Dear Heart, I Hate You

“No. It’s a rental, but the location is killer and it’s not an apartment. Tami couldn’t handle the whole shared-wall thing. Before she moved here, I thought she was going to murder someone if she didn’t find a new place.”

He reached for my hand as we headed toward her front door. Instead of walking right in, I knocked first and waited, not exactly sure why since it wasn’t what I’d normally do.

“Come in,” she shouted from somewhere in the house, and I turned the door handle and stepped inside.

Tami came flying around the corner from her bedroom and leaped into Cal’s arms. He laughed and hugged her as she kissed his cheek.

“Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that she’s crazy?” I pointed at my best friend who was currently molesting my . . . Cal.

“I already knew,” he said as he set her onto her feet.

“Cal, it’s so nice to meet you in real life,” she said with a big smile that I was thrilled to see was genuine.

“You too.”

As he took her in, he paused at her eyes, and I worried for a second that she had those damn pink contacts in. But when she glanced at me, I saw she was wearing the ones that made her eyes an unnatural shade of green.

“Your eyes,” he said before looking at me and then back at her.

Oh Lord. If Cal complimented Tami’s fake eyes, I might have to end whatever this was between us immediately. I begged him silently to not be that guy, to please be smarter than the rest, as he continued to glance awkwardly between us.

“Your eyes aren’t real, are they?” he finally said, and I wanted to shout with joy.

Tami parked a hand on one hip. “What do you mean, Cal?”

“It’s just . . . don’t get me wrong, Tami, they’re attractive, but they’re not normal,” he said, his expression wary as if he was afraid of offending her. “Contacts, right?”

She laughed. “Yes, they’re contacts. I don’t have green eyes. Mine are boring and brown and I get tired of them, so I spice it up. Speaking of, I need to finish getting dressed. Help yourself to whatever. I’ll be right back.”

When Tami was gone, I grinned up at Cal. “I freaking love you for not telling her how pretty her eyes are,” I blurted without thinking. “Not love-love you. You know what I mean.” I waved a hand, hoping I hadn’t completely freaked him out.

He pulled me close and kissed the tip of my nose. “Your eyes are prettier. I love the color.”

Inside, I moaned a private little sigh. I wouldn’t have been surprised if all my bones had turned to sand and I slipped right through his fingers. Who knew I could be such a sap?

“You want a beer?” I asked as I pulled open her fridge.

“Yeah, sounds great. But I can get it.”

“I know you can.” I pulled out a bottle and handed it to him. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to make sure she’s actually getting ready and not texting, or we’ll be here all night. You okay?”

He looked around her living room. “I think I’ll manage.”

I hustled into the bathroom. Tami still wasn’t dressed, but was instead focused on clipping blood-red and neon-blue extensions into her hair.

“I hate to feed your ego, but those look fierce.” I reached for one of the blue strands.

“I know.” She smiled in the mirror before turning around to face me. “First of all, he’s stupid hot and looks so good. A man who knows how to dress is such a turn-on,” she said, her face serious. “Second, he’s awesome, Jules. He let me hop into his arms and he knew my eyes were fake. What a keeper.” She smirked at me before turning back around.

I wasn’t sure how to respond so I just grinned, knowing my best friend would have more to say on the subject.

“How has the weekend been so far?” she asked. “Oh my God, Jules.” Her eyebrows shot up as if she’d only just remembered something important. “How was the sex? Tell me right now!”

My cheeks warmed, and the mirror revealed I was blushing. “It was . . .” I glanced around, searching for the right word.

“It was what? Awful? Awesome? Amazing? Terrible? I’m dying here, Jules. Tell me.” She frowned at me, contorting her lips in the mirror as she lined them and applied deep red lipstick.

“It was incredible,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t know what the hell I’ve been doing all those other times, but it wasn’t that.”