What Love Looks Like by Lara Mondoux Read Free Book Online Page A

already.”
             “I
met a guy. Well, kind of.”
             “Kind
of?” she asked, perplexed, “Who is he?”
             “I
met him at the restaurant. It was a few weeks ago on your day off. He had a
lunch event, and we immediately clicked. We’ve been texting ever since.”
             “All
you’re doing is texting the guy and already you’re watching your figure? What’s
his deal? Where does he live?”
             “He
lives in New York, and he’s thirty-one. Oh, and did I mention he’s gorgeous? He’s in sales for a software
company. And he comes to Columbus sometimes. I’ll pull up his Facebook picture
for you.”
             “What’s
the point of a long-distance relationship?” Jenna asked as I navigated my
iPhone. “It’s not like you have much time off to travel.”
    “Well, it’s better
than no relationship. Plus, that’s easy for you to say—you’re married.” I
enlarged Jay’s Facebook picture on the screen.
             Jenna’s
eyes widened, and she nodded at his obvious hotness. “Don’t remind me.”
             I
found Jenna’s frustration with her husband honest, refreshing, and at times
humorous, especially compared to the way my other friends spoke of their men,
with rainbows and butterflies dancing in their eyes.
             “He’s
asked me to visit a couple of times now, but I want to take it slow,” I said.
             “That’s
smart. Being that good-looking means he can’t be a good guy. It’s a universal
law.”
             “That’s
not true. He is a good guy. He’s
handsome and sweet and texts me all day, every day.”
             “Well,
good for you, Elle. Cheers! Oh wait, I’m drinking alone,” Jenna said
despondently. “Well, I won’t be for long. Adler’s on his way here.”
             “Ryan?”
             “Yep.”
             “Great—thanks,
Jen.” I said, sarcastically.
             “What
did I do?”
             “You
know he makes me uncomfortable. He’s just so . . . so unapproachable.”
             “Well,
today you two can finally get to know each other outside of work. Plus, Nick
and Gwen are coming too, so there are other people you can talk to.” Nick was
another assistant manager like Jenna, and Gwen was an assistant from the Dublin
location, and I was friendly with both of them. But Ryan was another story.
    “Maybe I’ll have
that mimosa after all.” I flagged down the flamboyantly gay waiter.
             Just
then, a text from Jay appeared. He was writing to let me know that he’d be back
in Columbus in two weeks for a one-day trip to follow up with a customer from
the luncehon. I wanted to scream ‘hurrah’ in the middle of the bar. Jay was
coming back! I was over the moon.
             I
wrote back that I was free for dinner, to which he replied, Perfect. Can’t wait to see you again. My
stomach fluttered and my cheeks flushed. Jay’s text messages had the same
inexplicable effect on me that I'd experienced when we met, even though our
relationship had consisted of almost no face time at all.
             Nick
and Gwen arrived at Union. I’d had drinks with them once or twice before
whenever Jenna arranged a work outing. Moments later, Ryan strode in. It was
the first time I'd seen him outside of work. I took note of his appearance,
which incidentally was a lot more laid-back than his suited-up, coiffed
professional look. His hair was more disheveled, and he wore jeans with a dark
blue wash and a black cotton track jacket and white Puma sneakers. It was a
sporty, stylish look, and I almost did a double take when he first approached
the table. His body looked a lot more impressive than I’d realized it was, and
I could actually see shoulder and chest muscles bulging through his top, though
not in a tacky, Jersey sort of way.
             Ryan
was smiling when he arrived