One Size Fits All

by Courtney Cole

  I’m not taking no for an answer today. Today she is going to get out of the house for more than working or running errands. She’s going to have fun and enjoy the fuck out of the guys and I harassing the Red Sox fans at the game today. I have two tickets with our names on them for the Yankees versus The Red Sox, and she will not be able to refuse. If she tries, I’m not afraid of resorting to tossing her stubborn ass over my shoulder and carrying her down to the fucking subway.

  It’s a night game, so the plan is we’ll go to the game and then all meet up at the pub afterwards to either celebrate a win or drown our sorrows over a loss. I know already that Christi is going to flip her shit when I even try to suggest her going out with us tonight. But I know once she’s out and having fun she’ll thank me for making her go out.

  I know she’s hurting right now because she feels betrayed by not just Jake but Sara too. He didn’t deserve her and she sure as hell deserves better than some asshole who thinks so little of her that he’d go after her best friend. We’ve known Sara for years. I never in a million years would’ve imagined she’d do something like this to Christi. Christi has the biggest heart of anyone I know. She always goes out of her way to help others. She’d give you her last dollar if she thought you needed it more than her.

  Ever since the first day I met her at NYU as she wandered around the halls of our campus looking too pure to be in a city as hard as New York— if it wasn’t for Brynn—I would’ve been the first in line trying to get Christi to go out on a date with me. Guys on campus practically fell over themselves trying to win her over. At first she was shy and turned down anyone who approached her. As the weeks went on and our friendship grew, so did her confidence. Slowly I watched as she became more confident in herself and with guys too. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t tear me up inside every time one of my friends ended up dating her…but it always happened and in a way was inevitable because she was always out with me, Brynn, and Sara on the weekends. So she was only ever around my friends.

  Brynn never had any issues with any of my friends, male or female all throughout high school and college— that is until Christi came into the picture. I think she noticed before I ever did that there was something between us, just neither of us wanted to admit it. Brynn was my fiancée and we were planning our wedding with graduation approaching. We were preparing to enter the real world and start our lives outside of college while Christi was only at the very beginning of that journey. With everything we had going on in our lives I think for Christi and I, we both choose to ignore the pull we had to each other.

  The night I called off my engagement to Brynn last year we talked about a lot of things. Most of which I told Christi about, but one thing I chose to leave out when recapping that morning while sitting at Starbucks with her. Brynn told me that for a while she had been having doubts about getting married. Like me, she felt us slowly growing apart. I found myself looking more forward to a day with Christi than I did with the woman I was planning on spending the rest of my life with; I guess Brynn felt that.

  I was finally honest with myself for the first time that morning, but as quickly as I allowed myself to admit out loud to Brynn what I was refusing to see for so long— I was in love with Christi— I tucked it back away deep inside of myself refusing to allow the truth to be known to anyone else because the timing wasn’t right. It wouldn’t be fair to Christi for me to spring something on her like that only hours after my split from Brynn. Plus, I was scared of rejection. A small part of me has been terrified over the last twelve months that maybe the feelings I have for her aren’t shared in return?

  I wasn’t ready to take that risk. Put my heart out there on the line and take that chance of her telling me she doesn’t feel the same way. She’s my best friend and the idea of ruining that by admitting my feelings to her and having to hear her tell me that she didn’t love me back scared me enough to make me keep my mouth shut.

  I’m a huge fan of the show Friends and we all know what a mess of a relationship Rachael and Ross had after they crossed that fine line between friendship and lovers.

  Anyway, Christi had enough going on with her boyfriend at the time moving away. I would never want to be the guy that’s a rebound to help her get over a breakup. As is the same thing with me. She knows I was with Brynn for almost six years. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to go from a six-year relationship to calling off my engagement and then in the next breath professing my love for her.

  I’d come off as the world’s biggest sleaze ball and that is the last thing I’d ever want her to see me as. So that’s why I decided to go away for a little while. I needed to get out of the city, away from everyone— especially Christi. I missed her every single second I was away. It only made me realize more that my feelings for her ran a lot deeper than just friends.

  I hate that I missed her graduation and wanted to make it up to her all while finding a way to keep her in my life. My biggest fear was that she would graduate college, find a job somewhere in the city, and move onto that next phase in her life and slowly we’d grow up.

  So when I returned to the city, I moved all of my things out of the place I shared with Brynn and into the apartment I now share with Christi. When I asked her to live with me, I wasn’t sure if it was the smartest or the stupidest idea of my life. She surprisingly loved the idea and didn’t hesitate to say yes. I thought us living together would maybe be that push we needed to finally see what everyone around us saw but we both had chosen to ignore.

  I planned on admitting my feelings to her after we were moved in and had time to adjust to our new life together. I wanted to show her that I was truly finished with Brynn and wouldn’t be going back to that life. After three months of living together, I finally felt ready to confess my feelings to her. I had it all planned out. We’d have dinner at her favorite rooftop restaurant that overlooks the city, followed by catching one of the Broadway shows she was dying to see. Then two days before she came home with Sara bursting with energy as they came in after an afternoon run in Central Park. She was wearing a huge smile on her face and was glowing not only from the sun she’d gotten that day but from pure excitement that I could feel radiating off of her face.

  At that moment, the one thing I was hoping wouldn’t happen, happened.

  She met a guy. I was so close to finally having Christi the way I’ve always wanted and in a matter of seconds she once again slipped through my hands. It was just my luck that she had been jogging when she found a dog wandering through the park dragging its leash behind him. Not two minutes later a man came jogging up to them claiming to be the owner and explained to them how the dog escaped his grasp while trying to chase pigeons.

  Never in my life did I suddenly hate pigeons as much as I did at that moment.

  Being the dumbass that I am, I let her go out on that date with the guy, instead of admitting to her that she should be with me. Every time over the last year that a relationship ended for her, I thought, alright, this is it. I’m going to tell her. But somehow something always happened or got in the way. The last time I was seeing someone casually because I needed some kind of distraction from my feelings for her. Living with your best friend that you also happen to be secretly in love with is not the easiest task. So I’ve buried myself in work and women to help me pretend that her being with other men didn’t bother me.

  When she texted me two weeks ago telling me that she caught Jake with Sara even though everything in me was screaming to hail a cab down to that pub and beat the living shit out of the guy, a small part of me wanted to go thank him. I would finally have the chance to confess how I feel to her without feeling like an asshole. So many times I caught myself biting my tongue over the last year when she’d come home crying over a guy because he had treated her like shit or took her for granted. Each time the words hung at the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t want to be that guy who used a bad situation to get what he wanted.

  I didn’t want to admit it to
her in the heat of the moment and then have her regret me saying it to her, because she’d think I only said it to help ease the pain of her heartbreak. The last thing I want to be is a rebound guy. If the chemistry I feel between us is real, I want her and I to start the right way. Not just a fling to help Band-Aid a broken heart.

  I want her to have a clear head and a clear heart when she finally hears me tell her the three words I’ve been trying to tell her for the last twelve months.

  Thanks to Jake and Sara doing a real number on her heart, she’s gone and sworn off men and dating all together. How the hell do you pour your heart out to a girl who has her mind completely set on cutting all men out of her life? I sat up the first night she posted her blog post and read the words she poured out of herself, honest and baring her feelings for the world to see.

  That’s when I knew I couldn’t simply in one night tell her I loved her. Instead I had to do it in a way that would be a surefire way of winning her heart. I had to channel those book boyfriends she goes on and on about. I have to show her that men like the ones she falls in love with in her books do exist. I’m standing right in front of her waiting for the chance to show her what it’s like to be with a man who truly loves you and knows how to treat her the way she deserves to be treated.

  I’ve given her these two weeks to grieve the relationship and friendship that she’s lost. Now it’s time for me to grab this opportunity by the balls and show her that the guy she’s been searching for is standing right in front of her.

  Starting with our date to the ballpark tonight. I have a little surprise up my sleeve that I hope to fucking God goes the way I plan. The first part being that I can even get her there.

  Chapter Five

  Christi

  Slipping into my flats, I crouch down into my closet and pick up my stiletto heels I’ll change into once I arrive at work. Tossing them into my purse, I check my makeup and hair in the mirror hanging on the back of my bedroom door one more time and head out to the kitchen.

  My heart stops dead in my chest for what feels like a full minute before remembering how to tick once again. My heart kick starts and begins racing in my chest as my cheeks flame. I’ve seen this man naked on more than one occasion—being roommates equals accidentally seeing one another naked a time or two. One occasion being when I arrived home early from work with the flu a few months back. I came through the door hacking up a lung and looking like I had rolled off of my death bed, and came face to face with Vance’s bare ass as he showed his then fling how the city below looked as he fucked her over the back of our sofa.

  The fact that his ass looked beyond perfect almost…the key word being almost…made the accidental encounter a little less horrific. Let’s just say that from now on whenever I’m arriving unexpectedly and I know Vance may be home, I always send a warning text.

  Right now he’s standing in the kitchen wearing nothing but jogging pants and sipping a cup of coffee while stirring eggs in a pan. His back dimples make my girly parts tingle as the thought of running my tongue across each adorable curve in the bottom of his back plays through my mind. Not to mention the deep V that’s playing peek-a-boo with the waist band of his pants as he turns to greet me good morning.

  “Mornin’, sunshine. I made your coffee, it’s in the mug by the coffee pot.” His head motions toward the Keurig before he turns back to the pile of scrambled eggs cooking over the stove.

  I barely find the words as my tongue grows dry in my mouth. “Thanks. Those eggs smell delicious—but I’m running late and sadly have no time to eat. I’m just gonna eat a granola bar on my way to work.” My flats tap against the hardwood floor as I walk over to the counter and pick up my coffee. I bring the mug up to my mouth and savor the first sip of liquid gold as it slips through my lips.

  I let out a small moan as the warmth travels down my throat and blossoms in my chest.

  Nothing compares to the first sip of coffee when your ass is dragging in the morning and you’re trying to find as many reasons as possible as to why you can’t play sick for the day and go back to sleep.

  I open my eyes to find Vance watching me with a humorous glint in his eyes. “Will you at least eat a bite before you go?” he asks as he begins scooping eggs onto a plate. I watch as his arm muscles flex with every movement he makes. I bite my bottom lip and try to fight the erotic thoughts filling my head as I watch him butter his toast and then casually lean against the counter as he brings the toast up to his mouth.

  His entire left arm that is holding the toast is covered in a tattoo dedicated to 9/11 and the NYPD. It’s like a work of art permanently etched onto his skin. It’s gone viral online more times than I can count. He posts a selfie or a photo with friends and it ends up all over Instagram and Facebook.

  I admit that I’ve even sunk as low as to post his picture a time or two in book groups. When you live with a guy hot enough to grace the cover of one of your favorite romance novels and he happens to be your roommate and best friend, you gotta share that shit!

  The only downside is I then have to sit and read a gazillion comments by friends and readers in the group salivating over him and talking about how they’d love to ride his face or test out his handcuffs.

  Oh my God. If he knew I swear he’d kill me—after he got a kick out of the prowl of women fawning over him that is.

  He’s tried on a few occasions to get me to tattoo something onto my body. I’ve gone with him twice now when he’s added to his sleeve, and all I can say is anyone who willingly drives needles into their skin for fun…you’re fucking crazy!

  I’m terrified of needles and dread even getting a flu shot every Fall. The thought of voluntarily lying in a tattoo parlor and allowing someone to stab you over and over again with a needle is not my kind of fun.

  Vance is convinced all it will take is getting me shit faced and I’ll willingly lie there and take the pain. I told him over my dead body that’ll ever happen.

  “One bite.” Walking up beside him, I grab his fork and scoop up a pile of eggs. Chewing them with a smart ass smile across my lips I grin up at him before washing them down with another sip of my coffee. “There, now can I go to work before my boss beats me with a manuscript for being late?”

  He brings his fingers up under my chin and the second they touch my skin my body tingles and my skin warms where his fingers are. “So feisty this morning. You may go, but one more thing…”

  I twist my lips to the side of my face before nervously asking, “What now? Please don’t tell me you want me to take my vitamin next, Dad?” I joke as I cross my arms and drop my weight onto my left foot and pop my hip out.

  Ignoring my extra dash of sass, he continues, “I have tickets for the Yankees versus Red Sox tonight. You’re coming…” He holds his hand up cutting me off before I get a chance to protest. “No isn’t an option. I’ve allowed you to stay in blanket-fort mode long enough. Now it’s time to get your ass into a Yankee’s jersey, those tight little jeans that make your ass look delectable, and come out to cheer on our team and harass those Boston-lovin’ pansy asses.”

  Did he just call my ass delectable?

  What the actual fuck?

  My brain short-circuits and I suddenly lose all the smart come backs I had just moments ago.

  “Tonight?” I finally stutter out.

  Nodding his head yes, he reveals his perfect all-white teeth smile making my knees sway beneath me.

  This whole celibacy thing isn’t going the way I planned. I keep burning through my batteries at night. I have no idea what is going on with my brain at the moment. Whatever it is doing…it seriously needs to knock that shit off right now.

  It’s getting so bad that two nights ago I awoke panting and reeling from an orgasm I had thanks to a sex dream with Vance and I, that’d make a freaking nun need a cigarette.

  “Yes, tonight. So make sure you come straight home after work to get ready. The whole gang’s going. We’ll be meeting up outside
the stadium around five for some pre-gaming in the parking lot.”

  Letting out a defeated sigh, I adjust my purse on my shoulder and glance at my watch. “Alright. I guess I’ll go. But I’m coming straight home after the game. No bar crawling afterwards. I don’t want to deal with drunk creeps falling all over me. Plus, Jake always hangs out at our pub, and I can’t deal with running into him or Sara just yet.”

  “We won’t. I promise. As soon as the game’s over, we’ll take the train straight home.”

  “Okay. Then I’ll see you tonight around five.”

  I hear him shouting, “Have a nice day,” as I dart out the door before slamming it behind me.

  Thanks to Vance it looks like not only will I now be sprinting to work to avoid being late, but I’ll also have to face all of our friends for the first time since everything happened with Jake and Sara. I can’t help but be completely mortified by the entire situation. I can only hope that everyone will be too occupied with the game to even care about my treacherous love life.

  ***

  The subway is packed with standing room only as we ride the train to Yankees stadium. Thankfully, I successfully snatched up a seat after two stops and now get to sit the rest of the way. The only down side is I have some old guy’s ass in my face who smells like my grandmother’s closet.

  Whoever invented moth balls should’ve made them at least smell a little better. I swear the smell is going to be permanently imbedded in my nose if this guy doesn’t get off the train soon.

  Vance is standing a few people away from me, gripping onto a pole and talking with his partner and best friend Tony. His wife, Paige, who I’ve grown close to since Tony became Vance’s partner, is five months pregnant and suffering from severe morning sickness so sadly she had to skip the ballgame tonight. Vance’s sister, Shelby who’s one of my best friends and Vance’s biggest ball buster, is the only girl attending tonight along with her fiance Charlie. Along with me, she was able to score this bench seat with our stealth-like moves. After living in the city as long as we have you learn how to spot a seat a mile away. We scoped this baby out as soon as we stepped onto the subway car. Thankfully the train is so packed that people are more worried about not missing their stop that they miss a seat when it opens up.