Song 20 ♫ Sort of A Girlfriend
Never had a Monday felt more surreal after the weekend I had. I had a niggling worry in the back of my mind that everything had been a dream, like I didn't profess my crush on Tae Yang to him and have it be returned with scorching kisses, or like Mom didn't catch us in bed together without getting mad.
That was the wildest part, the lack of lectures.
The moment I emerged from my office in search of coffee after all-morning calls with providers, Leyna latched onto me like a new appendage. "How was your weekend?"
Dreamy. Delicious.
But that had nothing to do with what she'd done.
I narrowed my eyes down at her. "Really good—no thanks to you. I'm never going out with you again."
She gave me a double take. "Why not?"
"Because," and as I said this I gave her my best resting bitch face. "You abandoned me to three men, two of which were total strangers."
She leaned on the kitchenette counter as I brewed myself a fresh mug. "Bitch, one of them is your rich boy toy and the other two looked like his bodyguards. We're talking about big money, you should be thankful."
"First of all, he's not my boy toy," I said, watching the coffee machine and not her face, so she wouldn't see what could be on mine. "And second, you're just lucky it was Tae Yang because if you'd dumped me on anyone else you'd be dead."
"Sheesh, I know what I'm doing. I wouldn't do you dirty like that." Leyna leaned towards me and nudged me with her elbow. "Pero cuéntame, does he know what he's doing?"
And in case I didn't catch the hint, she winked real big.
I snorted. "Stop."
Of course, she didn't.
"Because you did bone him, right?"
I shushed her and looked around. We were alone in the kitchenette but some of the office staff weren't far. A peep around the door assured me no one was near enough to overhear.
"You'll be the death of me," I told her.
Leyna wasn't done with the topic. She leaned closer to me and said, "You mean, I served you up to that hot papi and nothing happened?"
I bit my lips. It wasn't like nothing had happened at all. Just, the thing she was thinking about didn't.
Leyna pressed. "Or he just couldn't—"
I raised the palm of my hand. "Don't finish that thought."
The coffee machine was done and as I poured some of the dark liquid on my mug, she asked, "Then what happened?"
I sighed. "You won't leave me alone until I say something, right?"
"That's right, you're basically paying me to extricate the gossip out of you." She flipped perfect ringlets over her shoulder and offered me a smile that, as a former Miss Venezuela contestant, made me proud.
"Fine, come along." I herded us to my office, where at least we'd get enough notice if someone came in. She sat by my desk and I fired up my laptop to get real convincing at pretending to work. "We did, let's say, make some progress. I just didn't want to do what I always do with guys. I want to take it slow this time."
"Ooooh, so you like like this guy."
"Yeah, I really like him." I sagged on my chair. "Is that crazy?"
"The way you guys met is the truly crazy part here." She shrugged. "Getting with a hot young papi who is also rich? We call that a jackpot. Especially if he has moves, you know what I'm saying. Does he at least kiss good?"
Heat exploded in my chest.
When I closed my eyes, I could still feel his lips trailing down my neck...
Leyna zeroed in on the goosebumps breaking on my skin and the heat on my face. "Is the great Cecilia Luna actually blushing over a guy?"
I cleared my throat and brought the coffee mug closer to my nose, as though it would help clear my mind the same way it did to my nose, after smelling too much perfume.
Didn't work.
"Good is not enough to describe it," I said, my voice raspy. "I near exploded with a just kiss. No one's made me feel this way before."
Leyna gasped so loud it must have hurt her throat. "Hot Asian papi got game, huh?"
I threw a stress ball at her, which she didn't even bother dodging while she laughed.
That was when the door opened abruptly, which told me exactly who it was even before he spoke.
"What's going on here?" Bryce asked, stepping into my office. His eyes found Leyna and narrowed.
I was somewhat prepared, so I said, "Nothing boss, just checking the digital inventory with Leyna."
He dismissed her presence by saying, to me, "I'm sure it can wait. I'd like to have a word with Cecilia in private."
I froze.
"Sorry, but it actually can't wait," Leyna said, shrugging in a what-are-you-gonna-do kinda way. "It might affect upcoming orders if we postpone this."
The way Bryce frowned his lips plainly said he didn't like either option. But in the end he chose being reasonable, for once. "Fine, I'll catch up with you later, Cee."
I gave him a thumbs up and we watched in silence until he left.
Then I let out a huge breath. "Mierda, y ahora qué voy a hacer?"
"About the inventory?" Leyna asked but I shook my head. "Oh, about the ex. Well, if you need more help to shake him off, just holla."
"Just for that I may consider going out with you again in the future."
She leaned back on the chair. "Only for that, or for helping you make progress with this papi?"
As if summoned, said papi sent me a text. The screen of my phone lit up with his name and Leyna was too quick to miss it.
She made a real high pitched noise in her throat.
I pointed at her face. "You, stop."
How long is ur lunch break? His text read, but I wasn't done drafting a reply when a second message arrived from him. Actually, I'll even take 5min if that's all u have for me today.
Technically, as a full-time employee I had one hour, and while Bryce sometimes took two, he made it obvious he didn't like it if people took over half an hour.
Thus, I replied, I get one hour.
Cool! I'm almost there.
"He's coming to get me for lunch," I told Leyna.
She snapped her fingers several times. "That's right, baby. Love is in the air."
"Whew, it's a bit premature to be dropping the L word." Even as I said this, I chugged my coffee as quick as I could and grabbed my purse. Just in case. "Let's go out to the store."
"Weren't we supposed to be doing some inventory?" Leyna said with a laugh.
"Inventory, who?"
As if timed, the moment we went out into the front of the store was when Tae Yang opened the door.
This time he was in all black. Combat boots, ripped jeans, a loose button up shirt, sunglasses completely obscuring his eyes, and the cap.
"Are you hiding from someone?" I asked when he reached me.
Without missing a beat, he grabbed my hand and said, "Sorta. I only need you to really see me."
"Oh, he smooth and bold," Leyna said to me before facing him. "Hey papi, how you doin'?"
I waved my free hand to shoo her. "Oh my God, go."
She blew me a kiss and turned on her heels, heading straight for where most of the shopfloor employees waited for the gossip, making eyes at Tae Yang and I as we left the store. Nothing was secret here.
Tae Yang snorted. "Your friend would get along really well with my friends."
I suddenly imagined Leyna and Madison tag teaming and it made me shudder.
"Speaking of them, how are your roommates?" I asked. I only saw them for that brief glimpse during the time I hung out at their house on Saturday.
"They're okay, just jet lagged, which was lucky. Otherwise, the teasing would've never ended."
I pretended to wipe my forehead. "Where were they?"
"The Seychelles," he said.
"The say what?"
Tae Yang stopped, grinning. "It's a country in the Indian ocean, absolutely gorgeous. I can take you one day if you want."
I squinted up at him not only because the midday sun blared on us, but also because that sounded expensive as fuck.
"Take her where?" a familiar voice said behind us. Bryce's eyes fixed on my hand in Tae Yang's. "Where are you going?"
I wished it were as socially acceptable for me to hurl my shoe at people as it was for my mom to throw hers at me. Alas.
With as much composure as I could gather, I said, "To lunch."
Bryce frowned. "With this guy?"
Tae Yang tipped his face forward and lowered his shades to glance at me. "Can your employer restrict who you have lunch with?"
"Nope," I said right away. "That's not in my contract."
Tae Yang hummed. "Then, I guess that means you owe them no explanations, right?"
Damn, he was a smartass.
I smiled. "That's right."
He tugged at my hand and with the other one I waved at my boss. It was all I could do not to skip.
Cool as a cucumber, Tae Yang pointed at a Mexican restaurant just across the parking lot. "Wanna try that place? I've heard it's good."
"The tacos are superb," I said, discretely turning and finding ourselves alone again. "Oh, thank goodness. He's gone."
Tae Yang cringed. "Shit, is that little stunt gonna get you in trouble? I will grovel at his feet if I have to. I'd hate it, but I'd do it."
I chuckled and lifted his arm up around my shoulders, if only so I could hug him up close. "Nope, you actually helped me out. After the whole dinner fiasco, he's been acting so weird and I didn't know how to shake him off other than saying I have a boyfriend now."
He pulled away just enough to regale me with a cocked eyebrow. "And do you? Have a boyfriend now, I mean?"
I groaned and hung my head.
"Ugh, that was so smooth. I can't."
We walked into the restaurant like that, as a single human mass with four legs. The hostess was a middle-aged lady who took one look at us and directed us to the most secluded booth. She dropped our menus with a wink, as if she were totally fine if we started making out in the back of the restaurant.
Tempting, especially as Tae Yang finally removed his cap and sunglasses, and his hair fell forward on his forehead, daring me to touch it.
"So, I have some good and bad news," he said, snapping me out of the haze. "Which one do you want first?"
I sighed. "Can I only have the good?"
"Okay, I'll give you the good first and then the bad." His eyes twinkled, making me unable to contradict him. Damn him.
"Fine."
"The good news is, I heard through the grapevine that I sort of have a girlfriend now."
Groaning, I let my head fall on the table. "That wasn't—I wasn't trying to make a pass at you. I wanted us to take it slow but—stop giving me that look."
As if he wanted to laugh and also take a bite out of me at the same time.
"Whatever, what's the bad news?"
It better not be that he didn't want to be my boyfriend.
Tae Yang pushed the sleeves of his shirt up his arms, past his elbows. I wished he'd keep going.
"I really wanted to take my new girlfriend on a spectacular date, but I have to be out of town for work for a couple of weeks, and I leave this evening."
A waiter showed up right after Tae Yang dropped that bomb. "Bienvenidos, what can I getcha?"
"Sorry, can we have a few more minutes?" Tae Yang asked, and the waiter gave him a smiley nod and left. My, I guessed, new boyfriend sighed. "I have to go to New York for a meeting and then to LA to wrap up the final details of the mix. That'll take the longest time, but I capped the trip at two weeks max."
The words kinda went over my head against the force of my desire to wrap my limbs around him and not let him go. I sagged back against the booth.
Tae Yang rubbed the back of his head. "It was all supposed to be done next month, but the show last weekend did really well, you know? Gotta strike while the iron is hot, but I know it's not ideal timing for us."
He bit his lip, and the vision triggered a memory of him playing the piano in the middle of the night, asking me—back then, mostly a stranger—if he should dare to dream of something different.
I reached across the table for his hand.
"Do you remember the first time we FaceTimed all night?" He nodded, turning my hand to lace our fingers together. Tingles traveled up my arm and I sighed. "Is this about that dream you were telling me about back then?"
"Yes," he said.
I smiled. "Then go for it. I don't ever want to be someone who holds you back. Besides, I know where you live now and Mom has a key anyway."
The smile on his face was like an arrow to my heart, if an arrow could make it whole.
"Wait," he said, his brow creasing. "Are you going to be okay on your own with that doucheturd boss of yours?"
"I'll be fine." I shrugged. "I survived before you."
"If anything happens, let me know right away, okay?" Tae Yang raised my hand to his lips and though the kiss was soft, just the touch of his lips on my skin had me curling my toes. And then there was the way his eyes smoldered as he said, "I'll rush back if I have to."
My voice was breezy as I said, "It'll be okay."
SONG OF THE DAY: Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend
i'm gonna have a root canal today and there's no guarantee i'll be functional tomorrow (or longer), LOL. so here you go, a surprise double update ✨
(pray for me)
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