Deviant(6)

But then it came to me. A flash of inspiration, if you will. I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought of this before.

Rushing back upstairs, I thought there was no time to lose. I didn’t want to get to work too late.

Rushing inside my flat, I grabbed a notepad and pen. Scribbling on it, I wrote, Thank you for backing my car into my space. It was very thoughtful of you.

Leaving it on the table so it was a plain to see, I grabbed all my things again and left. The only problem now was that I couldn’t wait to get home and see if one, it looked like he’d read it, and two, and this was the scariest and most exciting part, would he respond?

Trying to bury that thought, I got to work with visiting the couples for my two stories I hoped were good enough to submit to Andrew Walker.

My first stop was the step-brother/step-sister, Daniel and Melody. I was interested to hear what they had to say, and hoped it would be rather juicy and romantic.

Once I had finished at their house and all was wrapped up, I got to work as soon as I could. Louisa was patiently waiting next to my booth. “Hey. I didn’t get a chance to talk to you yesterday. How did it go with big man in there?” Louisa pointed in the direction of Andrew Walker’s office.

“It went well. He just wanted to let me know how well he thought I was doing and how much he appreciated my hard work.”

Her eyes widening, she sat on my desk. “Wow.”

Putting my bag under my desk, I sat down. “But that’s not all.”

Louisa frowned, leaning in a little more. “It’s not?”

“No. I told him about a story I wanted to do, and he said he wanted me to go with it. That was after I told him about my freaking love life!”

Louisa gasped. “Noooo!”

“Oh, yes,” I said, nodding. “I don’t know what the hell came over me. I said I wanted to do a story on childhood sweethearts. He said it was a good idea and asked if I had one of my own. I told him no, but that’s not the worst part. The worst part was when I started blabbing on about not having a date in God knows how long.” I rolled my eyes and cringed.

Louisa laughed. “Oh dear. That’s not good. What did he say?”

“He smiled and said it was fine. I still can’t help feeling like an idiot every time I replay the conversation in my head.”

“But he liked the idea and wants you to go with it?”

“Yeah. At least that’s something. I just got back from visiting a step-brother and step-sister. They’re twenty-seven now, but have been together since they were twelve. It’s actually quite a funny story as they hated each other at first. They were attracted to one another right from the start, but they didn’t want to let the other one know how they felt.”

Smiling, Louisa played with her locks. “Sounds interesting, and I’m sure you’ll do a good job.”

Pulling my seat under my desk, I smiled. “Thanks.”

After a few seconds of silence, Louisa spoke. “You know, you have to remedy this.”

Looking up at her with a frown, I asked, “What the hell are you talking about?”

“This ‘I haven’t been on a date in forever’ thing. You need to get laid, girl, and I know just the place to take you. How about this Friday?”

I sat back in my chair and bit my lip. I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. “I don’t know. I’m not sure what Suzie might have in store for me after this.”

Throwing her hands onto her lap, Louisa let out a frustrated sigh. “Oh, come on, Tyler. I know journalism is your life, but you’ve got to live a little, too. Just a few drinks, then some hot and heavy sex with some random guy.”

“You make it sound so easy,” I laughed.

“We do have it easy. All we need is a vagina, and we’re guaranteed sex wherever we go. Men just can’t resist us.”

Laughing, I thought maybe she was right. I had been neglecting myself in that department for a very long time now. “Okay. It’s a date!”

Jumping up from my desk, Louisa clapped her hands. “Great! Let’s meet outside Bo Jangles at eight. How does that sound?”

Bo Jangles wasn’t too far away from my apartment. “Sounds great.”

It was only a few minutes after she left that Ian came over to my desk. “How are you, sugar lips?”

Looking up, my eyebrow raised. “Sugar lips?”

Ian ran his fingers through his golden locks and smiled. “Yeah. I guess I’m feeling good about myself today.”

“Why? Did you get laid?” Trying to type an email, I looked up when Ian didn’t answer. I saw the big huge grin on his face and I knew that said it all. “You little arse. Who was she?”