“My life is a bit...stressful right now,” I murmured hesitantly. And that was a big understatement.
Leon cleared his throat. “If you need someone to talk to, you know where you can find me.”
“Or if you need a woman’s advice…” Mona trailed off.
I thanked them and told them that I might take them up on that offer some day, but I knew that my problems were a bit too extravagant to talk about. Only Amy could help now. It still felt surreal that Adrian Black had asked me to go on a date with him. Why the hell had he done that? Maybe he was just trying to humiliate me. There really wasn't any other explanation for it. I wasn't as beautiful as the women he usually spend his nights with and I wasn't experienced, but he didn't know that of course and it was probably better if it remained that way.
Later that day, after work, I didn't return to my apartment but knocked at Amy's door. I didn't know if Jared was already home, but I needed to talk to Amy right now, or I was going to lose my mind.
Amy opened the door, dressed in a burgundy silk camisole and what looked like Jared’s boxers. She smiled brightly when she saw me. “Nora! Home from work?”
I nodded and set Bruno down. “Can’t you tell?” I smelled of stale smoke and beer. Bruno walked into Amy's apartment instantly, probably searching for something to eat. Amy’s gaze followed him and she giggled. She thought Bruno's antics were cute. Her laughter, however, stopped when she saw my expression.
“Wanna talk?” she asked, stepping back so I could enter.
“Desperately,” I half groaned and walked past her into the kitchen of her apartment. Jared wasn't anywhere to be seen and I was quite glad about it, since this conversation classified as girls talk.
I plopped down on a kitchen chair and buried my face in my palms.
I felt Amy's presence next to me and smelled her vanilla perfume but she waited for me to start speaking. Usually patience wasn't her strength but she seemed to notice that I needed some time to gather my senses.
I raised my head from my palms eventually and looked at her. “I met Adrian Black this morning.”
Amy's eyes lit up with curiosity and excitement. She lowered herself onto the chair across from me. “So...what did he say? Was he angry? Or did it turn him on? Does he want you to keep watching him?”
My head started to hurt but I tried not to snap at Amy, since she was so nice to listen to my pathetic problems. “At first I'd thought he was angry, because he started shouting and accused me of having been set up by someone. Honestly, I don’t even know what that was about.” Anger still welled up in me when I thought of it. One moment he’d acted like a jerk and the next he was his charming self.
Amy was watching me with wide eyes, waiting for me to go on.
“But then he asked me on a date,” I finished lamely.
Amy let out a gasp. “He didn't! Did he?”
“He did.”
“Wow,” she breathed out.
“Yeah, wow. I mean who shouts at a woman and then asks her on a date? And the bastard didn't even ask me, he just told me the time when he'd pick me up!” It sounded even worse said aloud. I’d been right to say no.
Right?
“Sounds like he's a sociopath, or maybe he's got a split personality or something like that. Jared told me about it once,” Amy said with a little shrug.
“Probably,” I murmured, shaking my head. “Why would he ask me anyway? Who wants to go out with a woman who's been watching him every night? He's probably a freak.” It would be just like me to fall in love with a psychopath.
I gasped, causing Amy to look at me worriedly. Fall in love?
Holy shit. I had lost my mind. It was official. I didn't even know him and what I knew of him wasn't very nice. He was a man-whore and used woman solely for his own pleasure. God, it was so typical that I fell in love with an asshole. Why couldn't my life be easy? “I think I’m kind of in love with him.”
Amy shook her head and touched my hand. “No, sweety. I don’t think so. What you’re suffering from is lust. I don’t blame you. Adrian Black is hot. An asshole, but a hot asshole. It’s understandable that you want him. But don’t mistake lust for love.”
I lowered my eyes, feeling stupid. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I need to get laid.” I snorted at how absurd that sounded. I didn’t just want to have sex. I wanted love and a fairy tale happy ending, but that’s not how life worked.
Suddenly, Amy narrowed her eyes at me, her hold on my hand tightening. “You're not planning on going on a date with him, are you?”
“Of course not!” I said indignantly, though a small part of me was considering it. And I had a feeling that this part would win in the long run.
Amy leaned back, releasing me. “So you said no?”
“Yes, I said no, Amy. I'm not stupid.” Or maybe I was.
Amy let out a sigh and shook her head with a disbelieving expression. “You're considering it.”
I averted my eyes and stared at the table top, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. “And what if I'm considering it? I'm old enough to go out with a guy, ain't I?” I muttered.
“I'm not saying you're not, and if sex was all you wanted out of it, I'd say go get it, because I'm sure that Adrian would do the job just fine. But I know that there's more to it for you, Nora.” She rose from her chair and turned on the fancy coffee maker that took up half of their narrow kitchen counter. “Cappuccino, espresso, latte?
“Double espresso,” I said.
“Okay.” Amy drew the word out, then began preparing my espresso and her latte in silence. I guessed she was trying to come up with a way to talk me out of my obsession with Adrian. I really hoped she would. She handed me the cute espresso cup with a drawing of the Colosseum on the front and I brought it to my lips. The strong liquid slid down my throat and I felt immediately better.
With her cup in hand, she perched on the edge of her seat, elbows propped up on the table. “You want more than sex, right?”
I could have told her that I wanted what she and Jared had, but I kept my mouth shut. Even I knew it was ridiculous to hope for something like that.
“Oh Nora, you're hoping that he might change his ways for you, don't you?”
I shrugged. Maybe deep down I did think that I could change him and that was definitely very stupid of me but I couldn't help it. I wanted him. I wanted to change him.