As the temperature dropped, I thought about my mother’s call earlier that day. We hadn’t spoken in months, but Mom wanted me to know she was getting married again. Every time, she announced a new husband, she acted as if she’d finally found her Prince Charming. Except evil queens like my mother never found their fairytale endings. More likely, she’d end up alone after the guy disappointed her. No one was ever good enough. Nothing ever satisfied.
Knowing I wouldn’t sleep well away from her, I turned off the SUV around eleven and climbed in the backseat. With a pillow and blanket, I created a makeshift bed. Eventually, someone was bound to notice me and become concerned. My stalking ways would be common knowledge and Winnie would stop smiling at me. Until then, I needed her to keep the anger and stress away.
Waking the next morning in an awkward position, I straightened up and studied Winnie’s house. The 1960’s style ranch looked welcoming in the faint sunlight. Imagining Winnie curled up in bed, I suspected she slept with a stuffed animal under a mountain of covers. She seemed like the kind of girl who needed help being soothed.
Fucked up in our own ways, we weren’t so different. Winnie might be damaged like I wasn’t, but she had a warm family to keep her sane. I was stronger, but alone in a world that didn’t see me most days. Together, I suspected we’d compliment each other. Make sense like Nick and Bailey did.
In the mornings, as I drove home to shower and prepare for a new day, the reality of my situation struck me. Winnie was beautiful and she smiled at me in the best way. Except she was locked away in her private life and I had no way to get to her. I couldn’t ask her out. I could only sit outside her house every night and dream of things never about to happen.
This was my life now - falling asleep with big dreams, only to wake up to stark realities.
I picked up breakfast at Dairy Queen and noticed a cute girl checking me out. Without the mohawk, I wasn’t as intimidating and girls were always smiling at me. Sometimes, I wished one of them could distract me from Winnie. They weren’t her though and no one else would do.
Back at work, I doubted Winnie and I could fit like Nick and Bailey. I wasn’t a sensitive guy and she needed gentle. I wanted her, but I wanted her to be happy more.
Once at work, I glanced around Cooper’s future office which had become the project that kept on giving. The old building had one problem after another. Cooper’s solution was to say, “fix it” and leave the details to me. By the time I’d be finished, the place would be like new.
“Nice hammer,” Harlow said from behind me.
“Hey,” I said, glancing around casually to see if Winnie was with her. “Nice shiner.”
“You should see the other chick,” she muttered. “Can we talk?”
Setting down my hammer, I followed her away from the other guys. Harlow seemed tense and I worried something was wrong with Winnie.
“This is awkward and I feel weird coming here like this,” she said, pushing her blonde hair behind her ears. “Are you dating anyone?”
My breath caught. A fear rose up in my chest at the thought of Harlow wanting to date me. What would that mean for me and Winnie? The look in Harlow’s eyes calmed my terror. I might as well have been a brick wall based on the lack of attraction she showed.
“No.”
“Some girl was hugging you outside a restaurant. Wasn’t that a date?”
Frowning, I scratched at my jaw where I forgot to shave that morning. “That was a girl from high school. She might have been into me, but we went out as friends. I’m not dating anyone.”
“Winnie saw you with that girl and she got really upset. I know she’s not ready to have a boyfriend, but she wants you. Do you want her?”
Playing it cool might be the stud move, but I didn’t want to be a player. I wanted Winnie. Besides, for the second time in twenty four hours, someone close to Winnie wanted to play matchmaker.
“Yes.”
Harlow nodded. “She’s messed up. You know that, right?”
“I know she’s fragile, yeah.”
“Winnie has a lot of phobias. Not stupid shit for attention, but real chronic problems that won’t go away because you’re hot. She’s been in therapy for years and gotten stronger, but she’ll never be okay.”
“I understand.”
Harlow bit her lip then nodded again. “Do you want to take her out to dinner tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
Harlow smiled. “You better be chattier than that on the date or else no one will say anything. Winnie likely won’t say anything all night, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to. She just takes a long time to warm up to people.”
I wasn’t sure what Harlow saw on my face, but she grinned.
“She really wants to warm up to you, Dylan. Don’t fuck it up, okay?”
“I’ll do my best.”