Friends to Lovers (Heart of Hope 6)

I meant it when I told Cyrus I didn’t want to be set up by my friends. That did feel pathetic. And anyone I was being introduced to would know it. In fact, they might be pathetic too if they had to be introduced to me. No, I needed to find another method of meeting someone.

I was usually too tired to go out on the bar scene and now that April was married, I didn’t have anyone to go with anyway. It seemed like my only option was online dating, which seemed pathetic too, except at least I wouldn’t be at a party being introduced to someone while others could observe. This could be done in secret. Private.

After dinner, I searched for top online dating in Bismarck. I found one that looked promising. It said it matched people based on personality compatibility. I wasn’t ugly, but I also wasn’t likely to be the sort of beauty that stopped a man mid-scroll of his options to admire.

It took me a few tries and several glasses of wine, but I finally signed up. I found a picture of me that was a few years old, but was the prettiest I could find. I focused on wanting someone with a sense of humor, who enjoyed lazy days at home, and was looking for something long term. My finger hovered over the “enter” button as fear and feelings of embarrassment that I was considering putting myself on a dating site swirled in my gut. But finally, I hit the button. I could delete it if no one was interested in me.

Once that was done, I quickly turned off my computer and sat back, wondering what I’d done. I started to hit the on button to remove it, but then decided I’d leave overnight. I’d see who, if anyone, was interested.

The fact that I was likely going to abandon the online dating option meant I’d need a new plan. I didn’t want to be set up, but maybe I could attract people at the party on my own. Perhaps if I mixed things up a bit in my life, I wouldn’t need my friends' help. Men would gravitate to me.

I went to my room to go through my clothes to find a suitable men-attractor costume. As a short redhead, I usually went as something cutesy like Little Orphan Annie or Raggedy Ann. But showing up at the party dressed as a child’s toy wasn’t the best way to give off a date-me vibe. I needed to find something sexy. Or at least grown up.

This time, I used my phone and did a search on Halloween costumes. Being a redhead, I started with sexy redhead costumes. I got an assortment that included Merida from Brave and Ariel from The Little Mermaid, neither of which seemed appropriate for the sexy category. There was Fiona from Shrek, which considering some of my rounder body parts might have fit, but being green didn’t seem sexy either. There was Jessica Rabbit, which would have been perfect as I had the T&A, but not the tiny waist or height. My hair would take hours to straighten as well.

I skipped looking for a specific character and moved on to searching for basic Halloween witch costume ideas. There were some sexy looking costumes but I didn’t want to go as the black pointed hat type. I was getting ready to do a search on vampires, when I saw a promo photo from the movie Hocus Pocus. While it was a Disney Movie like Brave and The Little Mermaid, a search of costumes related to the Sanderson sisters showed options that could be alluring without being over the top skanky. I opted to go with Sarah’s style of dress using my own wavy red hair. No one would guess that I was dressed as a Hocus Pocus character, but they’d definitely see me as a witch.

I went to my closet and found an old costume I wore in a Gilbert and Sullivan musical in high school that had the right type of bodice. Then I made a list of items I’d need to create the rest of the costume, and looked at my schedule for when I could get to the thrift and craft stores to see what I could buy to hobble together a costume.

I finished the rest of the night working on my business books. Since April got married, she wasn’t helping me with them anymore. I should probably hire a bookkeeper, but in the meantime, I did my own accounting.

Then I poured wine, and watched an episode of the Great British Bake Off which despite being a competition, was always very soothing and soft. When it was done, I got ready for bed. I was excited for the Halloween party and revealing my updated s

elf. I wondered what Cyrus would think. I laughed at myself. Cyrus was my friend. A good friend.

I wondered if he was ever lonely. Now that Jude was married, he didn’t have time either. Did Cyrus have other friends? His conversation today suggested he wasn’t dating, so what did he do at night? I knew he bought a home and worked on it, but surely that was done.

Maybe I needed to make more of an effort to hang out with him. Just as a friend of course. Winter was coming, which was bitterly cold in North Dakota, but it was still fall and there were plenty of activities we could do. I closed the bakery at ten on Sundays, so maybe we could go to the river or visit a museum. Since he wasn’t from here, I could show him around. Granted, he’d been here a year, but I didn’t have a since that he’d really taken in the sights of the city and surrounding area.

I shook my head reminding myself that if I was ever going to find true love, I needed to let my infatuation with Cyrus go. I’d have to find someone else to spend my Sunday afternoons with.

My heart sank a little, and sure sign I was crushing too much on the large, silent but sweet Cyrus.

5

Cyrus

I had no problem taking Petal to a Halloween party. I had a problem with Halloween parties themselves. The dressing up part in particular. A quick chat with my mother, who was thrilled to hear I was going out, but still sounded tired, gave me the idea of Zorro. Black shirt and slacks I already owned. Then I just needed to get a black mask, hat and gloves. A party store downtown had a fake sword. I looked like an idiot. The things one did for friends.

I arrived at Petal’s, parking outside her shop. I left my hat, gloves, mask, and weapon in the car as I went in through her exterior door up to her apartment. I knocked on the door and waited.

A few moments later it opened and my eyes about came out of my head. Holy shit she was sexy. My eyes were doing a full inventory of her body before I caught myself. I cleared my throat and forced my gaze back up to her eyes.

“I thought you were going as Orphan Annie or something.” Did my voice crack?

She smiled, her cute dimple showing through. “I wanted to mix things up. Do you like it?” She did a little twirl and my brain skipped a beat at seeing the witchy fabric over her round ass. She finally came full circle. “I have a few more things to do. Come in.”

She opened the door and I stepped into her place. It was small, but perfectly fit Petal. It smelled like vanilla and had lots of color and comfort.

“I’ve got a beer in the fridge if you want,” she called from her bedroom.

Needing something to quench the heat firing in my body, I went to her kitchen, grabbed a beer and drank about half the bottle. I looked over at her kitchen table and noticed her laptop. It was still on and without thinking I took a look at what was on the screen.

My gut clenched. It was a dating profile. I bent closer to look. Jesus, she had several men reaching out to her. Who were they? They could be psycho killers. What was she thinking?

If she needed a man, one was right here in her kitchen. She’s your friend.

I shook the jealousy from my head. I wasn’t the right man for her. Petal was all light and sweetness. I was too dark and closed off. I wasn’t what she was looking for.