Forever Friend Zoned Page 10

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I muttered.

  How bad had I screwed this up? Shutting Alora down was only part of my issue. I had probably just talked myself out of my job. Once Alora told daddy I hurt her feelings, he would not hesitate to fire my ass. He wouldn’t give a shit if I told him the real story.

  Then what was I going to do? I stayed and looked for another job or I went back to Texas and begged for my old job back. Neither option really appealed to me.

  I liked the job I had. This was the one I wanted to keep. I wanted to be a part of Fran’s big, master plan. I liked the freedom I had. I liked that she let me pretty much do what I wanted and that she listened to my ideas. The whole program that I put together for Alora and other people in her same position was important to me. I liked helping them. I liked the progress I was seeing.

  I made myself a quick dinner of baked chicken with some brown rice. I was used to being alone, but it was getting old. I had gone to ERock for help because I wanted a different life. Sitting in front of the TV and eating dinner by myself was not the way I wanted my life to go. I flipped through the channels. Nothing interested me. Nothing excited me.

  “Dammit, ERock, if you fucking sabotaged me, I swear I will break your fingers.”

  I couldn’t stop the quiet voice of doubt whispering in my ear. ERock had been tight with Alora. What if he still had a thing for her?

  He could be sabotaging me to keep me away from her. I hated to think the guy I was paying to help me would do that to me, but I was too much of a skeptic not to think that.

  I wasn’t the same shy kid. I was going to confront him and ask him directly if that was his goal. I was willing to fight for Alora. If she truly had a thing for me, damn straight I was going to take her up on whatever she was offering. If ERock didn’t like that, too fucking bad. I’d waited too long for this moment.

  By the time I went to bed, I had really worked myself up. I replayed the moment at the juice bar over and over. I ran through every scenario. If I would have said this or done that, the outcome would have been so different.

  I was socially awkward. There was no denying it, but today had been next level. I was lucky I didn’t send her to the hospital to have the straw removed from her nasal cavity. That had been horribly embarrassing.

  I closed my eyes, and as usual, I thought about her. ERock could stick it up his ass. My fantasies were my business.

  “I should probably get out of here,” she said. “The gym is long past closed.”

  “I work here. I have the keys.”

  She picked up her glass of water and sipped it. “We’ve been talking for hours.”

  “It was good to catch up. I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you. I’m so glad you came back. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you at first. You’ve changed a lot. For the better.”

  “You’ve changed a lot as well, but you are still as beautiful as I remember.”

  Her pretty smile warmed my heart. “You’re just saying that.”

  “No, I’m not. You’re beautiful, Alora. You deserve the best. I can be the best for you.”

  “Jeff, I’m so glad you are back.”

  We were suddenly standing. We stood face to face, inches apart. This was a moment we’d been in before. It felt like a make-or-break moment. I looked into her eyes and found myself holding my breath. Was this the moment?

  I reached up and touched her cheek. She didn’t pull away. She didn’t give me the dreaded speech about wanting to be friends. I bent forward and kissed her. Her body melded against mine as her arms wrapped around my neck. The kiss heated up. It had been a decade in the making. Years of hoping had finally come to fruition.

  I picked her up and rested her on the juice bar. I stepped between her legs and continued to kiss her. Things spun out of control, and the next thing I knew, I was thrusting inside her. Her sounds of pleasure floated around me. It was the moment I had been waiting for most of my life.

  “Shit,” I moaned and reached between my legs to grab my achingly stiff cock.

  I wish I had the gift to talk to women. I was such a nerd. People looked at me and they thought I was this cocky, arrogant dude who had women falling at his feet. I did have plenty of women that flirted with me, but it was a different story.

  They didn’t turn me on like she did. I didn’t know what it was about the woman, but damn, she turned me inside out. I couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like to kiss her. Part of me was a little worried to actually kiss her. What if it didn’t live up to the fantasy? I was getting ahead of myself. I didn’t know if I would ever get the chance to kiss her, especially after tonight.

  “Go to sleep,” I groaned.

  I pushed all thoughts of Alora to the back of my mind. I could stay awake all damn night dreaming up new fantasies. I could think of a million different ways we would have our first kiss. First kiss, first time I touched her breast, and of course, the first time I slid inside her.

  I adjust my swollen cock once again. I was going to have the worst case of blue balls if I didn’t figure out a way to get some relief.

  Chapter 16

  Alora

  I had been in a bad mood for two days. I was so damn embarrassed. Absolutely fucking mortified. I wasn’t talking to Sue at the moment either. Not really, but really. I couldn’t blame her for my total screwup. She’d encouraged me to flirt with him. She did tell me to ask him out, but she probably didn’t mean for me to be such a dumbass in doing it.

  I was so glad he had not been at the gym when I was. I was glad he had a day off. I didn’t know how I was ever going to face him. I could barely face myself. The only reason I was taking my ass to the gym today was because I didn’t want to be alone with my mother.

  Plus, as much as I hated to admit it, I liked the way I felt after a couple of hours at the gym. I wasn’t going to do anything major, just some time on the spin bike—now that I’d figured out how to keep the seat from wedging between my ass cheeks. If I wasn’t careful, I was going to become a gym rat.

  I found myself searching the gym before pushing the door open. I prayed he wasn’t there. I walked straight to the wall where the bikes were lined up. I started the bike and got busy. I watched the other people in the gym. I didn’t look at them the same way I did a month ago. I saw them as hard-working individuals. They didn’t just get handed their bodies. They were putting in the effort to keep up those beautiful figures. They were making the hard food choices and avoiding unhealthy foods.

  I admired their self-control. I was getting better at it, but I was nowhere near their level of commitment. I climbed off the bike and used my towel to wipe off my face and neck. Then I made my way to the showers before dressing.

  Just when I was ready to go, Bunny walked into the locker room. “Hi!” she said in her bubbly voice.

  “Hi.”

  “How was your workout?”

  “Good,” I said. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to her. I had no reason to dislike her, but I was jealous as hell. I wondered if she and Jeff were hooking up. They probably were. I looked at her and almost had to laugh at my audacity to ask him out.

  “You have such beautiful skin,” she said. “What is your secret?”

  I touched my face. “I don’t have a secret.”

  “Do you eat a lot of avocadoes?”

  I thought that was the strangest question. “I suppose I eat an average amount. I do like avocadoes and they were on the list of foods the nutritionist gave us. I can’t resist guacamole.” I couldn’t help but feel defensive.

  “That’s awesome. I love guacamole. I actually make my own.”

  “I’ve never actually made it,” I said.

  “I can show you how I make mine. It’s super easy and it is so good for you.”

  “Sure, that’d be great,” I said with feigned enthusiasm. I assumed it was one of those invitations that wasn’t real. It was something people said, like when a guy said he was going to call you after a horrible date.

/>   “Are you doing anything now?” she asked.

  I gulped. “Like right now?”

  “Yeah. I only had one session today. I’m done for the day. I was going to get the stuff to make it for my weekly meals. I’d love for you to come along. I can drive.”

  I wanted to say no. Hanging out with Bunny for the day was right above hanging out with my mother for the day. I figured she was the lesser of two evils. I could escape Bunny. I couldn’t escape my mother. I forced a smile. “Sure, that’d be great.”

  She clapped her hands. “Awesome! This will be so much fun.”

  I wasn’t sure I shared her enthusiasm, but I told myself to just go with it. I got into her little sports car and held on while she drove. When she parked in the lot at the farmers’ market, I was a little surprised. “The farmers’ market?” I said.

  “Oh, yes,” she said. “I try to get here every weekend.”

  I grabbed my purse and followed her in. I had been here maybe once. I wasn’t sure what to expect. She grabbed a basket. I did the same.

  “Oh, look at these avocadoes!” she exclaimed.

  She grabbed one and put it back. I was a little embarrassed to admit I’d never bought avocadoes. I ate them, but at home, my mother or the cook did the shopping. When I lived with Todd, we had groceries delivered.

  She caught me watching her. Instead of judging me, she picked up an avocado and handed it to me. “Soft is good. Hard means it isn’t ripe, which is fine if you don’t plan on eating them for a while.”

  I gently squeezed. “This one is hard.”

  “Exactly. And you see the color. You want dark.”

  She helped me pick out ten avocadoes before we moved to another bin. “Limes?”

  “I use limes on everything. I use limes instead of other sauces.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, and of course, they are a must for guacamole.”

  Under her guidance, we picked out a bag of limes. She led me around the market and chatted about all the different foods and why she always chose to eat fresh. I found myself actually listening. I was very interested to hear what she had to say. She taught without teaching.

  I ended up leaving the market with two cloth bags filled with produce and herbs. I was actually pretty excited to get them home. The fresh food was a lot better than the frozen shit my mother stuffed the freezer with.

  “Do you want to go back to my place and I’ll show you how I make my guacamole?”

  In for a penny, in for a pound. “Sure, I’d appreciate that.”

  Before I knew it, I found myself in her rather small apartment. “My kitchen is small, but it works.”

  “It’s perfect,” I told her. “Do you live here by yourself?”

  “Yep. I don’t have time for a man. I’m focused on my career. With my schedule, I never know when I’m going to be working. It’s impossible to have a set schedule and a lot of guys don’t like that.”

  “Have you always been a personal trainer?” I asked her. I found myself liking her a little more every hour we were together. I had misjudged her.

  “Not always. I’m sure you have probably already assumed it, but I was a cheerleader. I cheered through college. It was actually what paid my way through school. I got my bachelor’s in exercise science. I minored in physical therapy just in case the personal trainer thing didn’t work out.”

  “Wow! Really?”

  She grinned as she handed me a knife to cut my avocadoes. “I bet you thought I was just another dumb blonde.”

  I opened my mouth to deny it. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine. I love that people underestimate me. To be honest, I play up the stereotype. I let very few people know the real me.”

  I really did like her. I felt like such a bitch for judging her the way I did. I hated when people judged me, and I did it to her. “I really am sorry,” I said again.

  “It’s okay. I judged you too.”

  I groaned. “You saw me as the plump, unmotivated girl.”

  “No. I saw you as the owner’s daughter and I wanted to see what you were all about. I figured you were at the gym to spy.”

  I burst into laughter. “Not at all. My parents ask me about the gym all the time, but not about what you guys are doing. They are more concerned with me losing the weight.”

  “I’m glad you are giving me a chance,” she said.

  “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to see you. I know I’ve been a bit of a bitch. That’s my own hang-ups.”

  “It’s behind us. Now, let’s make guacamole.”

  I followed her instructions, and when it came time to taste test our guacamole, I was thrilled with what I had made. “This is so good.”

  She opened a cupboard and pulled out a stack of black plastic dishes. “I make my meals on my day off usually. I put them in these containers and stack them in the fridge. The guac does get a little funky looking after a day in the fridge but add a little more lime and stir it up and you are good to go.”

  “You pre-make your meals?”

  “Yes. It’s easy, healthier, and I get to pick the best ingredients.”

  “What all do you make?”

  She was more than happy to tell me. I felt like I was getting a crash course in meal prep.

  “I don’t want to sound nosey, but do you make your meals?” she asked.

  I slowly shook my head. “No. I live at home and my parents have a cook. I’m a little embarrassed to admit I’ve never really been grocery shopping. My mom just ordered some fresh frozen meal plan thing. It is awful.”

  She smiled as if she sympathized. “It really isn’t hard to make your own meals. I do a lot of brown rice and divvy it up in my meal containers. You could do that.”

  “I could but I never have.”

  “If you’d like some cooking lessons, I’d love to show you.”

  I decided in that moment I needed my own place. “I would like that. I’m not blowing you off, but I need to ask the cook if I can use the kitchen.”

  “Does your cook make meals for you?”

  “I’ve never asked him.”

  “I can send you with a list of meals that you could give to him. No pressure, and if you don’t want to, that’s fine. I just get really passionate about cooking healthy.”

  “I appreciate that, and yes, I would love a list.”

  She smiled and opened a drawer. She started to jot things down on a piece of paper while telling me what she was writing. It wasn’t anything fancy, but I was intrigued.

  “Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. I promise I’ll bring your bowl back to the gym tomorrow.”

  She waved a hand. “No worries. I’ll take you back to your car.”

  She drove me back, and instead of the tense ride we had earlier, I felt much more relaxed. I felt like we were friends. We said our goodbyes and I drove home with my bounty from the farmers’ market. When I got home, the cook was in the kitchen.

  “Hey,” I said, not knowing his name. “I was wondering if I could talk with you about some meals I’d like.”

  He looked at me like he’d stepped on me on his way into the house. “I plan my meals and have them approved by Mrs. Springfield.”

  “Yes, I know, but I’d like to have some premade meals.”

  “I’ll talk to Mrs. Springfield, but I don’t prepare meals that are not from my recipe collection.”

  I gave him a tight smile. “I understand. Thanks.” I turned to walk out when I stopped. “I put some things in the fridge. Those are mine. They are not meant for your recipes.”

  I went to my room and flopped onto my bed. I wanted to make some changes. I didn’t want to eat those cardboard meals in the freezer. If the cook wouldn’t make the meals Bunny gave me, I’d figure out how to make it for myself. I was absolutely going to find a way to get in that kitchen.

  Or my own kitchen. I couldn’t depend on anyone else to make good meal choices. I was going to do it myself.

  Chapter 17

/>   Jeff

  I wasn’t sure if it was fate, but everyone in my class had canceled for the day. That wasn’t unheard of. There was always at least one person who couldn’t make it, but for the bulk of them not to show made me very nervous. Had Alora said something to turn them against me? Did I piss her off that badly?

  I checked the time again and looked toward the juice bar. That was usually where Alora and Sue started. They had not come in yet. I was going to kick my own ass if I ruined this thing I had going. I was lucky enough to get the job. I couldn’t be so unlucky to lose it within a month.

  I was in a bad way. I had not been able to stop thinking about Alora since that day. She consumed my every thought almost every minute of the day. She haunted my dreams and floated into my head when I was doing the most basic things. I had it bad. I had it much worse than I had it all those years ago. I didn’t think there could ever be something more powerful than a preteen love, but I was wrong.

  I heard her voice and spun around. It was her. She showed up. She was talking to the receptionist before sliding her card and walking into the main lobby area. I watched as she walked to the locker room and then came back to get her usual water before our session. But where was Sue? Maybe Alora was here to work out alone and wanted nothing to do with me or the program.

  I was about to find out. I approached her a little hesitantly, but I did it all the same. “Hi,” I said.

  “Hi.”

  “You’re alone today?”

  She nodded. “Sue couldn’t make it.”

  I had a feeling she was not going to be thrilled the others weren’t coming either. “It’s just you today.”

  Her face paled. “What?”

  “Everyone canceled for the day. I wasn’t sure you would show up.”

  “I’m here and I’m ready to work.”

  “Good. Great. Let’s do this.”

  We walked toward the main gym together. “Is Sue okay?”

  “Yes. She has a meeting with a principal today.”