Gentleman Nine(19)

“A woman once asked me to go to the bathroom and text her a picture of how hard I was for her. So, I made an exception and pulled out my phone in that instance.”

“That’s not all you pulled out, apparently.” I laughed.

“Touché.”

Normally, the idea of Channing sending a photo of his cock to some woman would make me cringe. Maybe it was the alcohol, but right now, the thought of him sneaking off into a bathroom and doing something like that was turning me on. Then again, everything was turning me on lately. I really needed to figure out where the off button was.

I cleared my throat. “Okay, so you make exceptions for dick pics...”

“Only dick pics.” He winked. “Otherwise, it’s disrespectful and shows the person that I’m more interested in other things. If I’m with someone, I’m going to be mentally present, otherwise what’s the point of being together?”

“Yeah, but after you’ve been with someone for a while, it’s a little different. You’ve never gotten to that point with anyone. In a long-term relationship, gone are the butterflies and the dick pics.”

“Well, that’s just a shame. Maybe that’s part of the problem. If being online is more interesting than the person sitting in front of you, then what does that say?” He looked back over at the couple. “Those two haven’t looked at each other once. If that’s what a relationship is like, then I’m happy I’m not in one.”

It was hard to argue with that.

My attention turned to two men who were looking in our direction. “What about those guys?”

“They’re gay,” Channing said without hesitation.

“Ah, you have gaydar, too?”

“Well, if they’re looking at me and not you, then yes, that makes it pretty easy to figure out. You don’t even really need gaydar, in that case.”

“I guess you’re right.” I sighed and surveyed the room some more. “What do you think someone turning the tables on us right now would think? What impression would we give?”

“They would think we were either old friends or on a good date because we’re actually comfortable with each other and engaged in conversation. And they would think I was entertaining because you’re smiling and laughing.”

“They wouldn’t know what a miserable person I am normally.”

His expression turned serious. “I don’t see you that way at all, Amber.”

“How do you see me? What’s your honest impression of me since arriving in Boston?”

“You want the truth?”

“Yes.”

“You’re still sixteen to me.” He laughed.

“Shut up, really? You think so? Well, you definitely look a lot older to me, but not in a bad way.”

“You honestly look almost the same. But I’m not just talking about your appearance. When I look at you, I see my sister’s friend, the girl who hung out in my basement and who used to kick my ass in air hockey. That’s who I see, even though I know you’re really not her anymore. Maybe I just want you to be her. I’m choosing to see that version of you for selfish reasons.”

“You prefer her over the person I am now…”

He was quick to correct. “That’s not what I meant…at all. You have every reason to be in a funk right now. And, of course, you’ve grown up a lot. I was more referring to the nostalgia of thinking about the connection we had back then. We lost touch when I went away to UF. And after that, it was never really the same between you and me. That’s what happens when you’re young. We evolve. But the mark of true friendship is that you can still come full circle, even if life circumstances change.”

“I always knew you’d be there for me if I ever needed you, but I never would’ve imagined that I’d be sitting in a bar in Boston with you and certainly wouldn’t have dreamt that we’d be living together.”

“It’s fate. The timing was right. The job brought me here, but the universe knew you really needed someone to give you a good kick in the ass.”

“Have you started reading The Law of Attraction? You mentioned the universe…”

He winked. “I might have.”

“I hope you don’t think I’m a whack job after you get done with it.”

“I’m surprised at how much I’m liking it, actually. And I think that what the book teaches about manifesting your own destiny can help you get over the R word if you apply it correctly.”

“You can say his name. I won’t freak out. I’m done crying over it.”

Channing tapped my foot with his under the table. “Good.”

“I just need to hit a reset button on my life.”

He smacked the table. “There it is, the new R word. Reset.”

“Love that.” I sighed. “You know, my problem is…I’ve never dated. I never had to because I was always with Rory. I feel like I don’t really know how to handle myself in that situation. I’m like a fish out of water.”

“So, let’s practice.”

“How?”

“We’ll pretend to be two people who are just meeting here. I can stay in character if you can. It’ll be like improv.”