Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Scott
Why does Trina want to know about Bridget? Why does she care? And why am I so reluctant to tell her?
It’s not like she won’t find out. If she spends any time with my friends, she could ask them about Bridget and they’d tell her. So why am I acting like it’s some big secret?
“We’re not dating,” I say. “But we used to.”
“When?”
“Last year. For a few months.”
“So she was your girlfriend.”
“More like a friend that became more. But it was never serious. We agreed to keep it casual.”
Trina nods. “That makes sense.”
“Why? What do you mean?”
“Jenna described you as kind of a…” Trina clears her throat.
“A what?”
“A guy who… has a lot of women.”
“She said that? Jenna said I sleep around?”
“I don’t know if she used those exact words, but that was the impression I got.”
So Jenna didn’t tell her that. Trina just assumed I sleep around because I don’t have a girlfriend, and because she thinks so poorly of men. Her experience with her ex has convinced her all men are like that, which is too bad. I’m not saying there aren’t a lot of jerks out there, but I’d like to think some of us are good. I can’t really judge myself when it comes to that, but I think my friends would say I’m a decent guy. I don’t purposely try to deceive women or make promises I can’t keep.
“I think you got the wrong impression,” I say. “What Jenna meant is that I don’t want to be in a relationship. That doesn’t mean I sleep around.”
“But it means you date a lot of women. Isn’t that right?”
“I wouldn’t say it’s a lot.”
“How much do you consider a lot?”
I’m annoyed by her question. I feel like she’s only asking it to support her belief that all men are jerks, including me. But I’m not a jerk because I’ve slept with a lot of women, or what Trina would consider a lot. I’d be a jerk if I told a woman I wanted a relationship with her when I really didn’t. But I haven’t done that. Not once.
“I don’t want to talk about this,” I say.
“Why? It was just a question.”
“Our deal was I tell you about Bridget, which I did.” I look around for the waitress. “I’m going to get the check.”
“You barely touched your food.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You said you were.”
“And now I’m not.” I wave at the waitress as she goes by. She nods, and comes over with the check.
I would’ve stayed here longer, but I didn’t want Trina using the time to try to prove I’m just another shitty guy. Because I’m not. I’ve done a lot of good things the past few years, things I didn’t need to do. I could’ve chosen a different path, the one most guys my age would’ve chosen, but I didn’t. And I’m proud of that.
“Is everything okay?” Trina asks, sensing my change in mood.
“Yeah, everything’s good,” I say, leaving some cash out for the bill.
“Thanks for taking me here,” Trina says. “I really liked it.”
As we get out of the booth, my phone rings. It’s Bridget calling again. This time I answer.
“Hey, what’s up?” I say as we leave the restaurant.
“I was wondering if I could come over today.”
“Why? Are you not ready for tomorrow?”
“No, I am. This isn’t about that. I just thought maybe we could hang out. I had fun last night. Didn’t you?”
I knew she’d try to turn last night into something more. It’s because it wasn’t just last night. It’s been going on for a couple weeks, and now she thinks we’re dating again. I made it clear that we’re not, and she agreed. So why is she calling me, acting like our agreement never existed?
“Let’s talk about this later,” I say, glancing at Trina as we walk down the street. She’s pretending not to listen to my conversation, but she’s right next to me. She can hear everything I’m saying, even with the street noise.
“Can I come over?” Bridget asks.
“I won’t be around. I’m going out.” It’s a lie, but if I tell her I’ll be home, she’ll show up and want to talk about the relationship we’re not actually in.
“Okay, well, call me tonight.”
She used to say that when we were dating. She’d always want me to call her before she goes to bed. It’s another sign she thinks we’re back together.
“I’ll talk to you later.” I end the call.
Trina remains beside me, not saying anything. I thought she’d ask who was on the phone, but she doesn’t. And I’m not going to tell her. I don’t know why, but it bothers me to tell Trina about Bridget, which is strange because I normally wouldn’t have an issue with it. Like if Jenna were here, I’d have no problem telling her it was Bridget on the phone. And there’s a good chance I would’ve agreed to let Bridget come over tonight. But I don’t want Trina catching Bridget at my place and assuming there’s something going on there.
But why do I care? Trina is just the girl next door. I shouldn’t care what she thinks of me or if she sees me with girls. I can be with whoever I want.
We don’t talk again until we’re back at the apartment. I stop at my door while she continues to hers.
“Thanks again for feeding me,” she says in a joking way.
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you around.”
I go in my apartment and shut the door. I hear it open again and turn around to see Cole walking in.
“You’re back,” he says, going to the couch to sit down.
“Can’t you knock?” I say, annoyed that he’s here. I’m not in the mood for company.
“Why would I knock? It’s not like you have a girl here.”
“What do you want?” I say, tossing my keys on the table as I sit across from him.
“James is moving out. He’s going back to LA.”
James is a struggling actor who couldn’t find work in LA so he came to New York to see if he could work on Broadway. He’s been in a few shows, but only minor roles.
“Did he get a new agent?” I ask.
“Yeah, and the guy already got him some auditions. James said the Broadway stuff is what got him the agent. He’s going to come by later and thank you.”
“For what? I didn’t get him on Broadway.”
“No, but he wouldn’t have stayed in New York if it weren’t for you.”
“Yeah, I guess.” I look out the window, noticing the sky getting dark. It looks like it’s about to storm.
“What’s wrong?” Cole asks.
“Nothing.” I look back at him. “So was that it? You just wanted to tell me about James?”
“Yeah, he’ll be out of the apartment in a couple weeks. You want me to start looking for a new tenant, or do you have someone in mind?”
I’d like to give Trina the apartment. It’s a one bedroom that’s over twice the size of her current apartment. I feel bad she’s living in a place not much bigger than a closet. It was fine for Jenna. She was only there one or two nights a week. The rest of the time she stayed with Leo. But Trina is living there all the time.
“Let me think about it,” I say.
“What about the new girl? The one in Jenna’s old place? You think she’d want it?”
“Yeah, but she can’t afford it. She lost her job last week. That’s why she’s working at the grocery store. I’m sure that place doesn’t pay much.”
“So what’s her story? Did you ask Jenna about her?”
“Yeah, I called her. She didn’t know anything so I took her out.”
“Took who out?”
“Trina. Just now. I took her to get something to eat.”
“That’s interesting,” he says, a smug grin on his face.
“Why is that interesting? I wanted to know more about her, and I didn’t think she’d tell me if I just went over there and fired questions at her.”
“So you asked her out. Took her on a date.”
“It was not a date,” I say, glaring at him. “It was brunch. With my neighbor.”
“And? What’d you find out?”
“Her boyfriend dumped her. Actually, he was her fiancé. He broke up with her and kicked her out of his apartment.”
“Why? Does he have someone else?”
“He told her he’s focusing on his career, but who the hell knows? Anyway, that’s how she ended up here. She needed a cheap place to live. And apparently, he owned all the furniture, which is why she doesn’t have a bed.”
Cole leans back on the couch. “I bet she goes back to him.”
“After what he did? I doubt it.”
“Just wait. If he asks her to get back together, I bet she does it.”
“Why the hell would she do that? The guy kicked her out on the street, left her with nothing.”
“If her choice is to live in that tiny apartment, sleeping on the floor, or go live with her boyfriend, she’s going to choose the boyfriend, especially if she still has feelings for the guy.”
“I think she’s smarter than that.”
“Guess we’ll find out.”
My phone rings and I answer it. “Hey, this is Scott.”
“Scott, it’s Amy. Jess and I are really struggling with the business plan, especially the financials. Any way we could meet to go over them?”
“Yeah, what time are you thinking?”
We decide to meet late afternoon. I try not to work on the weekends, but they’re on a deadline so this really can’t wait.
“You want to go do something?” Cole asks, getting up from the couch.
“Yeah, let’s get out of here,” I say, needing to get my mind off of Trina. I don’t know what it is with that girl, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her since we met. It’s probably because she hates me, or maybe not hate, but she definitely doesn’t like me. I think it’s less about me and more about guys in general. But even so, I’m not used to girls treating me like the enemy, especially a girl who doesn’t even know me. Girls usually flirt with me, even ones who have boyfriends. Jenna used to flirt with me all the time, but in a friend way, not with the intent of it going anywhere.
“Should we invite your new neighbor?” Cole says, grinning like an idiot.
“Stop acting like that. There’s nothing going on there. Like you said, she’ll probably get back with her ex.”
But if she did, I’d be really disappointed. She seems like a smart girl who can get by just fine without her ex. It’s only been a couple of days and she’s already found a job and a place to live. She’s got drive and determination, two things I find really attractive in a girl. But I’d never date Trina. She’s one of those relationship girls, so I am definitely not the guy for her. And she hates me, which is good because it means we’ll never be tempted to be anything more than neighbors.