“Wow… I don’t even know what to say.” Annie shook her head; it wasn’t a great excuse, but she kind of understood.
“I know I don’t deserve a second chance, but at the very least, I had to explain what happened and to ask for your forgiveness. You are a beautiful, special, one-of-a-kind girl, and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt you. I just felt you deserved to know what happened. I didn’t want you to think it had anything to do with how I felt about you.”
Taking a deep breath, Annie played with the throw pillow in her lap, unsure of what to say next.
“Well, thank you for being honest with me. I do appreciate knowing. It really fucked with my head when you left… I didn’t know what I had done or what to think of you as a person… other than that you were the world’s biggest prick.” They both laughed a little awkwardly.
“Yeah, I know I deserve that.”
“Yeah… so… is that it? You just wanted to explain and apologize?”
“Well, I do care about you, Annie. I’d love it if you gave me a second chance. I promise you we can take it slow. I’ll take you out on dates, bring you more flowers, woo you… whatever you want.”
Her mind raced as she considered Nate’s apology and her growing feelings for Casey. Did she want to see where things could go with Nate? Could she trust him not to break her heart again? What if Casey came back and it didn’t work out? She bit her lip as she pondered her response.
Slowly she said, “Look, Nate, I appreciate you coming here tonight to tell me everything. I’ll admit I’m still attracted to you, but regardless of your explanation, you hurt me badly, and I’m not sure I want to take the chance of that happening again.”
“I swear, if you give me another chance, I will do anything it takes to prove to you that I’m worth your trust. Please—I think we could have something really special. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”
Annie sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know. I need time to think.”
“Sure, sure. Take all the time you need. Look, I’ll get out of your hair—give you some space. You probably want to go vent to Alex now anyway.”
Unable to help it, Annie smiled and nodded. “Uh yeah, he’s waiting for a full report.”
“I suspected as much. I’m glad you have a friend like him to be here for you right now.”
“Me too. Don’t know what I would do without him.”
After she walked him to the door, he turned and looked at her sheepishly. “Can I give you a hug?” As soon as she nodded, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, burying his nose in her hair. “Oh man, your hair smells so good,” he groaned before releasing her. “I like what you did with it. Looks great.”
“Heh, well, thank you.”
“Alright… think it over, Annie. I promise I’ll make it up to you. And again, take your time—maybe we can have dinner in a week or so.”
“I’ll let you know.”
Sighing, he nodded and turned to open the door. She stood in the doorway and watched him leave the courtyard, then closed her door and headed back over to Alex’s apartment.
When she let herself back in his front door, Alex was lounging on the couch and watching a movie with his cat curled up on his lap.
“So? How did it go?”
Sitting down on the couch next to him, Annie leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “Fine. He explained what happened—he’s been sober for five years, and when he told his sponsor that he was being tempted to break sobriety and that he was with me, she told him to leave.”
“Wow, well I can kind of understand that, although I don’t know why he couldn’t have just told you that at the bar.”
Lifting her head back off the couch, Annie glanced at him sideways. “Oh, there’s more to it than that. Apparently, his sponsor also has the hots for him, so she had an ulterior motive.”
“Aha—yep, that makes more sense,” Alex said as he nodded.
“Yeah. Pretty fucked up for her to abuse her relationship with him in that way.”
“Totally. So are you going to give him another chance?”
“I dunno… I’m not sure that he’s worth it.”
“You did have some great chemistry with him, and he wasn’t a dick until he disappeared from the bar.”
“Yeah, I know. Hey, whose side are you on anyway?” Arching an eyebrow, Annie looked at him speculatively.
“Your side, babe! I’m just saying, he might be worth another shot.”
She let out a deep breath and rolled her eyes at the ceiling. “I dunno…”
“You’ve been saying that a lot.”
“Well! I don’t know! I’m so confused right now. I don’t know if I can trust my own damn feelings anymore. I keep making the wrong choices and getting hurt, time after time.”
Alex got up from the couch and transferred his cat to Annie’s lap. “Here, hold Mr. Mittens for a minute. You want a piece of cheesecake with some fresh strawberries?”
“Uh, is my name Annie?”
Laughing, Alex made his way into the kitchen to get the cheesecake out of the fridge. He cut and plated two generous pieces and then washed a couple of strawberries before slicing and arranging them on each piece. After adding a fork to each plate, he carried the dessert back into the living room and placed them on the coffee table. Annie handed Mr. Mittens back to him before reaching for her cheesecake.
After sticking the first bite in her mouth, she groaned in pleasure. “Mmm, cheeeeesecake…”
“Practically better than sex, isn’t it?”
“It’s a close toss-up, that’s for sure,” she agreed. “Did you make this?”
“Yep.”
“God, sometimes I really wish you were straight.”
Alex snorted and shot her a devilish grin. “You couldn’t handle me, Mami. You wouldn’t be able to walk for a week.”
“It would just make things so much easier. We like a lot of the same things, you’re hot, you think I’m hot—”
“Yeah, for a girl, sweetie—but you’re still missing a very important piece of equipment between your legs.”
“Eew… oh well, whatever—details. I could always wear a strap-on.”
“Annie…”
She laughed and elbowed Alex. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. But damn, you do make a mean cheesecake.”
“Well, if I ever decide to go straight, you’ll be the first girl I call,” he said with a smirk, elbowing her back. “So do you know what you’re gonna do about Nate, yet?”
“Ugh, no… I guess I’ll sleep on it.”
“Probably a good idea.”
“Thanks for the cheesecake and friend therapy.”
“Anytime, babe.”
Annie had just laid her head down on her pillow when her cell phone rang. “Crap. Who is calling me at this time of night?” she muttered to herself as she fumbled for her phone, which she had just placed on the night stand. Squinting at the bright light, she saw that it was Casey.
“Hello?” she said, trying to keep her voice casual.
“Hey, Annie. It’s Casey.”
“Oh hey, how’s it going?” She congratulated herself on managing to sound cool and nonchalant.
“Sorry for the late call. Hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Nah, I was just lying here, willing my eyes to shut.”
“Oh… I can let you go if you need to get some Zs.”
“It’s fine, I can chat for a bit. What are you up to?” Annie sat up for a moment and tried to get more comfortable, plumping the pillows behind her before settling back with a soft sigh.
“Eh, I’m just waiting for a load of laundry to dry and then I have to finish packing.”
“What time do you have to be up for your flight?”
“Five-thirty.”
“Eew.”
“Yeah, seriously. I’m not really a morning person, either,” he said with a laugh.
“Just make sure you get some caffeine first thing; you’ll be fine.”
Annie grinned at that… looked like they had something in common. “Excellent, I don’t think I could survive without mine. I love that feature.”
“Functioning without caffeine in the morning is definitely a challenge for me, so in my case, it’s a lifesaver for sure.”
“Thanks again for coffee, by the way. I’d like to return the favor and make you dinner sometime.”
Casey groaned. “That sounds amazing… I haven’t had someone make me a home-cooked meal in… a while. I hate that I have to get on a plane in a few hours. I’d rather be taking you up on your offer.”
“Sucks that we just met and now you’re leaving,” she pouted.
“I know. It’s shitty timing… but I’ll be back soon, and we’ll talk on the phone… often, I promise. By the way, I was wondering if I could have your last name and address. I’m not trying to be a creepy stalker—I just thought if I wanted to send you a postcard or something, it’d be nice to have it.”
“Aww, that’s sweet. Sure, you got a pen?”
“Yeah, shoot.”
Annie told him her last name was Chang and gave him her address, which he then repeated back to her.
“Yup, you got it. What about you, sir? You have a last name?”
He laughed. “It’s Jackson”
“Jackson, huh? So you’re a CJ?”
“Yep.”
“Is that what your friends call you?”
“Yeah, a lot of them do. Not everyone, though. Anyways, I’ve kept you up long enough, so I’ll let you get to sleep. I just wanted to hear your voice before I hit the sack myself.”
She couldn’t help grinning. “Well, I’m happy you called. When’s your first show on the tour?”
“Day after tomorrow.”
“Wow, they’re just throwing you right in there, eh? Sink or swim?”
Casey laughed. “Yeah, it’s cool—I’m used to it. It’ll be fine.”
“I’m sure you’ll be great.”
“Thanks. Sleep well, princess.”
She giggled at the term of endearment. “You too. Good night.” Setting the phone back down on the side table, she scooted back down on the bed and rearranged her pillows again, smiling happily as she stared at the dark ceiling. Within a few minutes, she was drifting off peacefully into a dreamless sleep.
That Friday afternoon, Annie was walking back after having lunch at a café across the street from work when her friend, Katie, texted her.
Katie: Hey woman… want to go to dinner with me tonight, have a couple cocktails? I’m buying.
Annie: Sure. When and where? Everything okay?
Katie: 8 PM. Laurel Tavern. Yeah, just need your advice on some stuff.
Annie: Okay, cool… it’s a date! See you there.
Swinging by home on her way to Studio City, Annie ran inside to change her clothes and touch up her hair and make-up before rushing back out to her car to leave for the bar. She nabbed a parking spot on the street, pulling in smoothly against the curb. Walking into the small bar, she immediately spotted Katie sitting at a small table by the window. Her pretty friend got up to greet her with a hug and kiss on the cheeks before exclaiming how good she was looking. Annie returned the compliment, and then they both sat down and pored over the menu.
“God, they have the best food here,” Annie groaned. “It’s so hard to pick something.”
“Oh I know, it’s murder on my diet, but I can’t help it. I crave their chorizo fondue at least once every other month.”
“The Laurel burger is ridiculous… I haven’t found another burger to rival it in all of L.A., and I’ve lived here all my life, so that’s saying something—because I’ve eaten some seriously good burgers in this city.”
“Well, hello there,” a voice interrupted them. The girls glanced up to see a guy leering down at them with a creepy smile. Annie wasn’t a fan of his yuppy attire or his arrogant tone. “How are you two fine looking ladies doing tonight?”
Annie and Katie exchanged glances with eyebrows lifted. “Uh, we’re good, thanks,” Katie said in a dismissive tone before looking back at her menu. Annie smiled weakly at him before bending her head back down to her own menu, but he continued on.
“Can I buy you beautiful girls a drink?”
Katie rolled her eyes and looked up at him. “That’s okay—we don’t accept drinks from strangers.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be a stranger if you let me sit down and chat with you guys for a bit.”
Annie spoke up first this time. “Sir, I’m sorry and we certainly appreciate your kind offer, but my friend here actually needs some privacy tonight because she just got dumped by her boyfriend who, it turns out, has gonorrhea, and he’s gone and given it to her as a good-bye present.”
Katie let out a low hiss of breath and kicked her under the table, but plastered on a smile and turned to the man who looked taken aback and was slowly starting to back up towards the bar. “It’s true, unfortunately. How sad is that?”
“My condolences,” he mumbled with a sickened expression as he returned to his barstool.
Not able to help herself, Annie snickered. “Wow, that guy couldn’t get out of here fast enough once he learned you had an STD.”
“Yeah, thanks for that,” Katie said dryly. “But good thinking; it got rid of him quickly. Next time, though, you get to have the STD.”
Laughing, Annie nodded. “Sure, okay. Fair enough. So you’re ordering the chorizo fondue?”
“Yeah, and the roasted beets and burrata.”
“Oh my God, yum! Okay, and I’m going to get some of the steak fries as well. We can share everything.”
“Sounds good to me,” Katie agreed, then waved a waitress over to take their order. After they’d placed their orders for food and two glasses of wine, Katie turned back to Annie and sighed.
“Oh yeah, so what did you need my advice on?” Annie asked.
Katie studied her nails for a moment before responding. “Um, yeah… so… well… hmm, where to start?”
“Dude, just spit it out.”
“Okay, but no laughing or I told you so or whatever.”
“Fine, what is it?”
Sighing, Katie rolled her eyes and gestured with her hands. “It’s nothing, really. I just um… I created accounts on OkCupid, E-Harmony and Match.”
Annie’s eyebrows shot up as she laughed. “Get out. Seriously? You are trying online dating?”
Katie nodded, her eyes darting back and forth to see if anyone had overheard them. “Yeah, but shhh, don’t need everybody knowing my business.”
“Okay, and? Any luck so far?”
“First of all, I have to say that there are a lot of creepers on there, and it’s like you told me—you’ve got to weed through a lot of crap before you find anyone good. But I’ve chatted with a couple of cute guys who seem interesting.”
“Oh yeah? And?”
“And I’m supposed to have dinner with one guy tomorrow night and then coffee with another guy on Sunday afternoon.”
Annie beamed at her as their waitress brought them two glasses of wine.
“Here you go, ladies,” she said as she set a glass down in front of each of them. They both murmured their thanks and took a sip.
“Well, that’s great! I’m glad you’re getting out there.”
“Okay, but I’ve never done this before. Do you have any advice for me?”
“Ha, well, it’s not like I’ve had a ton of experience myself. I only met two guys. Do you have pictures of them?”
Katie nodded and took out her cell phone. “Here, I’ll show you their Facebook profiles.” She spent a moment scrolling through to find the first one and then brought it up to display, turning the phone so Katie could see.
“Wow! He is hot!” Annie exclaimed.
“I know, right? He may be a little too good to be true, though.”
“Why do you say that?”
“It just seems like he has the perfect answer for everything.”
“Maybe he’s just a really great guy,” Annie offered, but then couldn’t help snorting.
“See? You think something’s up with that, too.”
“Maybe… I dunno, I’m not a great person to ask—still feeling a little jaded over here.”
“Well, I’m still going to give it a chance and meet him, but I’m on my guard already with this one.”
“I think it’s only natural for you to be like that at first. Show me the other guy.”
Katie pulled up the next profile and showed it to Annie. “He’s not quite as cute as the first guy, but he makes me laugh, and it looks like he dresses well and takes care of himself.”
“Yeah, definitely not as cute as the first guy, but he’s not bad. Do you like one of them better at this point?”
“Well, if the first guy turns out to be genuine and not just a player telling me everything I want to hear, him for sure. But I’m still skeptical at this point.”
“Where’s he taking you?”
“Cuba de Asia at the Mondrian.”
“Niiice… swanky.” Annie nodded her approval at his choice.
“Yeah, they have some amazing food.”
“You’re such a foodie. You guys going to swing over to Skybar after dinner?”
“That’s the plan, unless I need to make a quick exit if the date goes south.”
Annie laughed. “Do I need to call at a certain time to check if you need an excuse to go?”
“Oh God, yes, would you mind?” Katie pounced on Annie’s offer.
“Of course not—what time?”
“Call around ten.”
“You got it.”
“I love you, you’re the best.”
“You need me to call during the coffee date, too?”
Katie shook her head. “Nah, that one isn’t as big of a time commitment. I’m not too worried about it. Thanks, though.”
Their food arrived just then, and silence fell as they both dug into the chorizo fondue.
“Oh my God, you weren’t kidding about this,” Annie said, groaning softly as she relished the cheesy appetizer.
“I know. Ridiculous, isn’t it?” Katie was already working on her second piece of toast loaded with the cheesey dip.
All the Right Things (Love in LA) Page 2