“I’m pretty sure it’s called crowing. A rooster crows…” Noel corrects me, scrunching her eyebrows as if she were deep in thought. “I’m going to have to google that now to know for sure.”
“I guess you really did move to Spain for the cocks,” Berkeley adds, taking a seat on her kitchen table and setting her phone down. Knowing her, it’s leaning against an empty jar she hasn’t thrown away yet.
“Speaking of cocks…” Noel trails off, squinting her eyes at something. “Yes! It is called crowing.” Her attention is back on us. “Anyway, cocks… What I was saying. Have you found your own rooster?” I chuckle at her use of rooster for a guy.
“I told you, there’s one somewhere in my apartment building.”
“Did you bang a hot neighbor you didn’t tell us about?” She leans forward on her elbows, her brown eyes widening. “Wait, we are talking about a guy and not the real rooster you heard, right?” My comment dawns on her as Berkeley and I both laugh.
“Assholes,” she mutters. “Seriously, Ally, you’ve been living there for two years, and you haven’t banged a hot guy.”
“Who still says banged?” I roll my eyes dramatically, sure that she sees my annoyance. Bless her heart, but she’s dead-set on me meeting a hot Spaniard and falling in love with him.
“I don’t know if I could date a guy who wears tighter jeans than me. Like, my ass wouldn’t fit in his pants.” I sigh and fall back on my couch, stuffing my mouth with pasta and keeping track of the time.
“Who said anything about dating?” Noel waggles her eyebrows, and Berkeley calls out in agreement.
“Besides, you said dating a guy with an expiration date wasn't what you wanted,” Berkeley speaks up. “Have some fun. It’s not like you’ve ever had a one-night-stand. You gotta have one before you turn thirty!”
I choke on my lunch, my eyes watering. If they only knew…
I hold up a finger and walk into the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water. “Sorry, it went down the wrong pipe,” I say after collecting myself.
They both wave it off and then pry for more information. “There’s gotta be a cute guy that’s caught your eye. How about in that bar you always go to. What’s the name of it?” Berkeley’s curious eyes widen as she waits for my response.
“Toro,” I say.
“Doesn’t that mean bull?” Noel asks with a proud smile.
“It does.”
“So, there must be a bull of a man there for you.” I laugh at her corny joke.
I love having this time to talk to my friends. They’ve been with me since I moved to Virginia, helping me settle in after my move, making sure I fit in. They even said I was heaven sent because no “Mean Girls Club” would survive with just two members. They were anything but mean girls, so I always found that amusing. They did become my best friends, from high school to college to the real world, where we had to get real jobs and apartments and adult.
“I’ll see if I meet someone this weekend,” I lie.
“Mmhmm… You say that every week,” Berkeley calls me on my fib.
If they only knew that my mind has currently been caught up on another cock… I mean, man. On another man. Whose cock I should not be thinking about.
Damn Camden for getting me all tied up in knots when I’m not supposed to see him as more than a friend, maybe even an older brother. I roll my eyes at myself. Yeah, Camden is so not like an older brother.
“Ally!” Noel’s voice brings me back to the present.
“Yeah?” I look at their furrowed faces on the screen, my own is doe-eyed in confusion.
“I was saying that you should just let it flow. Be open to meeting someone—no expectations—and have fun. Don’t overthink it, even if the guys there do wear super skinny jeans. Take that as a clue into what their package would be like, and if they’ll be worth a wild ride in the sack.”
I giggle as I listen to Noel’s speech.
“I’d high-five you if I were with you right now,” Berkeley says.
“Hell, high-five now!” Both of their hands slam the screen, and I let out a deep, belly laugh at their ridiculousness.
“Okay, I gotta go. Thank you for the chat, and for waking up early on your day off,” I say to Berkeley.
“For you? I’d wake up at four A.M.”
“Love you,” I tell them, waving at them until I realize that’s not necessary.
We laugh as we end our call. I jump up from the couch, wash my plate, and put on my shoes so I can head back to work. Whenever I can, I stop at a café near the office to have a coffee and pastry. Thank goodness for all this walking, or I’d be rolling with all the puffed pastry and whipped cream I eat on a daily basis.
Thinking about what Noel and Berkeley said, I wonder if they’re right. I am looking forward to the weekend, but more so I can veg out on my couch, read, and have a few beers. My friend supply here is limited, but I’ve never been one to have a huge group of friends. I’ve always believed a small, loyal, and loving group of friends is better than a huge amount of people you can’t really count on. That’s what acquaintances are for.
The only downfall to free time is that I continue to replay my night with Camden. I wish we had a choice to erase certain memories. Better yet, I wish I could go back in time and redo the past. Because I may have never considered Camden Steele to have a place in my love life, but now all I can see is him as the
