Secondhand Boyfriends

by Jessa Jeffries

  Two glasses later I was starting to feel a little bit of a buzz, and I could tell I was losing a bit of self-control.

  “Were you at Haiku last Saturday?” I blurted. I couldn’t resist. My filter had vanished after my second glass of wine.

  He stopped mid-bite, and looked up at me.

  “Yeah,” he replied.

  “I thought I saw you,” I said. “I was there with Claudia and her new boyfriend, Eric. Well, I don’t know if they’re dating. They’re together twenty-four seven, so it seems that way.”

  “Ah, I see,” he said as he resumed eating.

  “Did you see me?” I asked. I knew I should’ve stopped while I was ahead. He probably thought I was trying to pick a fight.

  “I don’t think so,” he said. I could tell he was lying, but I knew better than to say anything. It didn’t matter. We were there on a date now. I’d said what I wanted to say.

  “So how was work this week?” I asked, changing the subject. “I can definitely tell wedding season is upon us at my job. My inbox has been flooded with engagement and wedding announcements all week.”

  “Same old,” he said. “Hunting the bad guys and putting them right where they belong.”

  “Your job must be so interesting,” I said as I gazed across the table at his gorgeous face. “Something different every day.”

  “You’d be surprised at how mundane it can get,” he said. “And when you just can’t crack a case… days like that suck. But the days when we find the perp, nothing compares to that.”

  “Well, I’m still fascinated by what you do,” I said. “It’s a tough gig. Nothing fluffy like what I do.”

  He chuckled. “Well, if you want to put it that way, sure. It’s not fluffy at all.”

  We finished our meals and he paid the tab. We exited Lessandro’s to find the night air to be unusually warm for February.

  “Early spring this year?” I asked. “It’s so nice out.”

  The sky was crystal clear and lit with a billion twinkling stars. The night couldn’t have been any more perfect than it already was. I hoped and prayed he wouldn’t just take me straight home. I didn’t want our time together to end any earlier than it had to.

  “Want to walk for a bit?” he asked.

  I remembered my painfully beautiful, yet perfect shoes that I just had to wear that night.

  “Sure,” I said. When it came down to ending the night early or mending swollen, blistered feet the next day, I chose the latter.

  We strolled leisurely up and down the street that housed Lessandro’s and a myriad of other mom and pop shops. The streets were almost vacant aside from a few other young couples who knew about that hidden gem of a neighborhood. At times it was just us and no one else. It was like we had the whole world to ourselves.

  He grabbed my hand about halfway into our walk and he pulled me closer. His hands were soft, not calloused like most guys’ hands. The second I moved closer into his space, I could smell the cologne radiating off his warm body. It was different from the time before, and I never wanted to forget that scent.

  “We should probably head out,” he said as he looked at his watch a short time later. “I’ve had a long week and I am beat.”

  “Yeah,” I said as I tried to hide the insane amount of disappointment coursing through me. “Me too.”

  I wasn’t tired at all. I was wide awake. I wanted to hang out with him all night. But I had to play it cool.

  He dropped me off at my apartment and walked me to my door like the old-fashioned gentleman he had shown himself to be.

  Standing at my door, he locked his emerald green eyes onto mine and leaned in for a peck on the lips. It was the sweetest, most innocent kiss I’d ever received.

  “I’d like to see you again,” he said.

  “Me too,” I replied with a smile. I decided to leave it at that.

  I slipped my key into the door and entered my quiet apartment. The second I shut it behind me, I spun around to watch him through the peephole, but he was already gone. I lingered for a bit, hoping that maybe he’d come in and ask for a nightcap or something. But he never did.

  I kicked off my shoes and my feet ached against the naked air of the apartment. I could feel the blisters on my heels start to burn, but it was all worth it. I’d do it again and again if I had to.

  CHAPTER 8

  My alarm went off around seven o’clock Saturday morning. I’d completely forgotten to shut it off in preparation for the weekend.

  “Ugh,” I groaned. I reached over and slammed the snooze button just to get it to shut the hell up. Then I clicked it off and tried to go back to sleep. Saturdays were for sleeping in. I’d be damned if I let a little annoying buzzer prevent that from happening.

  I had barely dozed off when I heard another buzz coming from my nightstand.

  “I thought I turned you off,” I whined as I reached over and hit my snooze button again, but the buzzing didn’t stop. It wasn’t my alarm clock. It was my phone.

  I reached over to grab it, and through blurry morning eyes, I tried to make out the text message displayed across the screen.

  WHAT ARE YOU DOING TODAY?

  It was from Bennett. I rubbed my eyes to get them to focus a little better and immediately started typing a response.

  Wait, I thought. I should wait. Don’t respond right away.

  I took a few deep breaths, now fully awake, and climbed out of bed. I made myself brush my teeth and wash my face. I took my time. Every second counted. I felt giddy at the fact that he wanted to hang out again and so soon at that. After a solid ten minutes or so, I began formulating a response.

  NOT MUCH.

  I sounded so lame, but I really didn’t care. I wasn’t going to pretend like I was doing something and miss the chance to hang out with him.

  WANT TO COME OVER LATER?

  He replied within seconds. I waited a minute or two before replying with a simple, “Sure.”

  COME OVER AROUND NOON.

  The next five hours were going to be tortuous, I just knew it. I couldn’t help but scratch my head at why he was texting me so early and why he’d want me to come hang out when he was on call. I was sure he had his reasons, though, and I decided not to pry. The only thing that mattered was that he wanted to hang out with me.

  I padded down the hall in search of Claudia, but the apartment was silent. She was usually an early riser, always up before me. If she wasn’t up yet, it probably meant she wasn’t home. I could only assume she stayed the night at Eric’s place again.

  I couldn’t text Amaya. She was probably out all night DJing. She tended to sleep in until at least noon or one on the weekends. I’d learned that the hard way when I went out with her one night and we ended up crashing at her friend’s place. She was my ride, and I had to wait for her to wake up to take me home since I didn’t have enough cash for a cab. I never made that mistake again.

  I decided to go for a quick jog around the neighborhood to clear my mind and prepare myself for the day. I was already on cloud nine, but I knew a few extra endorphins circulating through me would be the icing in the cake. I slipped on my black runner’s tights, hot pink tank top, and obnoxiously bright neon shoes and hit the pavement.

  I wasn’t an avid runner by any means, but sometimes a quick mile or two was all I needed to get that runner’s high.

  I came back after about fifteen minutes and busted out a few squats and crunches. New relationships always made me want to suddenly pretend that I gave a damn about working out. The truth was I hated sweating.

  I wiped the sweat off my brow and munched on a juicy red apple before polishing off a bottle of water and hitting the shower. Claudia must have gone grocery shopping that week, and for that I was grateful.

  Taking my time getting ready the rest of the morning, I couldn’t help but check my phone in regular intervals just in case Bennett had decided to call and cancel on me. I kept thinking the rug was going to be pu
lled out at any moment. He seemed too good to be true. Guys like him didn’t chase girls like me. It was usually the other way around.

  That day, I decided to go casual. I wrapped my long, blonde hair up into a top knot, wore minimal makeup, and pulled on a tight pair of skinny jeans and a faded jersey t-shirt. I was going more for girl-next-door. I wanted him to feel like I was the girl he could just chill with on the weekends.

  By 11:30, I’d made my way outside and was walking towards his place. It was only about a mile away, which was nice. The weather was perfect thanks to the unusually warm February we were having.

  Spring was just around the corner, and it was my absolute favorite season. It was all flowers, chirping birds and new beginnings. But it was also going to be Sam and Ayla’s wedding.

  I’d managed to go another day without thinking too much about him, but sometimes I just couldn’t help it. He’d creep into the corners of my mind when I least expected it.

  I thought about how once he was married, that would be the end of us for sure. I knew I’d been the one to end things, and poorly at that, but I always sort of thought of Sam as my fallback guy. If it didn’t work out with anyone else, I could always go back to him. I never in a million years dreamed that he’d move on so fast and with someone I couldn’t even compete with.

  Before I knew it, I was standing in front of Bennett’s building. I hadn’t even thought about the fact that I might run into Sam or Ayla. My palms began to sweat a little and my heart raced. The last thing I wanted was for Sam to think I was stalking him.

  I took a good look around to make sure neither of them were in sight. Then I gripped the banister and climbed the stairs towards the front door. I yanked it open and was immediately greeted with a burst of warm air from the empty hallway.

  “Phew,” I said to myself once I realized the coast was clear. There was no sign of Sam or Ayla anywhere.

  I knocked on Bennett’s door and waited. And waited. And waited. I knocked again. I hoped he hadn’t forgotten about me. I was going to be both pissed and embarrassed if that was the case. Maybe he’d gotten called into work and forgot to cancel our plans?

  I could feel my heartbeat quicken at the thought of being stood up. If I had to walk away alone like some loser and happened to run into Sam, I’d be mortified.

  “Hey!” Bennett said as the door burst open. He startled me.

  “Hi,” I said with a sweet smile as I walked in.

  The place looked spotless, and I could smell a scented candle burning somewhere. It smelled like vanilla and musk, perfect for a guy’s place.

  Bennett was wearing a navy blue college hoodie and a pair of straight leg, pale denim jeans. His dark hair was free of any product. He looked just as casual as I did, thank goodness.

  I glanced over towards the living room where a college basketball game was playing quietly.

  “Wanna sit down?” he asked as he motioned towards his couch.

  I kicked off my shoes and followed him to the living room, taking my place next to him but keeping a safe distance. I didn’t want him to think I was being too girlfriend-y just yet.

  “Sorry I had to cut our date night short,” he said. “Ended up getting called in last night, just as I thought I would.”

  “I completely understand,” I said with a shrug. “Work comes first.”

  He smiled, lighting up his entire face, and I about melted. I wanted to kiss him so badly. I wanted to jump him right then and there, but I stayed frozen and firmly planted in my space. I knew were weren’t there yet.

  “Are you on call today?” I asked.

  “I got someone to switch with me,” he said. “A guy at work owed me a favor.”

  “How nice,” I said. I wondered if he did it because he wanted to spend more time with me.

  “Do you like college basketball?” he asked.

  “Um, it’s okay,” I said. So that’s what it was about. He wanted to watch basketball games all weekend. I dared not tell him that I loathed sports. I’d never really gotten into them, and watching them on T.V. was pure torture to me.

  The only times I’d ever enjoyed watching sports was when I had to accompany my parents to one of Preston or Alston’s games. I could get into it when I knew the players. I probably couldn’t name a single current college athlete to save my life.

  “It’s okay if you don’t,” he said with a chuckle. He was particularly perceptive that day.

  I sat, bored out of my mind, and tried my hardest to pay attention to the game. My mind would wander every so often, and I couldn’t help but think about what Sam and Ayla were doing that Saturday.

  When I dated Sam, Saturdays were spent either hiking or riding our bikes or laying around in our sweats reading good books. We were inseparable, and he was always up for whatever. He wasn’t a sports nut, so our activities never had to revolve around which games were on. I missed that.

  “So do you see Ayla Giovanni much?” I asked without thinking. I couldn’t help myself. They were at the forefront of my mind in that moment and knowing that they were neighbors, the question didn’t seem too out of line.

  “What?” he said as he paused the game and turned towards me. He was probably confused as hell.

  “Living right across from her,” I said. “She’s practically famous.”

  He scrunched his face and shifted a bit in his seat. My question clearly made him uncomfortable and I didn’t understand why.

  “I guess I see her sometimes,” he said. “Why?”

  “I just think it’s cool that you live by her,” I said. Good bluff, I told myself. “I watch her on the news all the time to see what she’s wearing.”

  He laughed. He probably thought I was a typical girl.

  “Do you ever talk to her or anything?” I asked.

  I could tell he wanted to get back to his game. I felt like I was annoying him.

  “Um, just casually I guess,” he said. He raised his remote and started the game back up.

  “I just found out that my boss is her stepmom,” I said.

  “Julianne is your boss?” he asked as he turned towards me.

  I furrowed my brows. “How do you know Julianne?”

  “Oh,” he said as he stalled a bit. “Um.”

  He picked up the remote and paused the game again. He was totally trying to buy time.

  “I helped them move some things when she first moved in,” he said. “I met her family then. Her stepmom was really nice and brought me dinner. I guess I just remember her from that.”

  “Oh, okay,” I said. It made sense, but I wasn’t so sure I was buying what he was trying to sell. If he hadn’t acted so weird about it, it might have been more believable.

  He resumed his game and fast forwarded through the commercials, and I’d decided to officially end all talk about Ayla Giovanni for the time being. I never expected to get that sort of a weird reaction from him, and now it was going to bother me.

  “Hey,” I said. “I have a favor to ask of you. And you can say no. It’s not a huge deal.”

  “Okay, sure,” he said, though his eyes remained glued to the game.

  “I have this stupid little work party coming up,” I said. “It’s like an awards banquet. Attendance is mandatory, but there’s awesome catering and free drinks. Would you maybe want to go with me?”

  He turned towards me and smiled. “Sure, why not.”

  “Really?” I was shocked that it was that simple with him. He didn’t even have to give it a second thought.

  “You had me at free food and drinks,” he said as he reached over and patted my knee with his hand.

  “Oh!” he yelled out as he stood up. He muttered a few profanities at the screen before sitting back down. “Damn it.”

  I looked up at the score to see that it was a very close game. They were going into overtime. His head clearly wasn’t into our “game,” but I was just happy he’d agreed to go with me to that banquet. Things were heade
d in a promising direction.

  CHAPTER 9

  My stupid awards banquet was a week after our Saturday afternoon hang out session. I’d forgotten to mention to Bennett that it was a black tie affair until the day before, but luckily he just so happened to have a tuxedo hanging in his closet. That Bennett was a classy guy.

  He picked me up in his squad car, he in his tux and I in my black, floor length, strapless gown, and we headed downtown to the Crystal Ballroom. The Harrisville Tribune was the biggest newspaper in the area, and when things went digital several years ago, they were one of the first to jump on board when all the other newspapers were stuck trying to hold onto traditional paper publications.

  Because of that, Harrisville was able to buy out a few other local papers and made some good investments with some online news and advertising companies. They could afford fancy banquets and competitive wages for their employees. I was lucky to be a part of the group, even if my job could’ve been easily outsourced to a computer.

  “You look amazing,” he said with a grin as he opened the car door for me. He couldn’t peel his eyes off of me the entire time.

  I climbed in, pulling the rest of my dress behind me, and noticed he’d cleaned up his car. It no longer smelled like day-old donuts and all the other things it had smelled like before. The dash was oiled up and the chrome knobs were sparkling.

  “Car looks good,” I said to him.

  “Thanks,” he replied. “It was due for a good cleaning.”

  “Are you on call again this weekend?” I asked as it had just dawned on me that he was driving his take-home car.

  “No,” he said as he reached over and squeezed my hand. “I’m just driving this because I can.”

  “Oh,” I said. “Didn’t realize it worked that way.”

  “A lot of guys do it,” he said. “Not a big deal.”