Claire sat lazily at her desk on Wednesday morning day dreaming about her new favorite way to be woken up. Needless to say, Gabe had kept his promise from the night before and made sure she went into work a happy woman. She was still furious at Marv blowing off her career aspirations the day before, but the combination of Gabe's pampering and kisses made her able to pull a Taylor Swift and just shake-shake-shake it off.
Yes - the sex was incredible - But the best part of the morning was when she'd told Gabe that she'd never wanted to get out of his bed and he'd asked her if that meant she'd be his "girl." Determined to follow through on her decision to really give things with Gabe a chance, she'd agreed - but not until after she teased him for essentially asking her to "go steady". She couldn't remember the last time a guy asked her to be "official" with him... It was probably back in elementary school when being someone's girlfriend meant holding his hand at recess.
Claire smiled to herself. Even though she'd teased Gabe about defining their relationship in such a formal way, she secretly loved it. She was sick of all the guys who did everything they could to avoid labels and real commitment. Men, or in her opinion boys, who accused her of being clingy or demanding should she try to move their relationship forward.
Claire's phone vibrating interrupted her happy thoughts. She whipped it out of her purse, hungry for a text from Gabe.
It was Iris checking in to see if she'd applied for the promotion. "Hey girl. How did it go with your prick boss yesterday?"
"Terribly. Totally brushed me off" Claire responded.
"You OK?" Iris texted back. While Iris was rarely sympathetic when it came to matters of the heart, she was the best friend a girl could ask for when climbing the corporate ladder was involved.
"I'm doing fine. Doing my best not to let the jerks I work with get to me."
"You need to get out of there and work for someone who sees how amazing you are!"
"Ugh... Tell me about it. I was thinking of updating my resume over the weekend."
"Don't make too many plans on the weekend. I have some fun planned for us for Saturday nite!"
"Oh? Do tell." Claire doubted she'd be game for whatever Iris had planned. Iris' definition of fun usually ended up with a naked man in her bed.
"I have a date with brothers lined up for us -Middle Eastern real estate moguls - Think tall, dark, handsome and FILTHY RICH!"
Claire cringed inwardly. Iris was not going to be happy about her turning this down. "Can't do it. And you're not going to like the reason why."
"Screw your reason, you're coming!"
"No really, I can't. Things are getting more serious with Gabe."
"Lame."
"Commitment-phobe."
"Lol, OK true. Hope it works out for you... I wonder if I can convince both brothers to go out with me?"
"If anyone can, you can. I believe in you Iris!"
"Fine, you're off the hook for Saturday but we're going for drinks on Friday so you can tell me about the mess - er relationship - you've gotten yourself into."
***
What had he gotten himself into?
One disaster scenario after the other kept playing through Gabe's mind as he hung drywall at NovaBank. He was convinced he'd do something to crash and burn with Claire just as things between them got off the ground. Man, he was an idiot. He'd been so focused on getting the girl that he hadn't thought about what he'd do once she was his.
Unable to concentrate on is work, Gabe decided it was time to go for a coffee break and to make a call. He'd been putting off bringing in the big guns to help him sort his life shit out, but drastic times called for drastic measures.
Armed with a coffee in one hand and his phone in the other, Gabe exited the building and found a stoop to sit on while making his call.
"Hey Ugly." Said the woman's voice on the other end of the phone.
"Hey Birdie." Gabe answered back.
"What? No calling me butt face? I assume that means you need my help."
Gabe smiled to himself, his little sister, Bridget, knew him so well.
"You've got it Butt Face."
"Alright, gimme a sec. I've got to put this dog in a crate so I can talk." Gabe's sister was a dog groomer and she often had her hands full with dog fur when he called. Gabe heard shuffling around before his sister came back on the line.
"So what's up big brother?"
"It's about a girl I'm seeing."
"Ohhhhh I love calls like this." Unfortunately for Gabe, Bridget loved calls like this a little too much - Which was why he tried to avoid phoning her in the first place.
His opening up to Bridget about Claire would mean that she'd pepper him for details on their relationship whenever they saw each other, which inevitably meant his mother would get in on the action and he'd have two women hounding him for information about his love life. The thought was almost enough to make him hang up before he spilled the beans - But only almost - Gabe figured that putting up with a barrage of personal questions would be worth it if it meant he could keep Claire happy.
"I need to know what you chicks like."
"That's kind of a vague question Gabe. I don't have time for you to mess around, I have a laberdoodle here that is super crazy and is taking forever to groom. And of course his parents are even crazier. I'll never know why all laberdoodle parents are nuts."
"Fine. Fine. So I'm seeing this girl Claire and she's different than other girls I've dated..."
"Different how?" Bridget interrupted.
"She's got everything, a great job, that I honestly don't even understand... I mean this girl is so smart. And she's completely gorgeous. But not like the way Chastity was. Her beauty is real. She's just perfect... I don't know how else to describe it."
"And the problem is..."
"What if I mess it up? I mean she's so far out of my league it's like she's from another planet."
"Hey there, no one talks about my brother like that! Not even you!" Bridget teased. "Seriously Gabe, you're a catch too. You're just scared because it sounds like you've finally found someone who is good enough for you."
"I don't know. I'm worried I don't know how to keep her happy. Like what if I can't compare with what she's used to?"
Gabe waited for an answer but heard laughter coming from the phone instead.
"What the hell Bridget!?"
"Sorry, sorry. I know it's not nice for me to laugh at you. But it's like the first time EVER that you're having to deal with how the rest of us feel all the time. Girls have been throwing themselves at you since your growth spurt in high school. You're not used to having to work for it. But if it's any consolation, you're already doing the right thing. Most women just want to find a guy who cares about what they want. It's not about getting it right 100% of the time, it's about the effort you put in."
"I don't know. I mean there must be something I can do."
"Be yourself and let the cards fall where they may. It's all any of us can do. Anyways, I've got to go. Are you still coming home on Saturday?"
"Ah crap I forgot about the fair."
"Come, and bring Claire."
"I doubt demolition derbies are for her."
"Hey, there's other attractions! Plus I promise I won't make too much fun of you in front of her."
"I'll think about it. And thanks for your help little sister."