Chapter Eight
Brody
yelled
“So, tell me every juicy detail,” Jamie yells through the phone.
I’ve got her on speaker, and even though the phone is lying on the kitchen counter, her voice sounds like it is right at my ear.
“We had coffee and talked for a while. It was really nice,” I sighed.
I searched through my refrigerator for something to eat for lunch.
After we had coffee, Finn went to meet his interior designer, who was having his furniture and decor delivered.
I secretly wished he had invited me back to his place.
I would have loved to have seen the expensive items and how glamorous his apartment is, but I also just wanted to be near him.
“Was there chemistry? A spark?” Jamie asked.
The answer to her questions is YES! Jamie is the only person in the world to whom I won’t lie. She can read through me anyway, if I did try.
“Fuck, yeah, there was a spark. Finn is so hot, and funny, and sweet. He reached for my hand, and it was like…” I don’t even know how to describe how it made me feel.
Like I was floating on clouds.
“When are you seeing him again?” Jamie asks.
“I’m not sure. I mean, I see him almost daily at work, but in a social setting, I don’t know. He said he wants to see me again,” I explained.
I think about having dinner with Finn, then going to a movie. Us holding hands and kissing like a normal couple, but then that same sick, nagging feeling erupts inside of me, and my fear comes back. As much as I want to be with Finn, I don’t know if I’m ready for that part of me to be public.
”Not everyone has a hot hockey player flirting with them. You need to embrace this,” Jamie giggled. “If he asks you out, just go. Don’t overthink it.”
“I just worry about what people will say…” I begin, but Jamie cuts me off.
“Who cares what anyone else thinks? If you are happy, then fuck what other people think. Besides, I love and support you, and I’m the only person that matters,” she laughed.
“True, but a fan spotted us and took a picture of us,” I told her.
“Cool. You will be on social media!” Jamie shouts with glee.
“That’s the problem. I don’t want that attention,” I sigh.
“Most people would love to become instantly famous, but I know that’s not you. Brody, you are special because you don’t seek the limelight. You would never use someone for their wealth and status, and I bet Finn sees that. Just be yourself,” Jamie notes.
We talked for a few more minutes and then ended the call.
I grab a plate of leftover lasagna from last night, heat it up in the microwave, and then settle on my couch to watch trash television and eat my weight in the delicious meal. As I’m getting lost in a huge screaming match between two housewives, I get a notification on my social media page.
I opened my phone and dropped my fork onto my plate, almost choking on the large bite I had just stuffed in my mouth.
I see a post that one of my followers has tagged me in.
It’s Finn and me, right outside of The Vanilla Grind, smiling and walking.
At first, I adored the photo. We look like a happy couple.
But then, reality sets in, and my anxiety increases.
Hundreds of comments appear under the photo. Most people talk about how great Finn looks, and God, he looks phenomenal, but others begin speculating about me. Are we friends? Dating? Lovers?
I read over them, even though my brain is telling me not to.
I threw the phone down. Panic takes over, and I have to close my eyes to calm my breathing.
“Calm down. You and Finn can just say you are friends. This isn’t bad,” I tell myself.
For the rest of the night, I keep my phone off and force myself to get lost on television. Of course, it doesn’t work, and all I can think about is that picture of us and how people are going to react when I go to work.
I wish I could just embrace who I am and be with Finn.
Maybe one day I will.