Page 74 of Only After We Met
I didn’t let it bother me, but you made it sound boring. Or bad. Or out of style. I’m sorry I’m not fun or crazy or wild like Tracy. But look, there are simple girls like me who are happy to just have a nice evening out, normal, peaceful, talking with someone and getting to know them. And instead of going skydiving on the third date or getting up on a bar and dancing (is that supposed to be cool? It sounds dumb to me), we’re happy to choose a nice dessert, like chocolate mousse with orange.
From: Rhys Baker
To: Ginger Davies
Subject: RE: RE: [No subject]
I don’t get it, Ginger. I never said you were simple. You’re the opposite of simple. That’s why I like you. For how complicated you are.
So what? Are you going to keep going out with James? Even though he allowed Lord Chocolate to have a dalliance with Miss Orange? I wonder what Lady Strawberry thinks of all this. I doubt she likes it one bit.
PS: You’d have thought the dancing on the bar was funny if you’d seen it in person. It’s one of those things that isn’t funny unless you’re there.
From: Ginger Davies
To: Rhys Baker
Subject: RE: RE: RE: [No subject]
We’re going to the movies tomorrow.
I know it’s predictable, but don’t say anything. You know what the temperature is here? We don’t have an idyllic beach or anything like that. Plus, he let me pick the movie. That’s sweet and adorable, don’t deny it.
I’ll tell you how it went later. And sorry if I’ve been a little defensive these days, but I thought you were making fun of me. I don’t know, Rhys, with emails it’s hard to grasp the tone behind a person’s words. That’s probably it.
I hope you fixed the thing with the bar.
Tell me how everything’s going there.
From: Rhys Baker
To: Ginger Davies
Subject: No options
You’re not giving me many options, Ginger. But let me just say I’m happy that you’re happy. And that you’re not going to freeze tonight. You’re right, I remember the cold in London… I was in the snow there with a complicated girl a few months ago…
Everything’s cool here. I like it.
We fixed the bar.
From: Ginger Davies
To: Rhys Baker
Subject: RE: No options
Sorry I didn’t write much this week. Between my final project, my exams, and going out with James and the girls, I can hardly remember my name. I got an interview with the founder of the publisher Bday. Her name’s Lilian Everden and she’s…amazing. I don’t know, I hope I don’t start shaking in front of her. She started from nothing, and she’s done amazing things without help from anyone.
I’m seeing her tomorrow. And then I’m going to have dinner with James at his place. I’m not stupid, I know what that means. I’m kind of excited. I haven’t slept with anyone in more than a year. At the same time, I’m scared I’ve forgotten how the hell it’s done. I mean it. I’m afraid I’ll mess up. Fall off the bed. Say something stupid at the wrong time. We’ll see. I don’t want to imagine it.
Tomorrow I’ll tell all. I’m crazy nervous.
38
Rhys
My eyes flew open. My phone was ringing. My phone…it should have been on the nightstand, but I couldn’t find it. I got out of bed and crouched down to pick it up off the floor. I must have unintentionally thrown it down on the first ring. I squinted and saw it was Ginger.