13. Victor
Victor
This weekend was more than I could have ever expected.
I have a boyfriend. I met his family, and best of all, we had sex. It was earth-shattering, and saying goodbye to him this morning was like a knife through my chest.
But he needed to rest after the weekend, and I had a big meeting in the morning that I still needed to prepare for. But he’s off work tomorrow, and he’s already said I’m his tomorrow night. He even said I should pack a bag.
It took everything in me not to scream at the top of my lungs. My life is finally perfect. Dream job as my own boss, making good money, about to be an uncle, and finally with the man of my dreams. Everything is coming up roses for me.
I don’t bother unpacking. Instead, I head straight for my office and get to work. There’s no way in hell I’m letting any unfinished work on an account keep me from Jake tomorrow. It’s already bad enough that I'm apart from him tonight.
How am I going to survive this relationship when we can’t be together?
I can deal with him being at work. I get that.
It’s the not waking up next to him after two mornings of doing precisely that.
There was just something comforting about having him in the same bed with me, his arms wrapped around mine.
“Okay, Vic, it’s time to get to work.” I get up long enough to get a Witch’s Brew Alani from the kitchen and get back to work.
Three hours later, the numbers have begun to blur together.
I lean back in my chair and rub my eyes, trying to remove the strain from them.
That’s the worst part about being an accountant.
After a while, the lines start to run together, and numbers start to reverse, so I have to be extra diligent with what I’m inputting.
One more account.
That’s all I need to check.
And then I’ll be done for the day and ready for my meeting tomorrow. Not only that, but any outstanding work I have is completed, so nothing will keep me from spending the night with Jake.
I get back to work comparing the payment against the invoice, verifying the date it was paid, double checking all my numbers. I repeat this step with the next invoice.
I’m about to do their payroll when my phone vibrates on the desk.
I glance down at the screen and let out a soft chuckle.
My sister. Of course Nellie would be messaging me.
I ignored her all weekend, but I did send her one picture of us from the wedding reception.
I’m honestly surprised she waited this long to message today.
When I don’t answer her message quickly enough, the phone starts to vibrate in my hand again; this time she’s calling.
I’m already smiling before I even answer.
“Nellie.”
“Tell me everything,” she rushes out.
“Good evening to you, sister of mine.”
“I don’t have time for pleasantries, Vic. I need information. I played nice with you even though you ghosted me all weekend, except for the picture. It’s time you tell me everything about you and the fireman hottie. Like, did his hose ignite your fire or put it out?”
I laugh under my breath because of course she’s coming in with something sweet, worried, and bordering on the line of vulgar all at the same time.
“I’m sorry I was busy. You knew I was at a wedding.”
“You know what, tell someone else that's bullshit. I’m your sister, your hype woman, your wing woman, and you left me in the cold. Yeah, you sent a picture. But I need details.”
“Again. I was busy. Damn, Nellie. If you don’t calm down, you're going to go into labor.”
“Exactly. You were busy with him, and if I go into labor early, it’s all your fault. I’ll make sure the doctor and our parents know who to blame.”
She’s teasing, but somehow I know she’d do exactly that.
“You're ridiculous, Nellie. I would’ve called you already, but I needed to get some work done. You literally couldn’t wait twenty more minutes.”
“Nope. Now stop avoiding and tell me everything.”
I look at my computer for the last bit of work I need to do, but I know she’s not going to get off the phone until I tell her everything she wants to hear.
I push my chair back from my desk and extend my legs out, crossing them at the ankles.
“You want to know what happened the whole weekend?”
“Yes. And before you ask, I want all the details.”
I let out a breath and shake my head. She’s about to flip her lid, and I kind of hope it doesn’t send her into labor.
“Okay. First, I met his family and I think they like me.”
She makes a harummph sound like I’ve just said something completely absurd.
“You think? Why wouldn’t they? You’re amazing.”
“I am?” I gasp.
“Don’t get used to compliments. Your head is big enough as it is. Now keep talking.”
“They were really nice. A little intimidating at first, but once everyone settled in, it was actually easy. His family is close. They joke around a lot. He left me alone with them for a little bit when his cousin wanted to talk to him. But we really connected.”
“And you fit in?”
“That’s what Jake kept telling me.”
There’s a pause on the line, silence, then she speaks again. “So…” I immediately know where she’s going. She wants to know how Jake and I meshed over the weekend. “You two were sharing a room.”
“Yep. There was a mix-up in the room he booked and instead of two beds there was only one.”
I can just see the look on her face as she processes what I told her, and I go ahead and pull the phone away from my ear knowing what’s coming.
“Oh my God!” she screams.
“Please don’t yell. I beg you.”
“You shared a bed?” she says again, softer this time. “Actually slept in it together? At the same time?”
“Yes.”
“Did you see him naked? Did you accidentally walk in on him in the shower?”
“Jesus, Nellie. Is that all you think about?”
“Yes. It is. I’m pregnant and horny all the damn time. Now did you?”
“TMI Nellie, TMI.” I practically gag at the thought of my sister horny and having sex. I cringe, my whole body shaking in disgust.
“Please tell me you’re not saying you shared a room for the whole weekend with that fine ass man and there wasn’t one accidental naked encounter?”
“I’m telling you that I have manners. That, unlike you, maybe I don’t kiss and tell.”
She snorts. “Fine. So nothing happened? Is that what you’re saying?”
I must not answer quickly enough and she pounces.
“That pause tells me different. Something happened. What was it?”
“Fine, we might have had sex.”
“Might? What the fuck? Either you did or you didn’t. Did you accidentally fall out of the shower naked, and he was standing there naked, and his cock ended up in your ass?”
“Fine, we had sex. Amazing, earth shattering sex.”
She screams so loudly that I instinctively jerk the phone away from my ear again and this time I put it on speaker. No way do I want a blown eardrum.
“Please, for the love of God, stop screaming.”
“Well, when you tell me something like that, you should expect a reaction! So, you had sex. Just once?”
“More. But I’m not telling you the number. Lets just say every time got better. But that’s not even the best part.”
She goes silent.
“What could possibly beat sex?”
“He asked me to be his boyfriend and I said yes. He said he didn’t want to lose me and he knew I was the one for him.”
Thank heavens I have the phone on speaker because she screams and squeals for at least a couple of minutes. If I’m being truthful, it’s the same way I wanted to react when he asked me, but I kept my cool.
“Oh my God!” she practically shrieks. “You have a boyfriend!”
“I do.”
“You have a boyfriend!”
“I heard you the first time.”
“And he asked you?”
“He did.”
“You said yes?”
“Obviously.”
“I need to meet him ASAP.”
“I’m sure you will at some point, Nellie.”
“When are you bringing him here?” she asks.
I glance down at the calendar sitting beside my keyboard.
“The baby's due in a few weeks.”
“Are you still coming? I need you here with me. You can bring him.”
“I don’t know if he can come, Nellie. It is short notice.”
She sighs and it crushes me.
“I’ll ask him, but I don’t make any promises. I haven’t even told him I’ll be out of town for a bit for it. Guess I need to tell him that tomorrow when I see him.”
“That’s all I ask. Ahh, look at you coordinating your schedule with your boyfriend; it’s so sweet. I can’t wait to meet my future brother-in-law.”
I laugh, shaking my head. As much as I love thinking of that, I definitely don’t want her slipping up and saying that to him. It’ll scare him away for sure.
“No one said anything about marriage. So don’t put the cart before the horse.”
“Whatever.”
“We haven’t even been a couple for more than forty-eight hours, and only known each other a little more than a week. Don’t you think that’s rushing it?”
“Exactly. At the rate the two of you are moving, it'll happen within the month.”
“Slow down.”
“I’m just saying. I may already be planning the wedding. Obviously I’m your matron of honor.”
“Well I know stopping you will be pointless, so plan away.”
“I’m so glad you’re happy, Victor. Not even seeing you, I can hear it in your voice.”
“I am.”
We talk for another twenty minutes. She asks questions about his family. I answer them. She wants to know what he’s like when he’s tired, what he likes to eat, whether he snores, whether he steals blankets.
Eventually, she lets me go.
“Get back to work.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“And call me if anything else happens, and tell him I said hello, and that he better not do anything to hurt you, or I’ll chop his dick off.”
“I will,” I manage to say through laughter. “Goodbye, Nellie.”
She laughs. “Bye.”
I shake my head and force myself to look back at the computer. Work. I need to work. For the next thirty minutes, I manage to behave like a responsible adult and finish everything on my to do list.
My phone vibrates on the desk and I glance over at it, fully expecting it to be Nellie with another round of questions.
But it’s not.
It’s Jake.
Jake: I can’t stop thinking about this weekend.
Jake: I can’t stop thinking about my boyfriend.
Me: He can’t stop thinking about you either.
I stare at it for a second, and a smile slowly spreads across my face.