a loaded chip into her mouth.
“Maybe the sex wasn’t that good,” Sara said in a faux whisper.
“The sex was incredible.” Remembering just how incredible, Gia sucked down half her margarita, welcoming the distracting brain freeze.
“Did he figure out who you were?” Caryn exclaimed, her expression as horrified as Gia had imagined Luke’s would be if he found out.
Lovely .
“He doesn’t know who I am.” Her words were as flat as her shoulders were heavy. God forbid he connect the wild and sexy Vanna with the boring, average Gia. Talk about ruining a perfectly awesome fantasy.
She didn’t need to look up to see her friends exchanging glances of varying degrees of puzzlement, irritation and impatience.
“So what went so wrong that you had to sneak out, with or without more than your panties, and come home to drown yourself in cheese?” Caryn prompted.
She didn’t know.
For the first time in her life, Gia wondered if she should have stayed home and nursed her grief in private instead of working through it with her posse. She’d always been so excited to be one of the Girlz. Had figured it was proof that she was special. But now she just wanted to be alone. She didn’t want to talk, didn’t want them to band together to figure things out. And that upset her almost as much as the lousy rain cloud of misery hanging over her head.
Trying not to cry, she bit into a tortilla chip, stringy with melted cheese and heaped with a double scoop of guac. The salty-sweet grease didn’t have its usual tranquilizing effect.
“What happened, Gia? You got your fantasy weekend, right? And your secret identity is still intact. So why do you look like you were having the best sex of your life, then his penis fell off?”
Even misery couldn’t stop Gia from snickering at that image. She shook her head at Sara. “You have such a way with words.”
“Well, unless you want me to offer up more appetizing suggestions, you need to spill the deets. Why are you home early and why do you look like your sex life just died?”
“Seriously. You need to tell us so we can help,” Caryn insisted. Then, sharing a look with the other two women, she added, “Because we can’t nag you for the sex details until you’re happy.”
“Or drunk,” Jessa chimed in, lifting the empty margarita pitcher and waving at their waiter. “So chugalug.”
Gia contemplated her half-finished drink, then decided she’d rather have crunchy grease right now. She pulled over the bowl of sour cream. To hell with the calories. It wasn’t as if she ever wanted to get naked again.
“It was incredible,” she finally said again, staring at her chip. As if talking to it would make it easier to justify how unhappy she was. Because of amazing sex, no less. Gia wouldn’t have been surprised if the chip laughed at her. “The sex was great, he has no idea who I really am, the fantasy was even more amazing than I’d thought sex could be.”
She waited, but her friends were silent.
So she ate the chip.
Then, before she could give in and take another one, she glanced around the table. Sara was chewing on her thumbnail. Jessa’s eyes were locked on her own drink, where she was making designs in the slush froth with her straw.
And Caryn looked as if she couldn’t decide between offering a sympathetic hug or dumping the nachos over Gia’s head.
“I’m sorry you had such a perfect weekend,” she finally said with an exaggerated grimace. “I’m sure it would have been better if it’d all sucked. I know I always hope for lousy sex and total letdown when I set off on a fantasy quest.”
Jessa tried to hide her laughter by taking a drink. Sara didn’t bother to disguise her amused snort.
“It’s not funny,” Gia snapped.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m miserable. That’s why not.”
“You’re miserable? Over fabulous sex?” Sara made a show of rubbing two fingers together in the classic tiny-violin signal.
Even Caryn grimaced then.
“Maybe the sex wasn’t that good,” Sara said in a faux whisper.
“The sex was incredible.” Remembering just how incredible, Gia sucked down half her margarita, welcoming the distracting brain freeze.
“Did he figure out who you were?” Caryn exclaimed, her expression as horrified as Gia had imagined Luke’s would be if he found out.
Lovely .
“He doesn’t know who I am.” Her words were as flat as her shoulders were heavy. God forbid he connect the wild and sexy Vanna with the boring, average Gia. Talk about ruining a perfectly awesome fantasy.
She didn’t need to look up to see her friends exchanging glances of varying degrees of puzzlement, irritation and impatience.
“So what went so wrong that you had to sneak out, with or without more than your panties, and come home to drown yourself in cheese?” Caryn prompted.
She didn’t know.
For the first time in her life, Gia wondered if she should have stayed home and nursed her grief in private instead of working through it with her posse. She’d always been so excited to be one of the Girlz. Had figured it was proof that she was special. But now she just wanted to be alone. She didn’t want to talk, didn’t want them to band together to figure things out. And that upset her almost as much as the lousy rain cloud of misery hanging over her head.
Trying not to cry, she bit into a tortilla chip, stringy with melted cheese and heaped with a double scoop of guac. The salty-sweet grease didn’t have its usual tranquilizing effect.
“What happened, Gia? You got your fantasy weekend, right? And your secret identity is still intact. So why do you look like you were having the best sex of your life, then his penis fell off?”
Even misery couldn’t stop Gia from snickering at that image. She shook her head at Sara. “You have such a way with words.”
“Well, unless you want me to offer up more appetizing suggestions, you need to spill the deets. Why are you home early and why do you look like your sex life just died?”
“Seriously. You need to tell us so we can help,” Caryn insisted. Then, sharing a look with the other two women, she added, “Because we can’t nag you for the sex details until you’re happy.”
“Or drunk,” Jessa chimed in, lifting the empty margarita pitcher and waving at their waiter. “So chugalug.”
Gia contemplated her half-finished drink, then decided she’d rather have crunchy grease right now. She pulled over the bowl of sour cream. To hell with the calories. It wasn’t as if she ever wanted to get naked again.
“It was incredible,” she finally said again, staring at her chip. As if talking to it would make it easier to justify how unhappy she was. Because of amazing sex, no less. Gia wouldn’t have been surprised if the chip laughed at her. “The sex was great, he has no idea who I really am, the fantasy was even more amazing than I’d thought sex could be.”
She waited, but her friends were silent.
So she ate the chip.
Then, before she could give in and take another one, she glanced around the table. Sara was chewing on her thumbnail. Jessa’s eyes were locked on her own drink, where she was making designs in the slush froth with her straw.
And Caryn looked as if she couldn’t decide between offering a sympathetic hug or dumping the nachos over Gia’s head.
“I’m sorry you had such a perfect weekend,” she finally said with an exaggerated grimace. “I’m sure it would have been better if it’d all sucked. I know I always hope for lousy sex and total letdown when I set off on a fantasy quest.”
Jessa tried to hide her laughter by taking a drink. Sara didn’t bother to disguise her amused snort.
“It’s not funny,” Gia snapped.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m miserable. That’s why not.”
“You’re miserable? Over fabulous sex?” Sara made a show of rubbing two fingers together in the classic tiny-violin signal.
Even Caryn grimaced then.
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