Page 45 of Meet Cute Reboot
“You’d never cheat on me, would you, Pudge?” I’m pretty sure not, because her lady bits were removed years ago. Even so, she’d remain faithful. She always has. I’m her human andnothing’s going to change that. People could learn a lot from animals.
I go to bed early. For me anyway. At eleven thirty, my head’s on the pillow, but my eyes are still open. I’m counting all the ways Luke is wrong for me. So very wrong. From the cheating incident to his unrelenting stubborn insistence on getting his way to his shoelaces always coming undone. He’s a grown man and still hasn’t mastered the double knot.
When I finally drift off to sleep, I dream about kissing Luke. My unconscious mind has plenty of memories to pull from. It combines several vivid moments and produces visceral reactions like I’m kissing him in the flesh.
My brain is sabotaging me, even in sleep.
Wednesday starts as it always does, with a fresh cup of coffee and a bowl of Greek yogurt and granola. However, unlike most days, it’s combined with the residual warm, cozy feelings I always got after cuddling with Luke.
I’m going to have to bounce this problem off someone. Since Sarah’s coming into work today, she’s the lucky winner. I’ll wait for her to bring it up though. I feel like maintaining my boss-face today—the approachable, albeit slightly distant, version of myself. Boss Cassie is reasonable and in control. That’s how she gets stuff done.
“How did the radio segment go, boss?” Sarah asks five seconds after she arrives.
I beeline toward her. “We gotta talk.”
Sarah drops her purse on her desk and pulls out her chair.
I hired her two years ago when she was a freshman at College of Charleston. She’s my receptionist, customer service representative, personal assistant, friend, confidante, saving grace. She works three days a week, dutifully completing the tasks that spill off my to-do list. Lately, they’ve been pouring off.I plan to offer her a full-time gig after she graduates, assuming my ever-expanding workload doesn’t chase her away first.
“Are you firing me?” she asks.
“Why would I fire you?”
“I cooked your books. I told off a customer. I stole a pen.”
“You wouldn’t do any of that.”
“I might have stolen a pen.” She grabs her purse. Her sleek brown hair slips off her shoulders and hides her face as she digs.
I wave her off. “You can have it.”
“It’s a purple easy-glide gel pen.”
“Yeah. It’s fine.” I spread my hands by my ears and pace in a circle.
“Uh oh,” Sarah says. “She’s agitated.”
So much for staying reasonable and in control. “I dreamed about Luke last night.” The muscles in my face bunch up in desperation.
Sarah flips her hair and looks at me questioningly. “What kind of dream?”
“I kissed him. A lot.”
“I’ve dreamed about kissing Zac Efron.”
“That’s not the same. You haven’t actuallykissedZac Efron.”
Sarah cocks her head and pooches her lips. “I’ve wanted to kiss Zac Efron. And for me, that’s something. He probably eats his boogers and forgets to change his underwear though.”
“Yeah. Youwantedto kiss him. Therefore, you dreamed about kissing him. Do you see the problem here?”
Sarah’s jaw drops along with her shoulders. “No!”
“Yes!”
“No!”
“Yes! His drunk mother said he thinks I’m theone.”