Chapter 41
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
ariana
We had multiple flights, and unfortunately, I didn’t get to sit next to Boston again.
I couldn’t try, anyway, not after the lecture my brother gave me about boundaries, and about being admitted to the hospital for a scan of my head after that ‘stunt,’ as he called it.
Boston just smiled lazily, like we didn’t just hook up at the back of a plane.
We went our separate ways once we landed back home. Carter and Arden both gave him a hug goodbye, so I followed suit. It would have been weirder if I didn’t, right? That’s how I justified my need for one last touch. One last moment before we shut this book that he keeps going on about.
He draped one arm around my shoulders, and I awkwardly patted him on the back. I went one way, he went the other. When I glanced back to watch him leave, he was already looking back over his shoulder.
Thrilled, I blew him a kiss as inconspicuously as I could.
He shook his head, blew a pink bubble, and raised his hand to catch it. He finally turned away, putting my kiss in his pocket for later.
Life has unfortunately been very absent of Boston Black since then.
Carter hangs out with him all the time, but it’s never at the condo, so I don’t get the privilege of seeing him.
Arden and I work meticulously on my applications to different jobs.
I avoid calls from my dad, and I think about Boston to the point where I agree to five different dates this week.
I will not allow myself to obsess over a man that I can never have, and who I don’t want to keep.
I date losers. He isn’t one of those.
Each date sucks.
The problem with granting an exception for someone of Boston’s caliber, is that the rest of the male population now looks grayer, murkier, and uglier. They make me feel nothing, not even a twinge of interest, and I find myself comparing everything they do to what Boston would or wouldn’t do.
Thomas didn’t pull my chair out for me, because he’s a loser, but Boston would have.
Shane stared at my boobs the whole time we ate dinner, because he’s a loser, but Boston wouldn’t have.
Vince had nice lips, which doesn’t mean he is or isn’t a loser, but I found myself focusing on them and realizing that Boston’s are nicer.
The list goes on and on.
Boston doesn’t text me. I don’t text him. We agreed. We got the edge off and now we have to mosey along as if it never happened, even if I think about him every time my hand is between my legs and perk up at the mention of him in my brother’s conversations.
He is a good man, and he is a good looking man, but that isn’t my type, and commitment isn’t his.
I’m snuggling on the couch with Wanton when my brother walks in. He shoots me a look, like my four-legged buddy is not supposed to be up on the furniture, but Arden’s word is final and she lets him lounge wherever he wants to.
We’re both tucked under a blanket with only our heads poking out. Our eyes snap open and dart to Carter at the same time.
He slows, staring at us. “That’s fucking creepy.”
“Leave us alone.”
A smile tugs at his lips. “It’s the one brown eye, one blue eye thing, it’s weird. You? You’re just ugly.”
I scoff, ripping my hand from under the cover to flip him off.
He chuckles, tossing his water bottle into the air as he sits on the edge of the couch. “Any word on the job hunt?”
“We sent about five off today,” I say, yawning. I scratch Wanton’s short fur and he lets out a thankful grumble. “There’s one I really want. I went to their website and all their biggest players are women. I think it would be a good fit.”
He rests his elbows on his knees. “Arden mentioned that you were thinking about starting something on your own.”
“That’s a pipe dream,” I say.
He cocks a brow. “Why?”
“I would need to start a business, find a property, hire a staff,” I explain, watching him nod as he tosses that bottle up and down. “I’d need to learn more about owning and operating a company to even think about that, so I’d have to go back to school.”
“What’s more important, being hands-on or going back to school?”
I shrug. “Both, but I have a lot of hands-on experience already. Getting some education in the business area is probably more critical for that dream.”
He finally halts the water bottle olympics.
His eyes meet mine, and I can physically see the way he’s trying to choose his words carefully.
“If you could pick right now, at this very moment, if you’d rather find a job here or go back to school and work toward that pipe dream, which would you choose? ”
Wanton stretches out, so I give him a little smooch on the head.
“I mean, the pipe dream is the pipe dream for a reason.”
“Great.” He nods again, rising to his feet. He goes to chuck the water bottle at me, but then freezes, realizing there’s a retired reactive dog in my arms and he probably shouldn’t hit anyone with anything. He points it at me instead. “Stop searching for jobs and start applying for schools.”
“What?” I ask, brow furrowing.
He turns, like he’s leaving this conversation on that note. “Get into a business program.”
“Carter!” I say, unwilling to separate myself from the cuddle bug in my arms.
He waltzes back in from the kitchen, shooting me a look at screams ‘what do you want?’ as if he didn’t just tell me to do the most financially irresponsible thing on the planet.
“I want you to go back to school.”
I stare at him. “Okay? It’s not feasible right now.”
“I want you to get your pipe dream,” he says, giving me that stern, parental look. “I got mine and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. Apply for schools. I will pay your way. Do not take a cent from Dad.”
“No.”
He rolls his eyes, throwing his head back. “Can you just listen to me for once? If you go to a school in the area, you stay here. If you relocate, I’ll pay for your housing. Just…go back to school, Ariana.”
“No,” I say again. I mean it. No.
“I want you to be happy. You might be happy going to work for another firm, sure. Maybe you’ll end up doing that anyway. But get your ducks in a row and chase your dreams. Don’t settle. Don’t be prideful. You’re brilliant. That pipe dream isn’t a pipe dream. You just think it is.”
“I’m going back to work.”
“Go back to school,” he orders. “If you don’t let me do this for you, I’ll start funnelling money into an account in your name, anyway. At least this way, you’re using it for what I want you to use it for.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No,” I seethe.
“We both know that I’m going to get my way, so why don’t we browse a couple of schools while we waste our breath?”
I glower at him as he reappears with my laptop. He barely looks at me when he sits next to my legs, typing in a search for business programs, and starts going through them with me. One by one. For hours.
By the time Arden comes home, exhausted from work, I’ve applied to an online business program through Harvard.