Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Chapter 25

Age 23:

To: shinyobjects@gmail.com

From: lilypad10@gmail.com

Oh, Shiny. I am so happy (and only like 10% jealous) of you. You have to keep me updated. Tell me the second you know how she feels! You deserve this. All those years of meaningless flings and terrible first dates that never amounted to anything have finally paid off. She’s your girl. She sounds like a total hottie. I’m sure if you love her, I would too. You’ll always have a special place in my heart, but I know it won’t be just the two of us forever.

I can’t wait for the day when I get to email you that I’m engaged to some hot Alaskan oilfield man and we’ve adopted an abundance of German shepherds and have moved to a cottage house with blue curtains. Until then, I’ll support you from the sidelines. Or in this case, your inbox. I don’t know how your girl will feel about our friendship, but I hope this doesn’t mean we can’t keep reaching out to each other. Even if it does, I always wish you the best.

Don’t forget our ten-year anniversary is coming up. Let’s at least push till then.

Love forever, Lily

***

Silently, I sat on the floor, waiting for Nathan to say absolutely anything. Instead, we both had our eyes glued to the TV, which was now playing some Spanish drama with no subtitles. It was already playing when I clicked the TV on, and neither of us had the energy—or strength, in his case—to turn it off. After watching Nathan curled up into a ball on the couch for nearly ten minutes, I reached for the remote, unsure of what to say.

I had a lot of questions. Truth be told, the biggest two were:

1. What did it feel like to be kicked in the balls?

2. What were the people on the TV saying?

A younger woman with ample breasts—I believe it was Maria?—was yelling at an older woman who I think was her mother. Maria tossed her head back, wild curls like a lion’s mane flying around her. By her body language, I believed she was saying something along the lines of “How dare you?”

The older woman gasped and brought a hand to her chest. She yelled back, her shoulders shaking from…what? Grief? Pain? Shock? Amazement? I was dying over here.

Maria suddenly glanced around. Then, without further ado, she pushed the other woman down the stairs. The woman, who’d definitely been replaced by a male stunt double judging by the beard and suddenly very hairy arms protruding from the sleeves of the tight red dress, tumbled exaggeratedly down the stairs.

Nathan and I gasped in tandem, both leaning closer to the TV.

“Why did Marissa just push her maid down the stairs?”

Okay, so maybe I was wrong about the name. And the relationship between the women.

My eyes were still wide as I said, “I think she either owed her money or slept with her husband. Maybe both.”

Nathan chuckled. The sound instantly put me at ease. His shoulders were far more relaxed and his usual smirk had returned, sending a wave of relief washing over me.

Yet somehow, I still felt the need to ask, “Nathan, do you hate me?”

He sighed heavily. “No, Calla. I don’t hate you.”

“Even though I might have just ruined your chance at future children?”

A snort came out of him. “Yes, even then.”

I smiled and leaned against him, dropping my head to his shoulder. “Good, because I have nowhere else to go, and you mean a lot to me.”

It was nice to tell him. To finally have a true friend to rely on. A person I could trust. A person so undeniably loyal. I loved that about him.

Nathan went rigid for a second, then let out a breath. “Yeah, you mean a lot to me too.”

“Can I ask a question?”

Nathan nodded in reply.

“Why were you coming to my room in the first place?”

He blinked a few times and bit his lip. “I wanted to ask if you’d go to this work thing with me next week. Everyone’s bringing dates. It’s kind of fancy, though, so I don’t know if—”

I sat up. “Like a fake date?”

He nodded, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Yeah. Yeah, like a fake date.”

The romance lover in me had a field day with that one. My mind flipped through scenes from early 2000s rom-coms with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, or Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. The thought of getting dressed up and pretending to be Nathan’s eye candy sounded appealing as well. Plus, I would get to meet the infamous Jamey or whatever her name was.

“Absolutely. I would love to.”

Nathan’s lips quirked just a little, but he ducked his head like he was trying to hide the reaction. It made me smile too.

We sat like that for a while, with my head propped against his shoulder. Every now and then, he’d shake a little with laughter, or we’d both shoot up in shock at the sight of a knife or a family jewel in a character’s hand.

I yawned, my eyes watering, and heaved myself off the couch. “I’m gonna head to bed.” I put one arm in the air and stretched while I used the other to hold my towel up. “Do you want me to wrap up the rest of that cobbler and put it up?”

Nathan stood too. “Nah, I’ll get it. I’m going to stay up a little while longer. I’ll see you tomorrow, all right?”

I felt an odd urge to hug him good night, to wrap my pathetic arms around his muscular body and squeeze him tight. Though it probably wouldn’t be the smartest choice, considering I’d caused the man severe harm twice tonight.

So I settled with a swift “night” and dragged myself to bed, where a dark slumber took over as soon as my head hit the pillow.

***

My phone buzzed in the passenger seat as I turned left, following the directions of the GPS voice.

I pulled into the lot and parked in the closest spot I could find.

You almost here?

My heart raced. What is he like? What does he look like? Is he as nervous as I am?

Our last-minute plans to meet were a blur. He’d sent me an address and a cryptic message that said If we’re doing this, we’re doing this now. Which had my blood pumping and my cheeks flushing. I wanted to meet Shiny. Of course I did. I’d always been curious about my online best friend. But I’d never entertained the idea until now. We always said we’d meet at the ten-year mark, but I never really expected that to actually happen.

The unfamiliar building was nothing but a shadowy structure in the dark night. The only light came from the moon and a dim orange streetlamp close by.

I’m here. Where are you?

It was a little sketchy out here. Hopefully this wasn’t part of some kind of ten-year plan he’d made to lead me here. Nah. There was no way. This was Shiny. The guy I confided in. Who knew all my deepest secrets. Who constantly reassured me that I was worthy and enough. The guy who, without ever even truly knowing me, had told me for years that I was his favorite person on earth.

“I’m right here,” a deep voice rumbled across the dim parking lot.

I jumped. The low vibrations of his tone rattled my chest, and I flushed at the thought of turning around and seeing…him.

Slowly, I turned, waiting to come face to face with a short, not overly attractive guy with hair longer than mine. And possibly extra toes or something. It would make this a whole lot easier on me if he was entirely not my type. Then I’d never again have to lie awake at night wondering.

What I found was a man propped up against a familiar car in a dark corner of the lot. His black hood obscured his face, but the hoodie didn’t hide his tall, muscular frame. His chest was broad, his shoulders wide. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his stance was intimidating, yet inviting. Pulling me in like a snake charmer. I knew he could be dangerous, and yet I didn’t care.

My mouth froze in shock. “I, uh, I.” Come on, words. Do your job.

I stepped out of the light, my feet moving before my brain could process.

“I thought it might be you. I pictured it being you a lot.”

That deep rumble…what was that? So perfectly familiar, but a blurry memory.

I was only a couple of steps away when Shiny lifted his hands and lowered his hood. Half of his face was covered by a black mask, the material stretched over his jaw up to just above the tip of his nose.

Though I probably should have run screaming from the masked man in the sketchy parking lot, my mind raced back to the time Nathan teased me for finding masks somewhat attractive. Oh god. He’d have an absolute field day with this.

I smirked. With Nathan on my mind, my confidence grew. “So you can see me, but I get you in a mask?”

Shiny scoffed. “I thought you liked masks, BG.”

I froze, and tingles raced down my arms, like sparks bouncing off a flame. My smirk fell. How did he…

Shiny lowered his mask, exposing stubble and lips and a jaw I knew all too well. I knew that shaggy, messy hair and the dark green irises like they were my own.

“Nathan?”

Deep down, I supposed it made sense. Nathan and Shiny had practically identical senses of humor, and harmless flirting was so on brand that I wondered why I hadn’t figured it out earlier.

He chuckled. “Course it’s me, sweetheart. You think there are any two people out there who fit together as well as we do?”

“But, but how did you—”

He moved in so close his chest brushed mine. “We could ask questions all night long, but I think we both know we have more important priorities right now.” He trailed his fingers along my jaw and palmed my neck, gently pulling me into him.

I leaned in, the feeling so natural. “Is it really you?”

His face came into focus as I got closer, a mirage of muscles and cocky smirks. “Wake up and tell me, sweetheart.”

I gasped as his lips covered mine.

Just as I closed my eyes and leaned into his kiss, I shot up from the bed. Sweat dripped from my forehead, and my heart raced as I grappled with reality.

My bed. I was still in my bed. No Nathan and no Shiny to be found. Just me alone in the dark. What in the world had I just dreamed about?