The Other Side of Someday (20 page)

“I’m not exactly in the habit of going out with men I meet in bars.”

“I rarely ever go to bars, and I certainly never ask for a woman’s number when I do, but there’s just something about you… You’re different. A breath of fresh air from all these LA women.”

“How can I be sure you’re not a serial killer? Or that you’re really a doctor? Or that you’re not gay? I’ve made that mistake before.”

“What?” he asked, a smile crossing his face. “You’ve dated a serial killer?”

I smirked. “No. But I did go out with a man thinking he was interested in me only to find out he was gay.”

He studied me for several long moments. I grew uneasy with the silence between us, unsure of how he would respond. I half expected him to confess that he
was
gay. Instead, before I could comprehend what was happening, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled my body against his, crushing his lips to mine. My libido was doing backflips, singing “Let’s Get It On”, as his tongue brushed with mine. His body against mine was strong, powerful, commanding. So was his kiss. It erased any memory of every kiss I’d ever had.

Out of nowhere, I began to imagine what Sebby’s kisses would feel like. They wouldn’t be as forceful as Declan’s. They would be more passionate, more meaningful. Every brush of his tongue against mine would be thought-out and measured. His hand would roam my body, telling me with the way his fingers traveled across my skin that he revered me, that we were equals, instead of the way Declan held me against him, as if he needed to be in complete control.

He pulled away, leaving me panting as I still thought of Sebby’s kisses, unable to stop myself.

“Tell me, Baylee. Would a gay man kiss you like that?”

Staring at him, I simply shook my head, speechless.

“Good. Dinner Wednesday?”

Still in a daze, I nodded, a puppet to my starving libido.

“Great,” Declan responded, the fire in his gaze softening a bit. I didn’t know what possessed me to agree to dinner with him, especially considering I thought of another man during his kiss. Maybe dating someone like Declan would help me finally get my mind off thinking about Sebby that way.

“Can I have your phone number?” He handed me his phone and I input my name and number into it.

“I’ll call you later,” he said when I handed it back to him. “Have a wonderful evening, Baylee.” He leaned down and placed one last soft, sensual, powerful kiss on my lips.

“You, too, Declan.” I pulled away and left the bar, still thinking about Sebby’s kisses.

C
HAPTER
F
OURTEEN

“T
HERE
SHE
IS
!” M
ARCEL
exclaimed when I walked into Sophia’s apartment Thursday for our weekly game night. I glanced around the table at all the familiar faces, Sebby included. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you all day to find out what happened after I left last night!”

I shrugged, avoiding everyone’s eyes as I poured myself a glass of wine from the bottle I brought. “Not much to tell.”

“Where did you go?” Sebby asked.

“Out with me,” Marcel answered. “Turns out I was dead on with Dennis. He’s gay. What’s the verdict on Doctor McDreamy?”

“Doctor McDreamy?” Sophia turned away from arranging a tray of hors d’oeuvres.

I shrugged again. “Some tall, dark, and handsome doctor who hit on me at the bar last night while Marcel was flirting with our hottie bartender…whom he just so happened to leave with, but it appears he left out that little piece of information.”

“You what?!” Lacey exclaimed, shoving Marcel.

“Yup. Let me just say that our little Marcel talks a big game, but around a hot guy, he closes up like an inexperienced virgin.”

“Nothing wrong with a little modesty,” Sebby argued in a harsh tone. I shot my eyes to him, my smile fading when I saw his tightened jaw.

“Of course not,” I agreed, brushing off his odd reaction. “It just caught me off guard. That’s all.”

“So who’s this new beau?” Sophia sat at the table and everyone lunged for the trays of food she set down, breaking the growing tension between Sebby and me. “Does he have a name?”

I took slow steps, sitting in the only vacant chair…next to Sebby. I turned toward Marcel, trying to ignore the heat of Sebby’s eyes on me.
 

“Nicholas,” Marcel said dreamily. “And, for your information, nothing happened last night,” he added, waving a finger at me. “We just went out for coffee and talked.”

“Are you going to see him again?” I asked.

A wide grin crossed his face and he nodded. “Yes.”

“Me, too.” I raised the glass of wine to my lips.

“What?!” All eyes at the table turned to me, except for Sebby, who remained facing forward, his grip on his beer bottle tightening.

“Doctor McDreamy,” I explained, addressing the rest of the table. “His real name is Declan. He asked me out to dinner next Wednesday night and I agreed.”

“This one’s not gay, right?” Darren laughed.

“One can never be too sure of these things,” I quipped, “but after the amazing kiss he left me with, all I can say is he’s a damn good actor if he is. There’s no way a gay man would kiss like that.”

“How was it?” Cora asked, a whimsical look on her face.

I leaned back into my chair and thought back to the night before. “It was hot. Honestly, it took me by surprise. He cut me off in mid-sentence and before I could even react, his lips were on mine.”

“Sounds like a real stand-up guy, forcing himself on you,” Sebby commented, pushing out of his chair and stalking toward Sophia’s wet bar. He poured a large tumbler of a dark liquid before retaking his seat.

I narrowed my eyes at him, furrowing my brow at his impetuous and childish reaction. “It wasn’t like that,” I insisted, although it kind of was. “Women sometimes like men who take control in certain situations.”

“Hell yes, we do,” Lacey added.

“See,” I said smugly.

“So you mean to tell me you all prefer to date complete assholes who only think of themselves?”

“He’s not an asshole,” I countered, noticing the tension in the room building the longer the conversation went on.

“How do you know?” Sebby shot back. “You just met him. And at a bar, no less. You don’t know anything about him, other than he’s allegedly a doctor, which he could have just made up to impress you.”

“Well, I guess I’ll find out on my
date
, won’t I?” I swiped my wine glass off the table and gulped down the liquid. Sebby’s glare unnerved me. I didn’t know why I wanted his approval so badly, but I did.

“I suppose you will.” He pushed out of his chair. “I’ll be right back. Nature calls,” he announced, but instead of heading to the bathroom, he stormed out of the condo, slamming the door behind him.

We were all silent for a moment as Sebby’s outburst hung in the air.

“I’ll go talk to him.” Sophia raised herself from her chair and followed him out of her condo.

“See, Dixie,” Marcel mumbled into my ear. “What did I tell you last night?”

“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes. No matter what Marcel wanted to believe, whether it was true or not, I refused to be the other woman.

“You can ignore it all you want—”

“And I will
continue
to ignore it,” I interrupted, shooting out of my chair. “He has a girlfriend!”

“Who he’s been miserable with for the past several years,” Lacey said. “Although he puts on a damn good show. He’s loyal to a fault.”

“Not to mention they’re all wrong for each other,” Darren added. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. These people were supposed to be his friends. They were supposed to support his choice in girlfriend, not encourage him to be unfaithful. “Do you think it’s just a coincidence he’s here tonight? He’s never made time to come to game night and yet all of a sudden he does?”

“He can’t have his cake and eat it, too.” I grabbed my bag and headed toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Marcel asked, following me.

“Home. I’m not exactly in the game night mood anymore,” I fumed, leaving Sophia’s condo. As I was about to turn the corner toward the bank of elevators, I halted when the familiar timbre of Sophia’s and Sebby’s voices echoed.

“What do you mean?” Sebby whispered.

“Exactly what I said, Sebby,” Sophia shot back. “I know you. You have a thing for Baylee, but you can’t act that way around her, then hop on the next flight out to see your girlfriend. It’s not fair to either one of them.”

“I haven’t cheated on Mercedes. I’d never—”

“Yet,” Sophia interrupted. “You can’t say that you and Baylee are simply friends, then go into a jealous rage when she meets someone. You don’t have that right. Unless you want to ruin what appears to be a great friendship, I’d suggest apologizing to her, and proving with your actions how sorry you truly are.”

When I heard Sophia’s heels clicking on the marble flooring, I scrambled to hide my presence, not having thought that far ahead. I contemplated running in the opposite direction, but I’d be spotted. Having only seconds to decide what to do, I dashed to an alcove in the opposite side of the hallway and crouched behind a large pot containing some sort of decorative tree. Trying to control my labored breathing, I concentrated on not moving an inch as Sophia walked past me and toward her condo. Closing my eyes, I held my breath and waited for Sebby to walk by, too. Several painfully long moments passed as I kept my eyes firmly closed. If I couldn’t see him, he couldn’t see me, right? Thinking he must be gone by now, I let out my breath and opened my eyes.

“
Aaaggghhh
!” I screamed as I looked into Sebby’s eyes just on the other side of the tree. I lost my balance and grabbed the closest thing I could to try to steady myself…the tree. Unfortunately, it was no match against my weight and it came tumbling down on top of me as I fell to the ground, bringing Sebby along for the ride.

I didn’t know how long I lay on the surface of the cool marble tile covered with dirt, a faux plastic terracotta pot broken between Sebby and me. I had lived through many embarrassing moments over the past few months, but I was fairly certain this one took the cake. Not only did he catch me eavesdropping on a private conversation, but I then proceeded to fall ass over tea kettle, covering him with potting soil in the process.

Remaining still, the only sound in the hallway was that of our breathing…until a low rumble sounded from his chest, growing louder and louder until he was laughing wholeheartedly. I glanced over to see him holding his stomach, trying to control his infectious laughter. Soon, I laughed at the situation, as well. It was typical Baylee…turning what was supposed to be a serious conversation into something we’d laugh at for months.

Once our laughter finally died down, our eyes met. “I’m sorry about my behavior earlier,” Sebby offered.

I took a deep breath, my smile faltering. “Sebby, you can’t react that way every time I meet someone.”

“I know,” he admitted, shaking his head. “It’s just… There are a lot of assholes out there…”

“I know. I moved across the hall from one,” I joked, nudging him with my elbow.

“I deserve that, I suppose.”

“Sebby…” I sighed, my expression turning serious. “I appreciate that you’re looking out for me, but I’m an adult and I can take care of myself. Not to mention I’m not looking for anything serious right now. I just want to have some fun. Do I see this thing with Doctor McDreamy going anywhere? Not really.” I shrugged. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to go out for dinner and a few drinks. My mother’s bucket list has taught me to step out of my comfort zone, to experience things I typically would have shied away from. That’s all I’m doing.” I hesitated for a brief moment, debating whether to bring up the fact that he had a girlfriend and his reaction would lead anyone to believe he was interested in me. As much as I wanted to address it, I just couldn’t. I didn’t want our friendship to become weird over this.

“I get it,” he said finally. “But I swear, if he hurts you, he’ll have me to answer to.”

“I know.” I leaned over and planted a friendly kiss on his cheek. “And that’s why I’m happy to be able to call you a friend.”

He turned his head toward me, our lips just a breath away. There was something serene about this moment and I didn’t want it to end. “Baylee, I—”

“Sebby,” I interrupted. I didn’t know what I expected him to say, but by the tone of his voice, I had a feeling he would regret it later on. “Don’t. It’s not worth it. I’ll admit I was kind of upset when I found out you had a girlfriend, but now I see it as a blessing in disguise. You were right. Men and women
can
just be friends, and I wouldn’t want to ruin this friendship for anything, regardless of whether or not you have a girlfriend.”

Deflated, he looked up at the ceiling. “Me, either.”

I thought I heard disappointment in his voice.

C
HAPTER
F
IFTEEN

I
SCANNED
THE
COLD
exam room I sat in, illustrations of the female reproductive system surrounding me. I never understood why gynecologists felt the need to decorate with images such as these. I’d much rather look at a calming seascape, not be reminded I was here to have a cold metal instrument shoved up my hoo-ha.

I shifted on the exam table, the crinkling of the thin paper gown against the protective tissue echoing in the room. I wished there were some sort of music being piped in. Maybe it would help me relax. I just kept reminding myself that this would all be over soon, then I could go home to get ready for my hot date with Doctor McDreamy. I absently wondered what kind of medicine he practiced. I could envision him in some fast-paced emergency room, barking foreign medical lingo at the nurses.
 

Just as I was wondering whether the doctor would ever be coming to do my checkup, there was a soft knock on the door, followed by the sound of it opening. I’d tried to recreate that exact moment in my mind time and time again since then, but it was just a blur. All I could remember were my eyes nearly popping out of my head as my entire body grew stiff when the doctor emerged from behind the privacy curtain. With frantic hands, I tried to cover myself more than the flimsy gown would allow.