Biltmore in about an hour, on me."
Right before she stands up, she slaps me on my behind and starts to run out of my room before I can retaliate. I stay put, going over in my mind everything from last night with Alex. It's like a twisted cosmic joke that in all the time I've known him he decides now is the right time to make his move. If not for the fact that I am leaving tomorrow, I'm fairly certain I would throw aside my reservations about pursuing a relationship with my boss. I glance over at my cell phone and I feel tempted to text him back something flirtatious but common sense holds me back. At this point, encouraging this situation further would not be wise on my part so I resist the urge. Instead, I reluctantly kick the comforter off of me then traipse out of my room and into the shower. Once I'm done and wrapped in my robe, I amble my way into the kitchen where Julia is waiting for me with a fresh mug of coffee.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome," she says as she leans against the counter.
"So, The Biltmore, huh?"
"Yup. Then, after a day of pampering, we're going to Frankie's for your favorite pizza. Then, come home and watch as many Felicity episodes as it takes to cheer you up."
"I love you," I say while smiling at her and take a seat at the table to drink my coffee. She walks towards me, pinching my right cheek and says, "Ditto."
We sit in silence for a few minutes, until she gets up and makes her way back to her room to get dressed. Taking my last sip of coffee, I get up to grab a refill and catch a glimpse of the invitation for the reunion that is being held up by a magnet on our refrigerator. I peel it out from under the magnet carefully and put it on the counter in front of me. Just like all the times before, my heart starts to beat so quickly that I can almost feel the blood running through my own veins. My eyes scan over the embossed words slowly. The whole time thinking of what I would say to him all these years later.
"He's going to be there. I can feel it," Julia says when she makes her way back into the kitchen. She perches her chin on my shoulder so she can look at the invite that's lying on the counter in front of me. "Come on, go get yourself ready for the spa. No talking about dickhead, the whore, Sawyer, or Willy Wonka for the rest of the day. And that's an order," she demands as she reaches around me and snatches the invitation. My lord, she has nicknames for everyone. I shake my head and do as I'm told while she tacks it back to the refrigerator door.
Our morning at the spa was luxurious and relaxing. Julia and I both received an aromatherapy massage, followed by our favorite mango manicure and pedicure. When we settle back into her car a couple of hours later, I'm fairly certain I've never felt more relaxed before in my life. So much so, that while she weaves in and out of traffic, it lulls me to sleep. A soft nudging from her alerts me that we've arrived to what I thought was going to be Frankie's, but as I open my eyes, we're actually in front of a boutique in Coconut Grove.
"What are we doing here?"
"Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas, roomie," she says and grabs her purse from the backseat.
"My birthday is not for another two months and Christmas is in December, in case you forgot."
"Oh, I didn't forget. But you're getting all your presents early. You need them today more than you will two months from now," she explains and steps out of the car into the blazing Miami afternoon sun.
I'm still in the car staring at her as she rounds the hood and stops to look back at me. She puts both her hands on her hips and pouts, effectively making me roll my eyes and get out of the car as well.
"Julia, this is too much." The spa alone must have cost her a nice chunk of change.
"Sweetie," she says and takes both my hands in hers. "You need this. Please let me do this for you. I know that if the tables were turned, you would be doing the same thing. God knows, you've helped me through some crazy break
Right before she stands up, she slaps me on my behind and starts to run out of my room before I can retaliate. I stay put, going over in my mind everything from last night with Alex. It's like a twisted cosmic joke that in all the time I've known him he decides now is the right time to make his move. If not for the fact that I am leaving tomorrow, I'm fairly certain I would throw aside my reservations about pursuing a relationship with my boss. I glance over at my cell phone and I feel tempted to text him back something flirtatious but common sense holds me back. At this point, encouraging this situation further would not be wise on my part so I resist the urge. Instead, I reluctantly kick the comforter off of me then traipse out of my room and into the shower. Once I'm done and wrapped in my robe, I amble my way into the kitchen where Julia is waiting for me with a fresh mug of coffee.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome," she says as she leans against the counter.
"So, The Biltmore, huh?"
"Yup. Then, after a day of pampering, we're going to Frankie's for your favorite pizza. Then, come home and watch as many Felicity episodes as it takes to cheer you up."
"I love you," I say while smiling at her and take a seat at the table to drink my coffee. She walks towards me, pinching my right cheek and says, "Ditto."
We sit in silence for a few minutes, until she gets up and makes her way back to her room to get dressed. Taking my last sip of coffee, I get up to grab a refill and catch a glimpse of the invitation for the reunion that is being held up by a magnet on our refrigerator. I peel it out from under the magnet carefully and put it on the counter in front of me. Just like all the times before, my heart starts to beat so quickly that I can almost feel the blood running through my own veins. My eyes scan over the embossed words slowly. The whole time thinking of what I would say to him all these years later.
"He's going to be there. I can feel it," Julia says when she makes her way back into the kitchen. She perches her chin on my shoulder so she can look at the invite that's lying on the counter in front of me. "Come on, go get yourself ready for the spa. No talking about dickhead, the whore, Sawyer, or Willy Wonka for the rest of the day. And that's an order," she demands as she reaches around me and snatches the invitation. My lord, she has nicknames for everyone. I shake my head and do as I'm told while she tacks it back to the refrigerator door.
Our morning at the spa was luxurious and relaxing. Julia and I both received an aromatherapy massage, followed by our favorite mango manicure and pedicure. When we settle back into her car a couple of hours later, I'm fairly certain I've never felt more relaxed before in my life. So much so, that while she weaves in and out of traffic, it lulls me to sleep. A soft nudging from her alerts me that we've arrived to what I thought was going to be Frankie's, but as I open my eyes, we're actually in front of a boutique in Coconut Grove.
"What are we doing here?"
"Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas, roomie," she says and grabs her purse from the backseat.
"My birthday is not for another two months and Christmas is in December, in case you forgot."
"Oh, I didn't forget. But you're getting all your presents early. You need them today more than you will two months from now," she explains and steps out of the car into the blazing Miami afternoon sun.
I'm still in the car staring at her as she rounds the hood and stops to look back at me. She puts both her hands on her hips and pouts, effectively making me roll my eyes and get out of the car as well.
"Julia, this is too much." The spa alone must have cost her a nice chunk of change.
"Sweetie," she says and takes both my hands in hers. "You need this. Please let me do this for you. I know that if the tables were turned, you would be doing the same thing. God knows, you've helped me through some crazy break
Similar Books
