Lucky 33 (Love in the District #2)

12. Stick a Needle in My Eye

CHAPTER 12

STICK A NEEDLE IN MY EYE

A my and Drew were inseparable over the two weeks since their date at the Kennedy Center. His summer schedule gave him a lot of flexibility, and they met up in any small moment they could. He would pick her up for lunch or a break on a park bench to talk. They never ran out of things to discuss, and Amy was falling hard and fast.

Drew: I know this is last minute, but my buddy can’t use his tickets to the Trevor Noah show tonight and he gave them to me. Any chance you’re free to go?

It was rare that Amy appreciated political humor, but she did like Trevor Noah back when he was on The Daily Show .

Amy: I’m in. Sounds like fun.

This would be the second Wednesday dinner she had canceled. Laura wasn’t going to be happy, which was rich considering how many times she’d blown Amy off when she first started dating Jake.

Amy: Hey, gonna need a raincheck on dinner tonight.

Laura: Again? You did this last week. What now?

Amy had a moment of guilt but couldn't bring herself to care too much. She wanted to spend as much time with Drew as humanly possible.

Amy: Drew got tickets to a sold-out Trevor Noah show for tonight. He’s really excited about it and don't want to disappoint him.

Laura: But disappointing me doesn’t matter?

Yikes.

Amy: I feel like you know better than anyone what it’s like at the beginning of a relationship. You want to do everything to keep things going.

Laura: I guess. Promise me that we’ll have our dinner next week.

Amy: Cross my heart.

Laura: Hope to die?

Amy: Stick a needle in my eye.

Amy’s stomach muscles hurt from laughing. She enjoyed the comedy show almost as much as listening to Drew’s rich laugh. The night was only getting better as she and Drew strolled along 13th Street after leaving the Warner Theatre. On a Wednesday night, few people were out to distract them, and they held hands without a care. Despite having had dinner before the show, they were both starving.

“What are your feelings on sharing some nachos and fries at City Tap? I feel like making some poor dietary decisions,” Drew said.

“I always feel that way. Let’s do it.”

Amy and Drew settled in with their junk food and drinks, taking on a year’s worth of sodium each. I’m going to be so tired and bloated for work tomorrow. Oh well. It’s worth the sacrifice to be here.

“On our first date, you asked me a certain question, and I didn’t get the chance to ask it back to you. So, Amy, tell me something I’d never guess about you,” Drew said, pointing a fry at her.

“Hmm, for the most part, I’m a what-you-see-is-what-you-get type, but I have a good answer for this. For my birthday, Brit and Katie, two of the women you met in Charlottesville, took me to a psychic. It was not my normal thing, to say the least.”

“Oh yeah? You’re not one for the mystic arts?”

“Definitely not. But it was kind of cool,” Amy replied.

“And? What did the psychic tell you?”

“I need you to suspend reality for a few minutes.”

Drew took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let it out. Opening his eyes again, he said, “Okay. Suspended.”

“She told me this would be a year full of magic for me. She said anything would be possible and things would start working out for me, and I'd stumble across many coincidences. Well, she called them synchronicities, but I can't bring myself to use woo-woo language.” Yeah, because that’s what would make believing in a psychic unreasonable. “She also got really into the numerology of the number 33.”

Drew’s face brightened. “That’s my lucky number. It’s Shaq’s number from when he played for the Cavs. Cleveland, not UVA. It’s also how old I am, so this is an auspicious year for me, too.”

Mystic Natasha didn’t miss.

“I’m also 33,” Amy smiled.

“And have her predictions come true? ”

“Actually, yes. Well, I think so. There have been a lot of things that I can’t explain, like coincidences that are beyond just normal chance. I’ve also been coming across the number 33 everywhere. I’m not ready to say she’s the real deal yet, but I’m having difficulty justifying all the coincidences.” Amy wrinkled her brow in thought. Should I tell him that he's likely what the psychic predicted?

Signs had been pointing to Drew even before she had met him.

“Maybe I should thank your psychic. Something about our meeting at Target, and then again out on the Corner, and then again at Costco has felt otherworldly,” Drew said teasingly. “I kid, but there’s a lot of truth to that sentiment. Amy, I’ve been on my own for a long time. I rarely date, but there’s something irresistible about you.”

Don’t squeal. Seriously. Don’t. Squeal.

Amy kept the squeal in, but she felt her smile grow big enough to show him how much she liked that compliment.

“I feel the same way. Magic, luck, random chance? I don’t really care about semantics. I just want you.” Her eyes widened. I didn’t mean to say that.

Drew looked relieved. “I see you blushing, and I’m going to guess that you didn’t mean to let that slip out. I’m glad you did. It’s nice to hear such openness from you. I hate playing games.”

Amy’s heart was pounding. She didn’t like being vulnerable, but it wasn’t uncomfortable with him. Amy couldn’t believe how much she’d changed in the two months since her birthday. Every day she was more willing to give in to magic.

The following Monday night, Amy had to talk herself out of canceling plans with Brit and Katie so she could hang out with Drew yet again. But it was the first post-wedding True Crime Night, and the women had much to catch up on. Katie had been buried in work since Charlottesville, and Brit had been away on a long honeymoon.

Amy and Brit were over at Katie’s English basement and were paying little attention to the TV show. Brit had brought them beautiful black pearl earrings from her trip to Bermuda, and she was regaling them with tales of tropical romance.

“I feel strongly that honeymoons shouldn’t be a one-time thing,” Brit said, looking tanned and content. “Why should we only go on an incredible, romantic vacation where we indulge in anything we want once in our lives?”

“I totally agree,” Katie said eagerly. “But make it open to the non-marrieds, too. You should be able to have a honeymoon with some guy you know is a bad idea and not marriage material.”

“You would definitely think that,” Brit replied.

“Just admit that I’m the fun one in the group,” Katie whined. “You're the stable one. Amy is the ‘I don’t need a man’ one. I’m the fun one.”

“Hey. I don’t think I like my title,” Amy pouted. “Also, you’re way behind. I’m not technically single anymore.”

"Elaborate,” Brit ordered, refilling her wine glass.

“Yes, elaborate,” Katie added, looking intrigued.

“While you’ve been enjoying your time as a newlywed and Katie has been a corporate slave?—”

"Whoa!” Katie interrupted. “You’re the one who hasn’t been active in the group chat, missy.”

“That’s fair. You want to know why or not?” The women nodded eagerly in response.

“I’ve spent more time with Drew in the last few weeks than with anyone in the last year.” Amy found herself feeling a little proud. She was defying her friends’ expectations of her romantically and liked not being so predictable.

“Are you official?” Brit asked.

“We haven’t talked about it, but it seems like we just fell into couplehood. At least, we’ve been together so much that it just happened. I don’t know when he would have been out with anyone else.”

“Um, you may want to solidify that. Remember how, during senior year, I thought that Sigma Nu was my boyfriend?” Katie said.

"You mean that player who thought he was God’s gift to the world?” Brit asked.

“That doesn’t narrow down your past conquests,” Amy said slyly.

“Oh, shut up. I’d argue, but…yeah. Anyway, do you remember that it turned out he had been hooking up with a parade of other girls and then invited his actual girlfriend from home to their formal?”

"I mostly remember you putting a hit out on him and your sorority sisters,” Brit said, holding back a laugh.

Katie snorted. “Oh yeah. I forgot about that part.”

“Convenient,” Amy smirked.

“Point being, that’s how I learned about lies of omission and the need to make sure your boyfriend is actually your boyfriend,” Katie mumbled.

“I feel pretty confident, but you make a good point. Transparency is always a good idea in a relationship,” Amy agreed.

She wasn’t sure she wanted to tempt fate with a define-the-relationship talk. She was enjoying the blissful state they were in for the moment.

“Has Laura met him?” Brit asked, distracted momentarily by the grisly true crime show.

“Not yet, but soon.”

“And how does she feel about that? Katie, back me up here. Wasn’t this a big issue between you when she first started dating Jake last year?”

“This is nothing like that situation. She knows all about him, and he knows all about her. They just haven’t officially met.” Why do I feel guilty about this? It's not like he and Laura won’t get along . “Maybe I just want to have him all to myself for a little longer,” Amy mumbled, looking down guiltily.