Bellamy's Redemption

“Tell me about your past, Emma,” Pete said, referring to the questionnaire. “Have you ever been in love?”

This question wasn’t so fun. I’d been going to ask him to skip it all together. But if I wanted a fair shake at this, I supposed I’d better answer it. “I have. Twice. But neither time worked out. Next question.”

“What went wrong?” Pete asked.

“Oh, you know, the usual.” I smiled, casually returning the wooden spoon and apron to their places, trying to erase the image of spilled sweaters from my mind.

“And by ‘the usual’ you mean…”

“Well, the first time we were pretty young. We met when we were freshmen in college. So it doesn’t count as real life. And the second time, well, he didn’t want babies, like ever, and I would like about ten, so there you have it. We had to break up.”

“Seriously?”

“I’m kidding. I don’t want ten. But I would like some. Someday. And he was sure he didn’t. Seriously.”

“Okay, and how long ago did you break up with that guy?”

“About a year and a half ago.”

“Were you together long?”

“Two years.”

“Did you live with him?”

“No! Of course not,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Interesting,” said Pete, nodding thoughtfully. He turned back to the sheet of paper in his hands. “Do you have any celebrity crushes?”

“I’m not particularly impressed by celebrities,” I lied. “They’re just people like us who have more money for plastic surgery. I don’t even watch television.” Well, at least that was almost true. “I mean, except when Bellamy is on. Bellamy is different. I can tell.”

“What about infomercials?”

“Yes, Pete. I am a big fan of the guy on the Spin-Chop-Dryer commercial. He is my one exception.”

“Cool,” he said, smiling. He continued on, “If you could travel to any destination in the entire world, where would you go?”

“Ooh! That is a good question! Well… I’ve done some traveling, so I think it would be best to go some place new… Madrid! I would like to go to Madrid.”

“Why Madrid?”

“Because of the spice markets.”

“Spice markets?”

“Oops. I meant Morocco.” I started laughing. “I think you should edit that part.”

“So that’s more embarrassing to you than the whole ‘fireplace’ thing?”

I shrugged. “This whole thing is embarrassing. You might as well leave it in.”

“What is your ultimate fantasy date?”

“Another good question…” I adjusted the strap of my cocktail gown, trying to think on my feet. I didn’t know if I could answer this honestly. A perfect date could be anything if you were with the right person, and the most well-planned, beautiful evening in the world could be awkward and dull if you were with the wrong person. “I’d love to jump out of a plane,” I said, nodding firmly. Really, I would hate it.

“Any nicknames?”

“Excuse me?”