Birdy lives in a really nice apartment.
Gated community, lavish pool, and expertly landscaped. Not sure how much she pays for rent, but it’s probably more than I do, which I find funny given the vast difference in our bank accounts.
I pull into a parking spot outside of her building, grab the box of cupcakes from our class off my seat—never show up empty-handed—and jog up the steps toward apartment 3C.
I knock on the door three times, and I’m tempted to kick the footboard but remind myself that’s something I do with Lia and hold back. The locks are undone, and the door opens for me to find Birdy on the other side wearing a pair of silk shorts and a simple black tank top.
“You brought cupcakes? I thought you wouldn’t have any left after how you took them down in the class.”
“I went on a one-day detox.” I hand them to her just as she steps up to me, places her hand on my chest, and greets me with a kiss on the corner of my mouth. That was unexpected, but I didn’t mind it.
“I’m glad you’re here.” She then takes my hand and pulls me into her apartment.
I slip my shoes off, lock the door behind me, and then follow her into the living room, where she takes a seat on the couch and pulls me down with her.
Her apartment is what I would have expected from her. Pristine white furniture with beige and tan tones spread throughout the space. It’s clean, sharp, modern, and serene. Not one action figure decoration and not one poster. Very grown-up.
A far cry from my place.
And Lia’s for that matter.
Sitting on her knees, she turns toward me and says, “I need to talk to you about something.”
“Uh, okay,” I answer as I turn toward her as well.
“Well, more like apologize.”
“You apologized enough about the baking class,” I say. “And I had fun, oddly.”
“It’s not about the baking class. It’s about . . .” She winces and then adds, “The kiss.”
“Oh, uh, what about the kiss?” I ask her.
“I know it was awkward.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, knowing damn well it felt a touch awkward.
“I was nervous and clammed up when I kissed you. I’m honestly surprised you’re even here after that kiss. When I got your text, I gasped. I was waiting on a late-night Friday phone call telling me you can’t meet up to hike.”
“Birdy—”
“I’m a better kisser than that,” she says in a panic. “Much better. I’m just, God, I’m so nervous around you.”
“Why?” I ask. “I don’t think I’m very intimidating.”
“You’re not. That’s the problem. If you were some alpha asshole, then yeah, I probably wouldn’t feel so jittery around you, but you’re a nice guy, a sweet one, and you’re the kind of guy who’s hard to find, especially in Los Angeles. I keep telling myself I’m going to blow it, and I truly thought I did with that kiss.”
“You need to stop overthinking things,” I say, even though she’s completely right. I thought the same thing about the kiss. Guess I wasn’t alone on this. That’s comforting. Maybe it was the tight-lipped thing after all.
“I’m sorry. I’m just so caught up in my previous relationship that it’s difficult to shake those thoughts in my head. But I’ll do better.”
“Take your time,” I say as I drape my arm over the back of her couch. “I don’t plan on going anywhere, and as it stands, we’re still going on that hike on Saturday.”
“Good, because I went shopping today and got the perfect outfit for it.”
“Oh yeah?” I ask with a laugh. “Wasn’t sure there was a perfect hike slash birdwatching outfit out there.”
“If you look hard enough. You can find it.”
“Tell me more about this outfit.”
“Oh no, no sneak peeks. It will be a surprise.”
“Well, if it’s not a shirt with a bird on it, I will be incredibly disappointed.”
All she does is smile, and it’s really cute. She’s really cute. And funny. And sweet. Pretty much everything I would probably look for in a match. It’s why I need to try harder to make this work.
“So did you go wedding planning with Lia today?”
“Yup, checked out some flowers.”
She draws closer. I can tell she wants to be more intimate, so I shift my body to face her more, and then I draw a circle with my finger over her bare shoulder. There seems to be relief in her eyes, so I continue.
“What did you end up choosing?”
“Now, Birdy,” I admonish. “What kind of Pickle of Honor would I be if I gave out the secrets of the wedding?”
“Pickle of Honor? This needs some explanation.”
“Lia and I are huge Scrabble nerds. We were in a club together in college, and one night, it was just me and her playing, which is usually how the club gathering ended anyway. I was exhausted but needed to beat her at one more game. I had the workings to spell pickle and accidentally spelled it wrong. And of course, I was a cocky son of a bitch back then, especially when Scrabble was involved, so I called out my points like a master, and she pointed at the board, saying I spelled it wrong. It was humiliating, and the name stuck. I’m her pickle.”
She chuckles. “You know, pickle could be thought of as something else.”
I pause and then shake my head. “Trust me, this pickle has never gone there.”
She laughs some more. “Well, I love your friendship. I think it’s sweet. Do you have a lot of close friends? Or just Lia?”
“Well, I used to hang out with my brothers until they got married. That’s put a real damper on our basketball games. I still see them, but it’s more of a group thing, which grants their wives access to my personal business. They can be very needy when it comes to knowing all about my single life and how they can make me . . . un-single. And then there’s my friend Banner, who just started working with us. He’s pretty cool, but he’s seeing this girl Kenzie, well, sort of seeing her. I don’t know where they stand. So he’s occupied with that.” I nod my head slowly. “Looks like I’m at that time in my life where everyone pairs up.”
“I know what you mean,” Birdy says. “When I was with my ex, it was as if everyone was getting married or having kids. We did couple things together, and when we broke up, it was as if no one had time for me.”
“That’s shitty, but I know the feeling.”
“Can’t blame them, though,” she says. “They’re in love after all.”
“I guess so. I think that’s what has put a fire in me to meet someone. I’m not desperate or anything, but I also don’t want to be lonely.”
“I totally get that. I’m the same way. I don’t need someone to be happy, but it’s fun to do things with someone . . . you know, like hiking.” She reaches out and plays with the fabric of my shirt.
“And icing pussies.”
Her smirk is really sexy when she looks up at me. “Exactly. Like icing pussies.”
Taking a risk, I tug on her hand and say, “Come here.” To my luck, she listens and straddles my lap. I lean against the couch cushion so I’m looking up at her. “How was work today?”