Lauren Weisberger 5-Book Collection: The Devil Wears Prada, Revenge Wears Prada, Everyone Worth Knowing, Chasing Harry Winston, Last Night at Chateau Marmont
It’s just that I have a little problem and I’d like to talk to Lily in private. I’ll bring her right back.’ And with that, I grabbed her arm more firmly this time and yanked. Enough of this shit: I needed my friend.
Once we’d settled into the couch where Christian had placed me and I checked to ensure he was still trying to get the bartender’s attention (straight guy at the bar – he may be there all night), I took a deep breath.
‘Christian kissed me.’
‘So what’s the problem? Was he a bad kisser? Oh, that’s it, isn’t it? No quicker way to ruin a good fraction than—’
‘Lily! Good, bad, what’s the difference?’
Her eyebrows reached up her forehead and she opened her mouth to talk, but I kept going.
‘And not that it’s at all relevant, but he kissed my neck. The problem is not how he did, it’s that it happened at all in the first place. What about Alex? I don’t exactly go around kissing other guys, you know.’
‘Don’t I ever,’ she mumbled under her breath before speaking up. ‘Andy, you’re being ridiculous. You love Alex and he loves you, but it’s perfectly okay if you feel like kissing another guy once in a while. You’re twenty-three years old, for chrissake. Cut yourself a little slack!’
‘But I didn’t kiss him … He kissed me!’
‘First of all, let’s get something very clear. Remember when Monica went down on Bill and the whole country and all our parents and Ken Starr rushed to call that sex? That was not sex. In much the same way, some guy who probably means to kiss your cheek but gets your neck instead does not qualify as “kissing someone.”’
‘But—’
‘Shut up and let me finish. More important than what actually happened is that you wanted it to happen. Just admit it, Andy. You wanted to kiss Christian regardless of whether that’s “wrong” or “bad” or “against the rules.” And if you don’t admit it, you’re lying.’
‘Lily, seriously, I don’t think it’s fair that—’
‘I’ve known you for nine years, Andy. You don’t think I can see it written all over your face that you worship him? You know you shouldn’t – he doesn’t quite play by your rules, does he? But that’s probably exactly why you like him. Just go with it, enjoy it. If Alex is right for you, he’ll always be right for you. And now, you’ll have to excuse me, because I have found someone who’s right for me … for right now.’ She literally jumped off the couch and skipped back to William, who looked undeniably happy to see her.
I felt self-conscious sitting on the oversize velvet couch alone and looked around to find Christian, but he wasn’t at the bar anymore. It would just take a little more time, I decided. Everything would just sort itself out if I just stopped worrying so much. Maybe Lily was right and I did like Christian – what was so wrong with that? He’s smart and undeniably gorgeous, and the whole take-charge confidence thing was incredibly sexy. Hanging out with someone who just happened to be sexy didn’t exactly translate as cheating. I’m sure there had been situations over the years in which Alex had worked with or studied with or gotten to know a cool, attractive girl, and he may have had thoughts. Did that make him disloyal? Of course not. With renewed confidence (and a now-desperate attempt to see, watch, hear, just be near Christian again), I began cruising the lounge.
I found him leaning on his right hand, talking intently to an older man, probably in his late forties, who was wearing a very dapper three-piece suit. Christian was gesturing wildly, hands flailing, with a look on his face that registered somewhere between amused and supremely annoyed, while the man with salt-and-pepper hair looked at him earnestly. I was still too far away to hear what they were discussing, but I must have been staring rather intently, because the man’s eyes locked on mine and he smiled. Christian pulled back a little, followed his gaze, and saw me watching them both.
‘Andy, darling,’ he said, his tone entirely different from what it had been just a few minutes earlier. I noticed he made the transition from seducer to friend of your parent quite smoothly. ‘Come here, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Gabriel Brooks, my agent, business manager, and all-around hero. Gabriel, this is Andrea Sachs, currently of Runway magazine.’
‘Andrea, a pleasure to meet you,’ Gabriel said, extending a hand and taking mine in one of those annoyingly delicate I’m-not-shaking-your-hand-as-I-would-a-man’s-because-I’m-sure-I’d-just-snap-your-girly-little-bones-in-half clutches. ‘Christian has told me a lot about you.’
‘Really?’ I said, pressing a bit more firmly, which only caused him to loosen his already slack grip. ‘All good, I hope?’
‘Of course. He said you’re an aspiring writer, like our mutual friend here.’ He smiled.
I was surprised to hear that he actually had heard about me from Christian, since our conversation about writing had sounded like just small talk. ‘Yes, well, I love to write, so hopefully someday …’
‘Well, if you’re half as good as some of the other people he’s sent my way, then I look forward to reading your work.’ He dug around in an inside pocket and produced a leather case, from which he drew out a business card. ‘I know you’re not ready yet, but when it does come time to show your stuff to someone, I hope you’ll keep me in mind.’
It took every ounce of willpower and strength to remain standing upright, to make sure that my mouth had not flopped open or my knees had not just given out. Hope you’ll keep me in mind? The man who represented Christian Collinsworth, literary boy genius extraordinaire, had just asked if I would keep him in mind. This was craziness.
‘Why thank you,’ I croaked, tucking the card into my bag, from where I knew I would pull it out and examine every inch of it the first chance I got. They both smiled at me, and it took a minute for me to recognize this as my cue to leave. ‘Well, Mr Brooks, um, Gabriel, it was really great meeting you. I’ve got to be getting home now, but hopefully we’ll cross paths soon.’
‘My pleasure, Andrea. Congratulations again on scoring such a fantastic job. Right out of college and working at Runway. Very impressive.’
‘I’ll walk you out,’ Christian said, placing a hand on my elbow and motioning to Gabriel that he’d be right back.
We stopped at the bar so I could tell Lily that I was heading home, and she unnecessarily told me – in between William’s nuzzlings – that she wouldn’t be joining me. At the foot of the stairs that would take me back to street level, Christian kissed me on the cheek.
‘Great running into you tonight. And I have a feeling I’m going to have to hear Gabriel talk about how great you are now, too.’ He grinned.
‘We barely exchanged two words,’ I pointed out, wondering why everyone was being so complimentary.
‘Yes, Andy, but what you don’t seem to realize is that the writing world is a small one. Whether you write mysteries or feature stories or newspaper articles, everyone knows everyone. Gabriel doesn’t have to know much about you to know that you have potential: you were good enough to get a job at Runway, you sound bright and articulate when you talk, and hell, you’re a friend of mine. He’s got nothing to lose by giving you his card. What does he know? He could have just discovered the next best-selling author. And trust me – Gabriel Brooks is a good man for you to know.’
‘Hmm, I guess you’re right. Well, anyway, I’ve got to get home since I’ve got to be at work again in a few hours anyway. Thanks for everything. I really appreciate it.’ I leaned up to kiss him on the cheek, half expecting him to turn his face forward and half wanting him to, but he just smiled.
‘More than my pleasure, Andrea Sachs. Have a good night.’ And before I could come up with anything remotely clever to say, he was headed back to Gabriel.
I rolled my eyes at myself and headed to the street to hail a cab. It had started to rain – nothing