chapter sixteen Are Those Feelings?
chapter sixteen
Are Those Feelings?
Convincing Olsen to go on another date with me after the hell I put him through the first time is no easy feat. The best Lex
could arrange is a casual get-together with friends—a group outing, where he just so happens to be along with several other
people. No pressure, no forced conversation. Maybe that will trick the curse into leaving me alone and giving Olsen the chance
to get to know me a bit better.
A girl can dream.
I tear at a soggy coaster at the bar in the bowling alley, having arrived a good twenty minutes early to have a drink to calm
my nerves and take a look around for possible awkward land mines. I’ve inspected the bathrooms, which are stocked with toilet
paper. I’ve retied my bowling shoes three times to ensure they won’t come undone and trip me. I’m not even wearing pants that
will go see-through if they get wet. As far as dates go, bowling is pretty lame—lame, but safe.
Lex told me to invite my friends. Little does she know, she is my only friend. Not wanting to show up without a single other person, I threw out the invitation to everyone at work and my landlady.
Patricia turned down the invitation on account of her hip, and her preference for staying home and watching Days of Our Lives with Winston. I hadn’t extended the invitation to my boss Ebele—it felt weird to invite her to something so casual, especially
with the likelihood of me doing something super embarrassing. Linda and Samantha had originally agreed to come, but within
the last hour I’ve received texts from them citing different excuses. Which leaves—
“Jasleen! Hi!” I cringe at the high pitch of my voice.
Jasleen walks through the door looking like she’s stepping onto a runway instead of a rundown bowling alley. Her black hair
shimmers in the neon as she tosses it over her shoulder, her long lashes are accentuated with symmetrical winged eyeliner,
and she’s dressed head to toe in matching pink athleisure.
“Do you have your own bowling gear?” I ask as she approaches, eyeing the shiny pink shoes tied together and dangling from
her hand, next to the Prada bag slung over her shoulder.
Jasleen tuts, then hover-kisses both my cheeks. “Of course! I mean, if you’re not going to take something seriously then why
do it at all?”
“Totally,” I half laugh, having never taken a sport seriously in my life.
“Where is everyone else?” she asks, sitting on a bench to change her footwear.
“Linda had to emergency substitute-teach a few classes at her studio, and Samantha decided to go see a band playing downtown
instead,” I explain. If I’d have known neither of them were going to show up, I wouldn’t have invited Jasleen. Having Olsen
think I have zero friends would have been better than contrasting my incredible awkwardness next to Jasleen’s perfection.
“So . . . is it just you and me bowling, then?” Jasleen asks, eyes wide, as if she can’t imagine a worse hell.
Girl, same. “No, there’s going to be a few others.”
Right on cue, Olsen walks through the doors and blinks in the dim light. I observe him without him seeing me for several seconds,
my anxiety increasing as I take in all his handsome features: kind eyes, thick brown hair, tall . . . I draw a slow, steadying
breath, and rise from my seat to greet him.
Olsen pauses and holds the door open, and in walks Lex. She’s dressed smartly in a loose white T-shirt, a plaid button-up
flowing and open overtop, and loose-fitting light-wash denim jeans. Her hair is stylishly mussed atop her head, and there’s
a subtle touch of makeup on her face, just enough to make her cheekbones pop. She looks damn good, and her confident swagger
means she knows it.
Before I can run up to Lex, sweep her into a hug, and then pull her away to explain the Jasleen Situation, three others walk in behind her. There’s a medium-height Black woman with thick glasses and a jean jacket, a white guy with
red hair and freckles, and a tall, willowy Asian woman.
“Hey, you made it!” I say, going in for a hug with Lex, followed by an awkward wave to Olsen. “This is my friend from work,
Jasleen.” Friend is a bit of a stretch. I’m sure she only came here to embarrass me with her incredible bowling skills.
Olsen offers Jasleen a smile, and the way she smiles back gives me another reason to wish I hadn’t invited her. I didn’t think
about it before, but if Jasleen’s here then there’s a chance he’ll leave having secured a date with her instead of me. You’d
have to be nuts to turn down a girl like Jasleen. She’s just so . . . flawless.
“These are my friends Amanda and Stuart,” Olsen says, introducing the woman with the glasses and the man with the freckles.
“Please, call me Doctor Stuart,” the redheaded guy says, reaching out to shake Jasleen’s hand, then mine.
Amanda rolls her eyes with a smile. “Don’t listen to him. All of us are doctors, but he’s the only one with an ego about it.
No need for formalities, it’s just bowling.”
“What’s the point of all that debt if I can’t make people call me doctor?” Stuart quips.
Amanda laughs. “You’d make your own mother call you doctor, wouldn’t you?”
“Actually, she’s the one who insists.”
Olsen shakes his head. “You two are ridiculous.”
I turn to Lex, who’s been quiet this whole time, and wait for her to introduce her friend. Lex looks from me to her friend
and back, pink rising to her cheeks. “And this is Lynn,” she says, turning to the gorgeous woman beside her. I didn’t think
there was anyone in the world who could compete with Jasleen in class and style, but Lynn is giving her a run for her money
with her tight red pants and a white blouse fitting snug across her tiny waist.
Lynn wraps an arm around Lex’s middle, pulling her a bit closer. I blink several times at the contact between the two of them.
Is that . . . friendly? Or something else?
I reach my hand out for Lynn’s to shake. “Hi! Lex has told me—” absolutely nothing “—so much about you!”
For as much time as Lex and I have spent together you’d think she’d have mentioned this “friend” Lynn, especially if they
feel close enough to have their arms around each other like that.
Lynn, one arm still wrapped behind Lex’s back, reaches out with the other and takes my hand in hers. Her grasp is equal parts
soft and commanding, with fingers far longer and prettier than mine, her manicured almond-shaped nails glistening in the neon
lights of the bowling alley bar. A handshake like hers means business.
Lex turns to the group. “How about you all get your shoes and set up the lane while Aubrey and I order drinks? First round on me.” Lex extricates herself from Lynn, tucks her arm into mine, and steers me toward the bar.
“So,” I say as casually as I can while we wait for the bartender. “This Lynn person. How do you two know each other?”
A blush creeps to Lex’s face. “I thought it would be a good idea to test the dating waters, too.”
I’m torn between squealing in delight at Lex’s bravery in taking that first big step since she left her husband, and hurt
that this is the first time she’s mentioned Lynn. Judging by the way she had her arm around Lex, the two are cozy enough that
I should at least know of her existence. I bury this inside, trying not to make it all about me. “How’d you two meet?”
“We work together,” she says without elaborating.
A million questions race through my mind. Has Lex dated women before, or is this her first time? Does her ex know she’s not
straight? Did her sexuality play a role in her decision to leave her husband? Is she looking to exclusively date women now,
or is she interested in men, too? I regard her updated hairstyle and wardrobe, which are so different from when I first met
her—more masculine, for sure. I remember her talking about being bullied in school, how she couldn’t really be herself; was
she talking about being queer?
Instead of bringing up one of my many intrusive (and possibly inappropriate) questions, I ask, “How are you feeling about
dating again?”
“First of all, this isn’t a date. It’s just a get-to-know-each-other hangout. We’re in different departments so we don’t cross
paths that often. But . . .” Lex looks past me to where Lynn is chatting with the others in the group while pulling on her
rental shoes. “I think going with you on all those dates helped get me over my fears.”
I playfully nudge her with my elbow. “So glad my curse has given you the courage you need to get back out in the dating pool, instead of it being a huge deterrent.”
Lex nudges me back, adorable dimples appearing. “So, is this Jasleen girl the one who you mentioned is always on your case
at work?”
I groan. “Yes. It’s going to be ten times harder to get Olsen to reconsider dating me with her here.”
Lex raises an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Just look at her!” I raise a hand and let it fall back to my thigh, slapping against my jeans. “I can’t compete with that!”
Les gives me a slow up-and-down. “You need to give yourself more credit.”
Before I can reply, the bartender finally makes his way over to us and we relay all the drink orders, plus one of each of
the items on the appetizer menu. By the time we rejoin the group at our lane everyone has their shoes on and names entered
into the system.
“I grabbed you a pair,” Lynn says, proffering shoes to Lex. “Size seven, right?”
“How’d you know?” Lex asks, sitting to slip off her boots.
Lynn winks. “Your dainty little feet were one of the first things I noticed about you.”
I blush on behalf of Lex, forcing my eyes away so the two can flirt in peace. Unfortunately, my gaze lands on something even
more uncomfortable—Jasleen flirting with Olsen. This was a terrible idea. Jasleen is basically the female equivalent of Olsen—Miss
Perfect. Stunningly gorgeous, well-dressed, put together. She doesn’t look like she’s had a single awkward moment in her life.
“So how’d you and Lex meet?” Amanda asks, turning from her conversation with Stuart.
“We, uh—” I cough.
“Oh, wait a second.” Amanda’s eyes widen. “Are you the girl who put Olsen in the hospital?”
“Well, you know—”