Then my phone beeped three times in quick succession.
Kelly always sent rapid-fire messages. I ignored Eric's texts for fear of being heartbroken yet again, and went directly to Kelly's. She demanded that I meet her at Renaissance Pub, our usual local hangout. Apparently, she had a rough day, plus she hadn't had a chance to tell me all about the bearded man from Saturday night.
Looking around my tiny apartment, I could either stay here and wallow in self-pity for the evening, or go catch up with my friend. Before I'd even thought it through completely, I responded to her text, telling her I would be there at seven.
I brushed my hair, threw on minimal makeup, and found a comfortable but flattering gray patterned dress. It sort of looked like clouds, which made me think of the dark cloud hanging over me. It might have been a bit emo, but it was how I was feeling at the moment.
I walked to the pub, strolling in to see Kelly sitting in a large booth.
"Jamie just left," she said. "I was hoping that you could meet him, but it's his brother's birthday so he had to get to dinner."
"I take it that Jamie is your sexy bearded guy from last weekend?"
"Yes," she said, her eyes absolutely sparkling. She went on to tell me some of the sordid details, including the fact that he still had a waterbed, and was incredibly skilled with his hands.
Strangely, I found myself blushing less than usual during her raunchy tale.
"I don't know how official we are yet," she said, "But we're going out again Saturday night, so that's something."
Our regular bartender Todd was working tonight, so Kelly only had to wave to order us two Blue Beaches.
The second they arrived, we both took a sip, then she turned to lean in closer. "Now you must tell me every detail of what happened with that hunk you were dancing with. Did I actually see you kissing him?"
This time the blush shot through me from my eyebrows to my hips. Kelly's mouth fell open. I didn't even realize her eyes could get that wide. "Holy fucking shit. You went home with him."
"Wait, wait," I said, holding up my hands. "It was really late, and I was tipsy. So he took me home to crash at his place."
Kelly was literally on the edge of her seat, practically twitching. "And?"
I honestly wasn't sure how much I could share. It felt private. It felt like a secret I wanted to keep to myself. "He has a very nice condo," I said slowly.
"And? You had better tell me everything."
"Well, he was a perfect gentleman. I woke up in the morning with my clothes on, and a wall of pillows between us because he thought he would reach for me in the night and snuggle me in his sleep."
Kelly made a little puppy dog whimper. "Oh my God, that's so dorky and so adorable at the same time."
“Yeah, he was amazing, but–”
“Psst.” Kelly nodded to the door. “Isn’t that him?”
I glanced up to see Eric turning toward me. As soon as he recognized me, his eyes widened. Was he surprised?
“Sherbert.”
Kelly laughed. “Watch your language.”
There was no way that Eric could be here. I’d certainly never seen him here before. Having him appear out of the blue felt a bit creepy. Did he know I’d be here? Yet this was a public place.
Eric walked slowly toward us, and I felt myself biting my lip. I took a quick sip of my drink then set it down, trying to arrange my hands casually in my lap, but nothing felt right. I didn’t think he’d make a scene, but I really didn’t know him that well.
He came over slowly, sitting beside me on the bench, picking up my hands. “If I did anything to hurt you or offend you in any way, I’m so sorry, Eden.”
“I... um. No, that’s not it.”
His deep sigh of relief washed his warm breath over our clasped hands. “Thank god,” he muttered. Then he looked over to Kelly. “Hello,” he said politely, extending one hand. “I’m Eric.”
“Kelly,” she said, shaking his hand while looking completely confused.