, no problem.”
Once we were all situated in our proper places and the car had finally left the driveway, I turned my attention back to Roman.
“Can you tell me anything about the band we’re going to see? What kind of music do they play?”
He opened his mouth to reply, but my phone buzzed loudly in my pocket. I wasn’t expecting to hear from anyone, so I pulled it out and checked the text message.
“Tyler’s cousin is smoking hot. I think you should try and get your flirt on. You need to check ‘one night stand’ off your bucket list. Go big or go home.”
I rolled my eyes at Cara’s text and apologized to Roman for the interruption.
“Sorry about that.”
“About what?” he asked in confusion.
“We were having a conversation and I rudely pulled out my phone to check a text. That’s not very polite. If I wanted to be on my phone all night long, I wouldn’t have come out in the first place.”
“Why did you come then?” Roman questioned, eyebrow raised, baby blues staring at me intently.
“Cara made me.” Wow. So suave, Andi.
“What would you be doing right now if she hadn’t forced you?”
“Reading a book on Egyptian mummification techniques.” Fuck. Why was I being so honest with this guy? Is there a way to rewind and amend my answer to something cool? Something like…um…whatever cool people did on a Saturday night.
“You’re not what I expected at all, Andi,” he admitted in amusement. “Tonight might not be nearly as bad as I expected.”
Was that a compliment?
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
Roman leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes as if signaling the end to our conversation. Unfortunately, I was in a chatty mood.
“You never answered me about the band,” I reminded him.
“They’re called ‘Screaming Fire Eaters.’ It’s death metal. Is that a problem?”
Well, it’s not ideal…but I can work with it. One night of ear-splitting noise won’t kill me.
Shrugging my shoulders with indifference, I asked, “You mean like Metallica on steroids, right?”
Roman actually cracked a smile and nodded.
“Something like that.”
It’s cool that I have him talking, but he’s definitely not much of a conversationalist. As the car sped down the highway past city lights and rapidly emptying office buildings, I realized the majority of the work would fall on my shoulders if I wanted to keep up the back-and-forth banter.
“Are you at all musically inclined? Is there a hidden rockstar waiting to burst forth, Roman?”
“Nope.”
Wow. Maybe I should ask questions that don’t involve a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. If I ask personal questions, that might seem like this is a date. If I bust out a knock-knock joke, it’s going to look like I’m eight years old. Shit. I’m at a loss for words right now.
“Do you know where we’re going? I mean…have you eaten at the restaurant before? Cara was sorely lacking on the details of tonight’s little adventure and I feel a bit unprepared.”
Taking pity on me, the man turned his body in my direction and actually began speaking in full sentences.
“In about ten minutes we’re going to be at Black Brick Pizza Company. They have the best brick oven pizza you’ll ever have in your life. I think the band goes on at ten o’clock, so we have time to kill. They’re part of the line-up for Rage Fest, which showcases indie death metal bands. It’s sort of a festival type deal with all kinds of
people coming together to find new music and support their favorite rockers. Luckily it’s in a huge farm field out in the middle of nowhere so the bands can be as loud as they want. I think it lasts until two in the morning.”
“That sounds like fun,” I admitted, relieved that he seemed to be relaxing in my presence and losing the angry scowl. “Do you know any of the other acts besides your friend’s band?”
“He’s not my friend. Tyler knows him,” he snapped, instantly getting defensive for no apparent reason.
“It’s okay. I understand perfectly,” I said, hoping to lighten the mood.
“You understand what?”
“I understand it’s obviously not your taste in music so you don’t want to claim the guy as a friend. Clearly you prefer a different genre entirely. Let’s see…ah…yes. My fortune telling ability is kicking into high gear. You’re a fan of…” I paused to make a completely disgusted face and continued, “…country music!”
In response, I received a raised eyebrow.
“Don’t quit your day job,” he advised.
Undeterred, I persisted.
“Give me your palm and let me do a reading. I can be eerily accurate with the proper amount of concentration.”
I’d never done a psychic reading in my entire life, but I wanted to touch the guy and this was my best and only option. He was so close physically, yet so far away mentally. I was desperate to bridge the gap between us, no matter what that involved. Besides, his cologne kept wafting over to my side of the backseat and it smelled delicious. There was no way I could lean over and lick his neck, so a little bit of hand groping was all I could aim for.
Roman hesitated before holding out his hand. As I took his masculine fingers and gently turned them so the palm was facing up, a shock passed between us and made me literally jump in my seat. I’d like to say our chemistry was electric, but it was most likely static in the air. Strange occurrences could usually be explained with scientific fact.
Licking my lips, I softly stroked his palm and traced the middle line.
“This is your life line. You’ve been through some hardships, but they’ve only served to make you the man that you are today. You’re the type of person that isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, doesn’t like to be kept waiting, and is extremely practical.”