Thankfully, he pulled away and things resumed to normal. Well, sort of normal. I rushed through the rest of my work out and have escaped quickly before I can do anything else to make a fool out of myself.
I need to speak to someone and there’s only one person in the world who will understand.
“Hello…”
“Kayleigh,” I leap over her, unable to let her finish. The words need to spill out my mouth like lava spilling from a volcano. “Something happened.”
“What happened? Are you okay?”
I rush along the street a little further, until I’m a safe distance away. “I’m okay, but it was the guy at the gym.”
“Did he ask you out? I’ve been getting the feeling that he’s into you.”
“He didn’t ask me out, but we had a moment.”
“A moment?” I can almost hear her screwing her nose up. “What do you mean? Did you hook up?”
“No, but there was this...” How do I describe it?” “This moment where his body collided with mine. Accidently, I think, and a real intense sexual chemistry sizzled between us.” There’s a fizzing at my core to remind me. “I don’t think it was just a one way thing either.”
“Oh my God, I knew it,” she laughs, pleased with herself. “I could just see it. It’s so obvious. That’s awesome, no wonder he likes you, you’re beautiful. What happened? Did he try it on?”
“He pulled away and I honestly felt breathless afterwards.”
“Oh, that’s a shame.” The cogs in her brain tick away. “You know you should ask him out.”
“Ask him out?” I screech, much too loudly. “I can’t do that?”
“Why the hell not? It isn’t the 1920’s. We’re practically a hundred years later than that now. Ask him out.”
Even the idea of asking Noah out on a date makes me feel sick. Knowing my luck if I ever even managed to get the words out, I would end up puking everywhere, humiliating myself.
“I can’t ask him out, I’m much too shy for that.”
“No,” Kayleigh warns. “You’ve spent your life so far being much too shy, but not anymore. You are strong and confident, coming out of your shell, kicking ass. You can do this. It’s the brand new you.”
I groan. “Oh, I like the idea of a brand new me, but I can’t do it. What if he turns me down?”
“I don’t think he will, but so what? Just brush it off.”
That’s easy for her to say, she has desensitized herself to rejection with all the dating she does. I don’t know if my super fragile heart would be able to take it. Even now, imagining it makes me shudder. There’s dragging myself back out of my shell and there is this. It’s too damn much.
“But then where would I work out? I will have to find a new gym.”
“Why, Mia? People face this sort of thing all the time. This is Las Vegas. Dating happens. Rejection happens, people just get past it. You really don’t have to make a huge deal of it.”
“Hmm, I guess so.” I’m not convinced.
“Look, I have to go, I’m off out in a moment but promise me you’ll just think about it?”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to think of anything else.”
“If it seems too hard then maybe we should head out this weekend to get some flirting practice in.”
“You think?” Even that is enough to make me panic.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Right, I’ll plan it and see you soon.”