Page 49 of Heartsick & Lipsticks
It started out innocent enough, but considering I’d pleasured myself thinking of him the first day we met, I think innocent wouldn’t be the right adjective to describe it, even in the beginning. But now, my feelings for him were evolving into borderline obsession.
“Holy shit.” Ri dropped her hand and looked me right in the eyes. “Youlikehim.”
“No. I don’t—”
Her finger pointed directly in my face. “Yes, you do! Your cheeks are pink, and I haven’t put any highlighter or blush on them. You only get like that when you like someone. That’s how I knew you liked Professor Douchebag.”
I remembered we’d had a conversation very similar to this in the library my freshman year. Ri didn’t go to college, but she was there trying to convince me to ditch my classes and go on a skiing trip with her and two guys she’d met at Coachella. Professor Dubois walked by and told me that I was studying too much and needed to go have some fun.
It was about a month before anything actually happened between us. Ri knew as soon as he walked away from the table that I had a crush on him. She called me a smitten kitten, if I remember correctly, and she wasn’t wrong.
“Don’t call him that.”
“What? Callie’s not home.”
“I know, but I don’t want it to slip out sometime when she is.” I’d always been honest with Callie about her father, depending on her age and how much of the story she could handle. When she was little, I told her that I met her dad in college, which was the truth. When she got a little older and started asking more questions, I’d said that we’d dated for about a year. Then, when she was twelve, she wanted to know everything. So, I’d told her that he was my professor and that he’d had a family.
Even though she knew the basics about my relationship with her father, I never wanted her to hear anyone badmouthing him since she was half him.
“Stop trying to change the subject. You’ve got the hots for Nick!” She stood and began dancing, cheering, and clapping.
“What are you doing?” I asked her.
“Celebrating!” She threw her hands up in the air.
“What are you celebrating?”
“The end of your celibacy!”
“What?! I’mnotgoing to sleep with him! He’s a family member of my patient.”
“So,” she stated firmly.
“That’s unethical.”
Her head fell back, and she let out a groan. “Oh my gosh, you and your stupid rules.”
“It’s not a stupid rule, and even if it wasn’t, have you seen the women he dates? He would never be interested in me.”
When she straightened her head, she was wearing an incredulous expression. “Are you fucking kidding me? Ofcourse,he would be interested in you. You are smart, sexy, and totally independent. You are the whole package.”
“I think you’re overestimating my appeal.”
“I’m not.”
“It doesn’t mat
ter.”
Ri sat back down on the kitchen chair. “I know you don’t believe me, but let’s just say, for argument’s sake, that I’m right and he is interested. He would be theperfectguy for you to hook up with.”
“Okay.” I agreed easily with Captain Obvious. Of course he was perfect; he’d been voted the Most Eligible Bachelor in San Francisco just a few short years ago, and his appeal hadn’t lessened over time.
Ri must have sensed my unspoken sarcasm because she shook her head. “I’m not talking about how he looks or the fact that he’s stupid rich. I’m talking about his three-strike rule.”
Three-strike rule?That was new information.
“What three-strike rule?”
