Unfriending the Dr by Piper Sullivan
Ryan
Maybe I overplayed my hand. Maybe I should have just told Persephone that I would fuck her senseless until she realized that she was in love with me. That might have been a better move to make than giving her an orgasm and walking off.
She didn’t call the next day.
Or the day after that.
It was almost noon on the third day after I poured my heart out to my best friend, and she hadn’t said one word.
Not one word.
I messed up somewhere, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out another way to lay it all out for her in a way that would make Persephone understand just how much she meant to me. How much I desired and craved her, both her body and her company. Hearing her laugh was the best part of my day.
And I’d been without that sound for three fucking days.
“Who peed in your oatmeal?”
I looked up at Antonio, frowning at me from the doorway of my office. “I don’t eat oatmeal because I’m not ninety.”
“Fine, who took a dump in your frosty wheat flakes?”
“Me,” I grunted, annoyed at the interruption.
“Gross. Why would you do a thing like that?” Antonio was feeling playful and I wasn’t in the mood, which made me feel like an asshole.
“Because, Antonio, I am an idiot. What are you doing here?”
“De-pissing your next meal.” He produced a cloth bag from behind his back, a move that filled my office with the most delicious smells. He took a step forward and unpacked the large container with a flourish. “Wine braised steak with onions, garlic and mushrooms, mashed potatoes and butter roasted asparagus.”
“For me? What’s the catch?”
His lips spread into a knowing smile. “From a secret admirer.” Antonio produced a card and handed it to me. “Don’t screw it up.” Then he was gone.
I looked down at the card and smiled. “It’s not a nooner, not today. But soon. Very soon and every day after. ~P.”
Persephone.She finally answered.
I picked up the phone and tapped the image of her mid-laugh, eating while the phone rang. “Dr. Vanguard,” she answered, a smile in her voice.
“Thanks for the lunch, Doctor. It was a nice surprise.”
She laughed and the sound was beautiful, melodic with a hint of heat. “I’m a nice girl.”
“No, you’re not.”
She gasped. “I’m not?”
“No,” I growled. “You’re a naughty girl, and I like that about you.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded even though she couldn’t see me, smiling at her flirtatious tone. “Oh yeah. Are you free tonight?”
“No. I have a hot date with a really sexy mechanic. Seven thirty. Don’t be late.” With those words, she disconnected the call, leaving me staring at a black screen in confusion.
My phone buzzed a moment later with a message from Persephone. “Your place. Bring dessert.”
My place? I didn’t question it, but I did spend most of the day planning how I would make the most of whatever she had planned for the night. After lunch, I ran home to clean my house. It wasn’t dirty, not even bachelor filthy as Persephone liked to say, but I put all the dirty clothes in the laundry room, put the beer bottles in the recycling bin in the mudroom and wiped down every surface before taking out the trash.
When Persephone showed up tonight, I wanted to show her exactly what a life with me would look like. Granted, it wouldn’t be much different than how things were now, only we would be together, building a future. Our future.
With one task complete, I got started on to the next. Dessert.
“Megan, hey.”
She looked up from the bakery counter with a smile. “Ryan, hey. What are you doing here?”
“Dessert. Pecan pie brownies.” They were Persephone’s favorite but she rarely bought them for herself, and when she did, she always felt guilty about it.
Megan’s lips pulled into a knowing smile. “How many?”
“The whole pan.” Surprise flashed in her eyes, but Megan kept her mouth shut. “And a jar of that edible caramel.”
She gasped with excitement and nodded, boxing up the brownies quickly and silently, before she went to the back to retrieve the caramel. “The caramel is on the house. Consider it an investment in my friend’s future happiness.”
I smiled, but I wouldn’t confirm or deny anything. “Thanks, Megan.”
“I’m rooting for you, Ryan!”
I tossed a wave over my shoulder and laughed at Megan’s excitement. Still, it was nice to know there were other people who thought Persephone and I would be good together.
No, we would be great together.
