by Lexie Ray
“I’d say you need a guide or something to help you around Miami,” I said. “It’s a wonderful place, but it can be pretty intimidating to someone who’s not acquainted with it.”
“Do you know anyone who might have the time to guide me?” he asked.
“I think I know someone,” I said, feigning casual disinterest. “I’ll give him a call and hopefully he can free up some time in his schedule to take you around.”
“Him?” Greg repeated distastefully.
“Him,” I confirmed, doing my best to keep from smiling by biting down on my lower lip. “Let me give him a call right now so we can get you to where you need to be.”
“Stop that,” he said, putting his arms around me again. “I think I’ve already found the guide I want for my time in Miami. Why else do you think fate would’ve let us meet like this?”
“I think you’re absolutely right,” I said, slipping my phone back into my purse. “We can’t go against what fate wants for us, can we?”
“Absolutely not,” he said, making an attempt at a serious and earnest look on his face before breaking back into a happy grin. “And I think what fate wants us to do now is for me to take you out for something to drink.”
“In the middle of the day?” I asked, laughing.
“We can’t deny fate,” he said, swinging me around the hallway before kissing me again.
No. I didn’t want to deny fate. Not when I’d just met Prince Charming.
Chapter 7
I didn’t quite understand what had come over me, what I had been swept up into when it came to Greg. Drinks that afternoon turned into a walk along the waterfront, which turned into dinner and more drinks then decamping to the beach, sitting in the sand and talking about everything and nothing, sitting in comfortable silence, and letting the waves hold the conversation for a while.
It was uncanny just how easily we got along with each other. There was never a dull moment, never an awkward pause, never an instant where we wondered what we should be doing. Each word and action flowed naturally, Miami lending itself beautifully to our sudden romance. I’d never loved the city more than that day, exploring different eateries, imbibing in cocktails, and sitting out under the stars with a man who fascinated me.
“I just don’t understand how we stumbled into each other,” I said, for probably the fifth or sixth time that night.
Greg chuckled. “Sometimes, maybe we shouldn’t ask questions when good things happen.”
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll stop asking questions.” That was my cue to lean in and kiss him for what was probably the hundredth time. I couldn’t get enough of him — physically or emotionally. How could two people click so quickly, like we did? I had to stop asking that question. I’d promised I’d stop asking that question. I didn’t care. I just wanted to hold it tight and never let it go.
We’d kissed at every red light, every time there was a lull in conversation, anytime either of us felt like it. For me, each time our lips met just fanned a flame inside of my heart. He was like some kind of mind-blowing drug.
“I don’t know if I can explain myself to you, Jennet,” Greg said out of nowhere, tucking a stray strand of my hair behind my ear.
“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” I said, nuzzling his hand and making him cup my cheek. That felt so wonderful.
“I want to seize this time here in Miami with you,” he continued. “But I don’t want to rush things. I don’t want to make mistakes with you. And I don’t want to scare you.”
“Why would you scare me?” I laughed, continuing to nuzzle his hand. It was awfully rough for someone who worked in the housing industry, but still sexy. I’d expected the baby-soft hand of an office dweller. “You’re just a big teddy bear.”
He took a deep breath. “Because I see something long-term with you. And that scares me. I didn’t come to Miami to fall in…to do anything but work.”
To fall in…love? Was that what he was going to say? My breath had caught in my throat at the clumsy omission.
“We can take things slow,” I said, bringing his hand to my mouth and kissing the palm of it. “I don’t mind. I just…you’re right. Neither of us expected something like this to happen, so we should enjoy it as deeply as we can.”
Greg beamed. “Exactly. Exactly this. So, with that said, want to come up to my hotel room?”
I guffawed even as my stomach clenched with desire. “Is that your definition of taking it slow?”
He looked sheepish and scratched his head. “No, you’re right. I apologize. That isn’t taking it slow. That’s more along the lines of seizing whatever this is with both hands and refusing to let go.”
With that, he put his arms around me and kissed me. It was perfect — the sound of the waves lapping the shore, the soft breeze whispering through the palms.
I wanted to go up to his hotel room. I wanted it more than anything in the world. My body ached at the thought of just how gently he would touch me — how sweetly, how deadly accurate. Those hands knew just how to hold me, just how to caress me down my back as we leisurely explored each other’s mouths, as if we had all the time in the world.
I was painfully aware of the fact that Greg didn’t belong here, that he had some other place to be once his business in Miami was complete. I could’ve thrown myself at him, consequences be damned, and hoped to come out on the other side unscathed. But I worried about my heart, worried about the fact that this was the first day I’d ever even met him, and that I liked him entirely too much, too soon.
I broke our kiss gently, with much lingering on his lips, and smiled up at him.
“Maybe tomorrow or the next day I can come up to your hotel room,” I said, my lips brushing his as I spoke.
Greg brightened and rubbed his nose teasingly against mine. “I would like that very much,” he said. “I suppose we should be getting you back to your apartment, even as I look forward to tomorrow or the next day. Can it be tomorrow already if we wait until after midnight?”
“No,” I laughed. “We have to sleep and wake up for it to be tomorrow.”
“Maybe just a nap, then?” he asked as we picked our way through the sand and back to his rental car.
“No, a real sleep,” I insisted. The more I talked about sleeping, the more I realized just how exhausted I was. Maybe it was the whirlwind day — or perhaps the whirlwind emotions that accompanied it. I wanted to go up to Greg’s hotel room, sure, but I’d probably drift off into slumber before anything interesting could happen.
We rolled up to the front of my apartment building faster than I would have liked even though Greg drove precisely the speed limit the entire way here. We’d threaded our fingers together, holding hands during the drive. The only music we’d required was the windows rolled down and the wind mussing our hair and clothes.
I couldn’t make myself extricate my hand from his. I didn’t want this night to end. I didn’t want to wake up tomorrow to discover this had all been a dream. It was too good, too wonderful, too magical.
“Maybe you could come up to my apartment,” I said, shy and coy all at once, kissing each knobby knuckle on Greg’s hand that I held.
He smiled and wagged a finger at me. “What about taking it slow, Jennet?” he asked, mimicking my reluctant protests at the beach.
“We could just sleep together,” I suggested, mentally taking a tour of my apartment to see if I could remember whether I needed to dash around and pick up dirty clothes and shovel dirty dishes into the sink.
“I want to be perfectly honest with you,” he said. “If I lie down in a bed with you, the last thing I would want to do is sleep.”
I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding with an embarrassed laugh.
“I want to, I really do,” he said. “But I want to do this right.”
“Definitely,” I said, nodding emphatically, trying mostly to convince myself that not hooking up with this sexy man was the right thing to do tonight.
“Plus,
I don’t want to make your mean neighbor upset,” Greg added, grinning. “He didn’t seem very happy to see us in the hallway earlier today.”
“Who, Nick?” I shook my head, puzzled. “I don’t know what that was about. He’s usually very friendly.”
“You know him well?”
“Yes. We’re pretty good friends.”
“That’s interesting,” Greg remarked. “Are you sure you’re not more than friends? He actually seemed kind of…jealous to me.”
“Jealous?” I snorted. “No. We’re just friends.”
“In the friend zone?” Greg threw his head back and laughed unexpectedly. “Poor guy.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. Now I really was confused. “There’s nothing between us but friendship.”
“That may be clear to you, but it really isn’t to him,” Greg said. “Take it from a guy who has been friend-zoned more times than he can count. You still feel something even if you agree to it. Your neighbor is more than a little jealous, darling, and who can blame him? You’ll always be the one who got away, so to speak. The catch of a lifetime.”
He took me by the chin and kissed me gently on the lips, but I couldn’t fully enjoy it. Was that true, what Greg said? Would Nick always have something for me even though we’d agreed to be just friends? The thought was uncomfortable.
“I’d better let you go,” I said, smiling at Greg and reaching for the door. “We both better get our sleep.”
“Only reluctantly,” he said. “If only we didn’t have to sleep.”
“Sleeping is nice,” I argued, smiling, as I opened the car door and stepped out.
“Can I call you tomorrow?” He’d leaned out the window and I turned back to him, my hands on my hips.
“I’d be extremely disappointed if you didn’t.”
“Then good night, sweet Jennet,” he said, blowing me a kiss. “Until tomorrow.”
Emotions roiled inside of me. There was the lust — the irresistible attraction I’d felt toward Greg since the moment I laid eyes on him. I hoped I was making the right decision on that. I wanted nothing more than to throw ourselves down on a bed together somewhere and have at it, but I knew from very personal experience that decision would be a mistake. We had to take things slow, particularly since our meeting had taken place so fast.
Then there was the uncertainty. Had Greg’s observation about Nick been correct? Would Nick always want to be more than friends? I didn’t like that pining away for him. It couldn’t make our friendship healthy. Wasn’t it cruel to continue to dangle myself in front of him if he knew I would never be interested in having a relationship with him? Maybe I should’ve let our friendship languish. If it wasn’t going to be a healthy relationship, then it would hurt both of us.
I fished my phone out of my purse as I climbed the stairwell to my apartment, wondering if Faith might still be up at this hour to help me unravel all of this, and nearly dropped the device all the way down to the ground-floor landing. I had twelve texts from her, and suddenly remembered that I had been heading out the door to have lunch with her when this all began — running into Greg, having perhaps the most achingly perfect day of my life, everything. I’d stood Faith up and not so much as called her to explain.
Are you on your way? the first text read, and they sort of devolved from there.
I’m waiting here at work, the next read, then Let me know if you still want to grab a bite, then, Are you okay?
The last one read, Well, I probably deserve your silence. It wasn’t right for me to tell you what I think you should do in your relationship with Nick. I’m here to talk, if you want to.
Now I got to add another strong emotion to the pot swirling inside of me: guilt. I’d left Faith hanging in a bad way. We were supposed to go out to lunch after having an uncomfortable little fight, and now she thought I was ignoring her because I was angry. I hadn’t meant to ignore her. I’d basically forgotten that I had a phone or friends or places to be the moment I’d run into Greg. I couldn’t explain why he made my brain completely vanish like that. I couldn’t explain anything about what had happened in my life today.
I paused on the landing to my floor to jot off a quick note to Faith. I didn’t want her to wake up still without a response from me.
I am so sorry for standing you up, I typed. The craziest thing happened to me, but it was no excuse for forgetting to touch base with you. I’m not mad at you, but now you’re probably mad at me. Call me when you wake up.
I treaded lightly down the hallway to my apartment, aware that it was very late, not wanting to make a ruckus. Not a whisper came from Nick’s apartment, and I imagined him asleep in his bed, frowning over me kissing strange men in the hallway. Greg had said that Nick was jealous of him, but I just hadn’t gotten that feeling during the encounter. Nick had seemed more shocked at Greg than he was at me kissing Greg. It was something I continued to puzzle over in my mind. I was probably just tired. Tired and emotional.
Bed was a blessing, but I couldn’t help but wish Greg’s arms were around me. He’d been wise, though, to decline my offer to sleep over. We probably wouldn’t have done much sleeping at all.
All I did was close my eyes, an orange glow gradually filling my room from the rising sun, and it felt like I instantly woke up again — only the bright light of midday was flooding my room and my phone was ringing nonstop.
“Hello,” I mumbled into the wrong end, then sighed and turned the phone right side up. “Hello.”
“Oh no, are you still asleep?” It was Faith, and I cracked an eye open to check the time on my phone’s display. It was nearly 1 o’clock.
“No, I’m awake,” I lied, yawning widely. How had I slept so soundly and for so long?
“I should’ve known you would still be in bed,” she said. “Your text to me was time-stamped for almost 7 this morning. What in the world happened to you?”
Remembering my amazing day with Greg sent energy coursing through my veins. I felt as if I’d had a full night’s sleep, and my eyes immediately snapped open.
“I found Prince Charming,” I gushed, and filled Faith in on all the details — the chance meeting in the hall, the amazing day spent hand in hand all around the city, the way that we were trying to take it slow even as our feelings were trying to rush us along.
“I’ve never felt this way about anyone,” I said, aware that I had been talking nonstop for at least ten minutes, divulging everything I knew about Greg and every nuance of every feeling I had for him without letting Faith get so much as a word in edgewise. “I don’t know what to do, honestly. Well, I do know. I’m not going to let him out of my sight. I don’t care if he has to go back to New York. I can’t let this kind of love get away from me.”
“Love?” Faith repeated, clearly dumbfounded. “Jennet, I’m going to say something, and I don’t want it to come off the wrong way.”
“Go on,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I bet I can guess, anyway.”
“You’ve known this guy for less than a full day,” she said. “I’m excited for you that you feel strongly for him, but do you love him? Is this love?”
“Yes!” I practically shouted. “I don’t know how I can explain it. I’ve analyzed it, we’ve talked about it, and I’ve decided I’m not going to deny it. I can’t fight what my heart is feeling, Faith. I’m in love with him. Love at first sight is real.”
She was silent for a good stretch, and I had to bite my tongue. Faith was just being a good friend, trying to look out for me, trying to feel out the situation and see if I had gone crazy.
“I know it sounds crazy,” I blurted out, unable to stop myself. “I feel crazy, too. But something about this just makes sense to me. I’ve spent so long waiting for the perfect man to come along. Why shouldn’t it happen like this — serendipity and plain old good luck? Think of the magical story we’ll tell our grandkids when they ask us how we met.”
“Grandkids?” Faith squeaked. “Don’t you think this is all going a little
…fast?”
“It is,” I acknowledged. “We’re trying to take it slow. He’s going to call me today. I didn’t sleep with him! We both wanted to, but we admitted to each other that it was too far, too fast.”
“But you’re already going to have grandkids,” she said, sounding dazed.
“It’s a lot to take in,” I said, throwing myself back down on my pillows. “But I can’t help the way I feel about Greg. I want to introduce him to everyone I know. I want to shout out our love at the top of my lungs to the entire world. This is real, Faith. This is so real.”
I laughed with pure joy, suddenly aware that tears of happiness had sprung into my eyes while I’d been talking. Greg meant so much to me. What did it matter that everything was happening so fast? Life was short. We could be together as soon as we wanted, in whatever capacity we deemed desirable. Fate had brought us together, and our lives together were going to be incredible. I didn’t care that it had been less than 24 hours since we’d met. I was going to spend the rest of my hours with the man I wanted to be with.
“I’m so excited for you, then,” Faith said, and I jumped a little, forgetting I was still on the phone with her. “I would love to meet him sometime.”
“That’s the thing,” I said. “He doesn’t know how long he’s going to be in Miami for. He could have to leave today, tomorrow, the next day. I’m not sure…”
“What if Adam and I threw a barbecue this weekend?” she asked. “It’s just a couple of days away. We could have everyone over, and you wouldn’t have to waste time introducing Greg to us one by one. We’ll invite Sol and Xander, of course, Parker, if you’d like, Nick…”
“I don’t know if we should invite Nick,” I said, hesitant. “He’s kind of already met Greg.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know,” I said, shrugging. “Nick just didn’t look very pleased to see Greg and me together in the hallway. I think maybe it hurt his feelings, coming so soon after I told him I didn’t want to be with him.”