by Todd, E. L.
“And what do you do?”
“I’m a sports analyst.”
“And what is that?”
“I advise people on sporting events and teams.”
“I still don’t understand what that is,” I said honestly.
“It’s complicated...”
We arrived at my building and took the stairs to my floor. When I walked up, I wondered if he was looking at me ass. I wanted to check but I didn’t want to make it obvious. When we reached my apartment, my heart fell. Tyler was leaning against my door. I stopped immediately.
“What’s wrong?” Tony asked.
“Uh, nothing.”
He stared at me. “I can see it in your eyes.”
I nodded down the hallway. “That’s the guy I had the date with.”
Tony looked. “Why is he here?”
“I don’t fucking know,” I whispered. I crossed my arms over my chest. I never had a guy just show up to my place like that. A part of me was scared. This guy was so weird. Imagine what he had in mind.
Tony looked into my eyes, seeing the fear. “I’ll take care of him.”
“No,” I said quickly. “Don’t worry about it. I’m fine, really.”
Tony walked toward Tyler.
I sighed and waited.
Tony stopped and looked at him. “What the fuck are you doing?”
Tyler flinched at the hostility. “I’m waiting for someone...”
“My girlfriend lives here.”
“Your girlfriend?” he asked.
Tony’s eyes widened in anger. “Are you stalking my girlfriend?”
“No, I’m waiting for Cassie.”
“That’s my girlfriend,” he snapped.
“Oh…”
“Now get the fuck away from here. If I ever see you again, I’ll beat the fucking shit out of you.” He pushed him against the wall, making his glasses fall on the ground.
Tyler looked scared. “I’m sorry…”
“You should be, fucking asshole.” He put his foot over the glasses.
“Please don’t,” Tyler said. “I’m practically blind without them.”
“You’ll be literally blind if I ever see your face again.”
“Okay,” he whispered.
Tony stepped back and let Tyler get away. He walked down the hallway and took the stairs at the end. I breathed a sigh of relief when he was gone.
Tony came back to me. “He won’t bother you again.”
“Thank you,” I said.
He smiled. “You’re welcome.”
“I’m not a coward,” I said. “I just panicked for a second.”
“I didn’t think you were,” he said. “I know it can be scary for a single girl in the city.”
I walked to my door and he followed behind me. I grabbed my keys from my purse and held them in my grasp. I felt awkward for a moment, unsure what to do. When I looked at Tony, I saw the green eyes that I immediately felt drawn to. He was a sweet guy, cool and easy to get along with. And he was so good-looking and charming. I can’t believe Janet never mentioned him before.
“Cassie, I think you’re really cool,” Tony said. “I would love to take you out sometime.”
My heart fluttered.
Tony stared at me. “Are you free tomorrow?”
“Uh…”
He cringed. “I got rejected just like your date.”
“No,” I said quickly. “I just—you’re my best friend’s brother.”
“So?”
“Well, I have to talk to her first.”
He sighed. “It’s just a date. I didn’t ask you to marry me.”
“But it’s still rude not to mention it.”
“How about we go on a date first then go from there. There’s no point in asking her permission if you don’t even like me. Who knows? I might be as weird as that guy I just chased off.”
I laughed. “I find that very unlikely.”
He shrugged. “You never know. Who cares about my sister?”
“Okay,” I said with a smile.
“Great,” he said. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at six. Is that good?”
I nodded.
“And you like hockey, right?”
“I love hockey.”
“You’re already the perfect woman,” he said. “Make sure you wear something warm.”
“Are you taking me to a game?”
“It’s a surprise.” He winked.
“I guess you could be taking me skiing…”
He laughed. “I’ll see you then.”
“Okay.”
Tony turned away. “Goodnight.”
“Tony?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for walking me home and taking out the trash.”
He smiled. “Anytime, Cassie.”
2
At work the next morning, I was arranging the dresses in the fitting room when Orlando walked in.
“Her Majesty is coming,” he said with a smile. He kept his back straight as he walked and smiled brightly, showing his dazzling teeth. His vest was tight around his torso and his slacks were thin. “You ready for this, girl?” he said as he waved his hand.
I smiled. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
Orland kissed me on the cheek. “You’ll be fine, babe.”
“I hope so.” I checked the seams on the dress and returned it to the rack. “How was your night?”
Orlando smiled. “Steward and I went out to dinner.”
“That sounds nice.”
“It was really nice when we got home.”
I laughed. “I bet it was.” Orland was one of the many gay men that worked for the magazine. He and I just clicked immediately. Whenever I saw him at work, my day was better. He was the best girlfriend ever, only he was a boy. He gave me a lot of great tips that I incorporated into my work.
“So how’d that date go?”
I rolled my eyes. “You don’t even want to know.”
He hopped on his toes. “Spill it, lady.”
“He was a total weirdo.”
Orland cringed. “That bad?”
“I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. And when I got home, he was waiting by my door. Thankfully, Tony took care of it.”
“Who’s Tony?”
“Oh,” I said. “My friend’s brother. He walked me home.”
Orlando smiled. “What’s he like?”
I blushed. “He’s very sweet.”
“Maybe you should go out with him instead.”
“Actually, we are going out tonight.”
He clapped. “Something good always comes out of bad situations.”
“I suppose,” I said with a sigh.
“Why the long face?” he asked.
“Well, it’s my best friend’s brother.”
“Your point?”
“I feel guilty not telling her.”
“Don’t,” he said. “Test out the car before you buy it. Let him buy you dinner then test out his skills in the bedroom. If he sucks, you don’t have to tell her about it at all.”
I shook my head. “I’m not sleeping with him on the first date.”
He shrugged. “It would save you a lot of time.”
“We’re going to a hockey game.”
“Wow,” Orlando said. “This guy is super straight.”
I laughed. “I guess you could say that.”
“But that’s not very romantic,” he said as he shook his head.
“I like hockey,” I said. “I don’t mind. And I don’t want it to be too serious anyway. It’s just more relaxing this way.”
“Then take him back to your place and do the deed.”
“Orlando!”
“What?” he said with a smile. “I slept with Steward on the first date and now we live together.”
“And you slept with ten other guys on the first date before you found him.”
“Imagine how much time I would have wasted if I didn’t speed up the process,” he said with a wink.
; I shook my head then arranged the dressed on the rack.
Gloria came into the room. “What am I wearing?” She was standing in her underwear and bra, not self-conscious about being half naked. All the models were used to the exposure.
“Here,” I said as I handed it to her. “The heels are in the dressing room.”
“Thanks.” She walked inside the changing room. Her body was so thin. Her ribs were noticeable on her sides, and her arms were thin and lanky. I knew I was fairly petite but I wasn’t even that small. But I liked the way my body was. And I loved food.
Orlando stared at me. “Maybe you should hit the runway.”
“What?”
“You’re such a pretty girl,” he said as he lifted my chin.
I rolled my eyes. “I belong behind the curtain. I love eating chili dogs and French fries way too much.”
“And you still look great,” he said. “Maybe you should think about it.”
“I’ll stick to designing.”
“Whatever,” he said.
Winnie came in and grabbed the other dress. “This is nice,” she said as she looked at it.
“Thank you.”
She walked into the changing room while Orlando and I waited.
The two girls came out and appraised themselves in the mirror. I walked over with my tape measurer and my pins. The fabric clung to their bodies perfectly. Nothing seemed out of place. My work was done.
Pia, the chief editor of the magazine, came inside with her assistant behind her. She wore a black dress with designer heels. A scarf was around her neck and she wore dangling earrings. Her face was stoic and hard to decipher. No one ever knew what she was thinking. I held my breath as she walked inside. She didn’t look at me once.
Pia came to Gloria and examined the dress. She walked completely around her, feeling the fabric in her fingers and testing the quality of the zipper. Then she moved to Winnie and did the same thing. She pulled her glasses off and thought for a long moment. Orlando kept glancing at me, waiting for the verdict.
“No.”
My heart fell. “No?”
Pia shook her head. “Just no.”
I took a deep breath, remaining calm. “What changes would you like me to make?”
“Make something that isn’t hideous,” she snapped. She stormed out while her assistant followed close behind her.
“Yikes,” Gloria said.
“We’re so sorry,” Winnie said.
“It’s not your fault,” I said.
Orlando patted my shoulder. “You’ll get it right next time.”
I sighed. “She doesn’t give me any feedback. I can’t read her mind.”
“Nobody can, babe,” Orlando said.
Gloria looked at herself in the mirror. “Well, I really like it.”
“You can keep it,” I said. “I’m obviously not going to be using it.”
The models walked back into the changing rooms and pulled off the dresses. They handed them to me before they left.
I kept my emotions under the surface but they were raging. I was hurt. I worked so many hours on these gowns and Pia pretty much spit on them. It was always a hit and miss with her. And when she did like my work, I received no praise, just a simple nod. I felt unappreciated and undervalued.
Orlando caught the look. “Don’t let it get you down.”
“I’m just frustrated. I know I’m a good designer. If I had my own business, I know I would flourish.”
“Then do it,” he said.
I shook my head. “I don’t have the money to start it up. I’m stuck here.”
“You can’t save your money?”
“I barely make it by as it is.”
“I’m sorry, dear.”
“Yeah…”
“At least you have a date tonight with a hot guy.”
I sighed. “That’s true.”
“Do you think that other guy is gay?” he asked.
“I don’t know…I didn’t think about it.”
“That might explain why he’s so odd. He feels out of place and he’s trying to blend in. Who is he?”
“His name is Tyler. He works for IT.”
He nodded. “Maybe I can help.”
I laughed. “You’re going to take him out of the closet?”
“Girl, I’m going to push him out of it.”
I smiled. “You’re very controlling, Orlando.”
“Steward says he likes it.”
“I bet.” I pushed the cart against the wall then gathered my supplies. Now I had to start over but I had no ideas. Creativity didn’t just fall out of my head. It would take me some time. But Pia didn’t understand that. I loved my job but I hated working here. But there was no way around it.
“Stop it,” Orland said.
“What?”
“You keep pitying yourself.”
“So?”
“Don’t,” he said. “Change it.”
“Okay,” I said. “I just need to start brainstorming.”
“Get laid tonight. It will help.”
“I’m sure Tony would love that,” I said with a laugh.
“He’ll want to help you out in whatever way he can.”
“What a good friend,” I said sarcastically.
3
Since we were going to a hockey game, I decided to dress casual. I wore a long sleeve shirt with a nice jacket and jeans. It was always cold in the arena because of the ice, and I would rather dress warm than look cute. The game would last about two hours.
A six o’ clock sharp, Tony knocked on the door.
I smiled at his punctuality. When I opened it, he was smiling at me. The green color of his eyes looked brighter than last time. He wore a gray hoodie and dark jeans. Even though he looked casual, he looked very attractive. The broadness of his shoulders was evident in anything he wore. He had long legs that were toned and firm. The longer I stared at him, the more I realized I was being a pervert by gawking at him.
“Cassie?”
“Huh?”
“I said hi.”
“Oh,” I said. “Hey.”
“You look nice.”
“Thank you.” I kept staring at him.
He put his hands in his pockets and said nothing. After a moment, he spoke. “So…are you ready to go?”
“Oh yeah,” I said, shaking my head. I sounded like such an idiot right now.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “I just didn’t know that Janet had a hot brother.”
A smile appeared on his face and his cheeks tinted. “Thanks.”
Why did I just say that? “I’m sorry. Sometimes I speak without thinking.”
“And I’m glad you did,” he said. “And I’m equally confused. I’m not sure why my sister never mentioned you. So far, you sound pretty damn perfect.”
“Wait until you get to know me better,” I said with a laugh.
“I plan to.”
I grabbed my purse then locked my apartment door. We left the building and walked outside until we reached the cab. Tony kept his hands in his pockets and didn’t touch me, but he did open the door for me.
When we sat in the backseat, I kept thinking about his hands. They were resting in his lap, nowhere near mine. I wanted him to touch me, which was odd. I usually hated it when guys were affectionate on the first date. But it didn’t feel like a first date. It seemed like we were hanging out at as friends, but it also felt like we had already dated, like this was our tenth or twelfth date. I couldn’t explain it.
“How are you?” he asked.
“Good. How about you?”
“Has that guy bothered you?” he said quickly.
“Tyler?”
“Whatever that freak’s name is.” The anger escaped his voice. It happened so suddenly.
“No, he hasn’t bothered me.”
“Good,” he said. “I’m glad I don’t have to kill anyone today.”
“Or ever.”
He smiled. “You n
ever know. So how was work?”
I shrugged. “It was okay.”
“It sounds like it was less than okay.”
“I finished the gowns I was showcasing but my boss rejected them. Now I have to start all over.”
“What was wrong with them?” he asked.
“I don’t know. She didn’t give me any feedback.”
“That’s odd…”
“It’s frustrating.”
He smiled at me. “Well, you are going to forget about all of that at the game. I’ll make sure you have a good time.”
“Okay,” I said. “As long as you get me a chili dog.”
He stared at me. “Seriously, why didn’t Janet mention you? You’re, like, totally awesome.”
I laughed. “Janet definitely doesn’t think I’m awesome. In fact, she’ll tell you I’m a thorn in her backside.”
He shook his head. “That brat.”
“She is a brat.”
He gave me a high-five. “Now you are even better. I love picking on my sister with people.”
“We can’t gang up on her.”
Tony cringed. “Damn, you were so close to being my soul mate.”
I laughed. “Well, Janet and Layla are my soul mates. I’m already taken.”
“There’s room for more, right?”
“Maybe.”
We arrived at the game and came to the line. It was huge, wrapping all the way around the building. The game was about to start so I knew we would probably miss the first half.
“This way,” Tony said as he went around.
“What are you doing?”
“Come on,” he said.
I followed him until we reached separate doors.
“Hello, Mr. Hannigan.”
“Hello, Nate.”
He took the tickets and scanned them. “Enjoy the show.” He opened the doors for us and allowed us to walk inside.
“What was that?” I asked.
“What?”
“How did you cut through the line?”
“Oh,” he said. “I have special tickets.”
That surprised me.
The inside was crowded with people so Tony placed his arm around my waist. As soon as he touched me, I flinched, not expecting him to do that. The sensation was brief and weak, my thick jacket blocking most of the affection, but it still sent shivers down my spine. I liked the touch.
He guided me toward the seats, and we moved until we reached the very first row, right in the center of the game. The glass was right in front of us and the players were just a few feet away. I’d never had better seats at any game.