Teach Me How To Date (A Chick Lit Novel)

Chapter 5

Oh dear God. Please make that awful sound stop.

My nightstand was ringing and it was piercing my ears. It didn't help that my head was pounding like crazy. Was I hit by a sledgehammer in my sleep? And my mouth - whatever did I put in there last night that it tasted like sandpaper?

It took me a moment to realize that there were no sledgehammer and sandpaper involved.

I had a hangover. And a massive one at that.

Note to self: Never ever, ever, ever let your pushy best friend drag you places. Especially to ones serving alcoholic drinks.

Another loud ringing sounded, and I finally realized it was my phone and not the nightstand.

Eyes still half-closed, I reached for it and absently glanced at my alarm clock. It was already four in the afternoon.

Whoa. I slept that long? Now that I thought about it - how did I manage to get home, let alone made it to my bed? Last I remembered, Liz was too drunk to even stand on her own.

Did Leon come to our rescue? Or was it a complete stranger?

That thought sent a chill down my spine. I took stock of my condition. I was still wearing my clothes. Nothing was removed, save for my heels. Still, it didn't guarantee that I hadn't been violated. I was so drunk last night a pervert could have his way with me and I'd be none the wiser.

Luckily, aside from a terrible hangover, I wasn't feeling anything unpleasant. No other body aches I should worry about.

The apprehension was still there, though. I didn't think it was possible to have an alcohol-induced blackouts. Well, apparently it was. Seeing that I couldn't remember anything that happened past midnight. 

While it was easy to assume that my drinks had been spiked, I knew it was unlikely. I was guarding them like a hawk, knowing that some stranger could easily slip a date rape drug in them.

Nope. This was all alcohol-induced. With all the cocktail drinks Liz kept ordering for the both of us, I guessed that shouldn't have come off as a surprise.

But speaking of Liz...

Not bothering to glance at the screen, I hit the 'answer' key and pressed the phone to my ear, expecting to hear her voice.

Only I was wrong. It wasn't Liz. It was Jenko.

"Meet me at the coffee shop in an hour," Jenko said the moment I hit 'answer.' He didn't even bother to say "hello."

"Why?" I croaked.

"Your dating lessons start now."

Really? Now? I didn't think I could drag my sorry self out the door, let alone my bed. I wanted to tell Jenko that. Except I couldn't. Jenko was making time for me when he could spend it doing something more worthy of his time. 

Bailing on him would be rude. No matter how crappy my hangover was.

So with an inward sigh, I said, "Okay."

                                                                ************************

I arrived at Jenko's thirty minutes late, and immediately regretted that I did. The place was packed. Clearly, the afternoon rush was in full swing. 

Jenko was behind the bar, assisting his crew and working his charms on the female customers. 

Despite the throng of women in front of him, he managed to notice my entrance. But instead of frowning at my tardiness, he smiled and waved.

That got the women's attention. They followed his gaze and then raised their brows in unison when their eyes landed on me - no doubt thinking I was here to compete for Jenko's attention.

Well, that's true. But not for the same reason.

Ignoring their death glares, I glanced back to Jenko, gesturing toward the reserved window table, and made my way there. 

I was still skeptical that Jenko had the time to accommodate me. But I wasn't going anywhere.

It turned out I didn't have to wait long.

Jenko walked up to my table a couple minutes later, carrying a tray of cranberry muffins and a smoothie.

"Hey," he said, taking the seat opposite me, then placed the tray on the table.

"But I didn't--"

"It's on the house," he cut off in a tone that brooked no argument. "I know you'd rather have coffee. But it will only make your hangover worse."

"Well, in that case, I wouldn't--- Hey, how did you know I was hungover?" I didn't remember mentioning it to him over the phone. But maybe it showed in my face? Last I checked myself in the mirror, I looked like hell. "Is it obvious?"

"Leon dropped by this morning."

"Oh," I nodded, sipping on my smoothie. Banana. Mmmm. "Did he mention picking up Liz and me from the bar?"

"Yes."

I expelled a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I thought some stranger brought me home." Then remembering his phone call, I frowned, "Wait. If you knew I was hungover, why did you ask me to come here?"

That was rather inconsiderate of him, knowing I was in no condition to leave my apartment.

Jenko didn't even look apologetic. "Would you rather nurse your hangover in bed all day?"

Yes. "No."

He looked pleased with my answer.

I grabbed a mufin from the tray and took a bite. "Anyway, it's Liz's fault. I wouldn't have this hangover if she didn't insist we have a GNO."

He cocked an eyebrow. "GNO?"

"Girls' Night Out," I supplied, still munching on the muffin. "She made me approach strangers - male strangers - and strike a conversation with them. For research." Although, it wasn't exactly what Liz had in mind when she pushed me to do it.

A slight frown appeared in Jenko's forehead. Like he didn't approve of it. 

But when he spoke again, his voice was casual. "How did it go?"

I shrugged. "A little awkward but nice."

He nodded, then said, "Did it give you the inspiration you needed?"

"Yeah?"

He smirked."Is that a question?"

"No?"

Jenko chuckled and I crinkled my nose. "I guess it taught me how to make the 'first move.'" I made air quotes with my fingers. "But I don't know if I want my heroine to make the first move on her love interest. Heck, I'm not even sure how their first meeting will go."

"Do the characters need to be strangers?"

"Not really."

"Then how about they have some form of pre-existing relationship?"

I tilted my head. "Like friends?"

He nodded. "Or colleagues."

I stared at my smoothie as I considered his suggestion. A pre-existing relationship would definitely save me the trouble of writing the 'first meeting' scene, since they already knew each other. 

There was a little problem, though. I had used the 'friends' type of relationship in most of my YA books, so I wasn't keen on doing the same in chick lit. But the 'colleagues' angle...

I looked up at Jenko and smiled. Until my smile grew so big it threatened to break my cheeks. "I think I just got the idea for my chick lit novel."