says Rob really likes you.” Carol knew she was rambling, but she wanted to get it all out before Laurie had a chance to shut her down. She glanced back up at Laurie’s thoughtful face, pleased to see that it did not look as though she was angry.
Laurie was thoughtful for a moment, not sure how to answer. Taking a deep breath, she looked back into her friend’s troubled blue eyes. “Carol, I have no right to judge Rob. If he’s a player, then that’s his business. But I assure you, I’m not ever going to be someone’s one-night stand.”
Carol rushed to say that she knew Laurie wouldn’t, but Laurie continued, “And it is more than that. When I am ready to settle down, I need someone stable. Someone who just has eyes for me. Someone who makes me feel as though their whole world is me.” She hesitated, then looked into Carol’s eyes. “Is that too much to ask?”
Carol leaned over and embraced Laurie. “No, that’s not too much to ask.” Leaning back, she asked, “But do you think that Rob is incapable of that?”
Laurie, quiet with a sad, faraway look in her eyes, replied, “I don’t know, Carol. But for now, the Rob I met the other night is still too much of a player for me. I would get hurt, and I’m going to protect myself from that.”
“But what if, in protecting yourself, you don’t allow yourself to possibly find that love?”
Laurie, still with a sad look in her eyes, looked away as she said, “It won’t be the first time the handsome prince got away.”
Carol, curious about her cryptic comment, knew that Laurie was not going to explain further. Picking the remote up again, they finally found a movie to watch as they enjoyed the rest of the evening.
*
Rob left work and headed to Tom’s apartment. He felt like he was in middle school but convinced Tom to have Carol question Laurie to see what he needed to do to prove that he had a chance. Walking in to Tom’s house, he settled at the kitchen bar reaching for the beer that Tom was handing to him.
“Okay man, don’t make me beg. What’s the word about Laurie?” Rob asked.
Tom sighed and looked his friend in the eyes. “You know, jerkoff, if you had kept it in your pants more often or at least with some discrimination, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”
Rob looked up at Tom incredulously. “What the hell, man? You’ve slept with just as many women as I have, so how come you’re so sanctimonious?”
“’Cause when I came back to town five years ago, I took a page out of Jake’s book. No town hookups. Too much drama on the job and kept life cleaner!” Tom answered.
“Man, I haven’t hooked up with anyone in a month. Not since I first laid eyes on Laurie,” Rob confessed.
Tom looked surprised, but Rob continued. “Yeah, I saw her at the grocery store the first day she was in town. I didn’t know who she was then, but one look at her rocked my world. I was actually ready to bang some girl I met in the bar after that, but one real look at the skank, all I could think of was how much of a princess Laurie looked like and, man, I swear my dick shriveled!”
Tom, with a raised eyebrow, stated, “Bro, I do not need to know that much about your dick!” The friends shared a laugh. Then silence ensued.
“Seriously, Tom. I can’t think of anything else but her. Please tell me there is some kind of a chance.”
Tom looked thoughtfully at his childhood friend, realizing how much he really wanted to see Rob happy. “The only thing that Carol said was that Laurie had been interested, but it appears that some other dickwad got to her first.”
At that, Rob’s eyes snapped in anger. “What do you mean by that?”
Tom, putting his hands up in front of him, replied, “Don’t shoot the messenger! It’s just that Laurie seemed to indicate that she had been burned before. Don’t know the details but, Rob, you’d better be sure. Laurie is a great girl; nice, sweet, wholesome. The kind that someone wants to create a
Laurie was thoughtful for a moment, not sure how to answer. Taking a deep breath, she looked back into her friend’s troubled blue eyes. “Carol, I have no right to judge Rob. If he’s a player, then that’s his business. But I assure you, I’m not ever going to be someone’s one-night stand.”
Carol rushed to say that she knew Laurie wouldn’t, but Laurie continued, “And it is more than that. When I am ready to settle down, I need someone stable. Someone who just has eyes for me. Someone who makes me feel as though their whole world is me.” She hesitated, then looked into Carol’s eyes. “Is that too much to ask?”
Carol leaned over and embraced Laurie. “No, that’s not too much to ask.” Leaning back, she asked, “But do you think that Rob is incapable of that?”
Laurie, quiet with a sad, faraway look in her eyes, replied, “I don’t know, Carol. But for now, the Rob I met the other night is still too much of a player for me. I would get hurt, and I’m going to protect myself from that.”
“But what if, in protecting yourself, you don’t allow yourself to possibly find that love?”
Laurie, still with a sad look in her eyes, looked away as she said, “It won’t be the first time the handsome prince got away.”
Carol, curious about her cryptic comment, knew that Laurie was not going to explain further. Picking the remote up again, they finally found a movie to watch as they enjoyed the rest of the evening.
*
Rob left work and headed to Tom’s apartment. He felt like he was in middle school but convinced Tom to have Carol question Laurie to see what he needed to do to prove that he had a chance. Walking in to Tom’s house, he settled at the kitchen bar reaching for the beer that Tom was handing to him.
“Okay man, don’t make me beg. What’s the word about Laurie?” Rob asked.
Tom sighed and looked his friend in the eyes. “You know, jerkoff, if you had kept it in your pants more often or at least with some discrimination, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”
Rob looked up at Tom incredulously. “What the hell, man? You’ve slept with just as many women as I have, so how come you’re so sanctimonious?”
“’Cause when I came back to town five years ago, I took a page out of Jake’s book. No town hookups. Too much drama on the job and kept life cleaner!” Tom answered.
“Man, I haven’t hooked up with anyone in a month. Not since I first laid eyes on Laurie,” Rob confessed.
Tom looked surprised, but Rob continued. “Yeah, I saw her at the grocery store the first day she was in town. I didn’t know who she was then, but one look at her rocked my world. I was actually ready to bang some girl I met in the bar after that, but one real look at the skank, all I could think of was how much of a princess Laurie looked like and, man, I swear my dick shriveled!”
Tom, with a raised eyebrow, stated, “Bro, I do not need to know that much about your dick!” The friends shared a laugh. Then silence ensued.
“Seriously, Tom. I can’t think of anything else but her. Please tell me there is some kind of a chance.”
Tom looked thoughtfully at his childhood friend, realizing how much he really wanted to see Rob happy. “The only thing that Carol said was that Laurie had been interested, but it appears that some other dickwad got to her first.”
At that, Rob’s eyes snapped in anger. “What do you mean by that?”
Tom, putting his hands up in front of him, replied, “Don’t shoot the messenger! It’s just that Laurie seemed to indicate that she had been burned before. Don’t know the details but, Rob, you’d better be sure. Laurie is a great girl; nice, sweet, wholesome. The kind that someone wants to create a
Similar Books
