Boyfriend Shopping: Shopping for My Boyfriend / My Only Wish / All I Want for Christmas Is You

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“It means that I don’t know.”

“Okay. If you had a choice between her and a girl that you knew was perfect for you in every way, who would you choose?” I asked.

“The girl that was perfect for me. You know that. I’ll catch you later, Anna.” He smiled before disappearing into the crowd.

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I walked to the concession stand and joined up with Lauren. She was toying with her cell phone and didn’t notice me until I spoke.

“Come on. Let’s go,” I said.

“Where is Jeremy?” she asked.

“He’s not coming because he made plans to hang out with Bernita,” I said, feeling as if I had been scalded by a curling iron.

“Why does he want to be with her? From what you’ve said about her, sounds like being friends with her is like trying to hug a porcupine.” Lauren met my gaze and waited for me to provide her with a reasonable explanation.

“I don’t know. I warned him about her, though.”

“Do you think something serious is going on between them?” she asked.

“I hope not, but if there is, there’s nothing that I can do about it.” I sighed sadly.

“Did you ask if they were dating each other?”

“Of course I did, and he said that they were ‘just friends.’” I made the little quotation-marks gesture with my fingers.

“So what are you going to do?” Lauren asked.

“I don’t want to think about that anymore. I’m sort of confused right now. Let’s just go and get something to eat,” I said.

“Do we have to walk outside for a long time?” Lauren asked, shivering at the thought of staying out in the cold weather longer than necessary.

“We don’t have that far to walk. Here. Take my gloves. They’ll keep your hands warm,” I said.

“Then yours will get cold,” Lauren said, shaking her head.

“No, they won’t. I’m used to chilly weather,” I said and shoved the gloves in her hand as we moved toward an exit.

* * *

Lauren and I arrived at Chili’s a short time later. The hostess gave us a booth near a window. As soon as we were seated, I noticed that Jeremy, Bernita and some other people who had sung at the holiday concert were with them.

“OMG! I can’t believe we’re at the same restaurant,” I said.

“What are you talking about?” Lauren asked, confused.

“Bernita and Jeremy are here.” I tilted my head and pointed my gaze to where they were sitting. Lauren, as inconspicuously as she could, repositioned herself so that she could look over her shoulder at them.

“I’m sorry, but they don’t look all that cute together.”

“Well, apparently he sees something in her,” I said, wishing that I had a car so we could leave and go someplace else. Jeremy must’ve sensed that someone was staring at him. He glanced up from the menu and looked at me. He acknowledged me by waving hello. I waved back and then buried my face in the menu.

“Hey, Anna, how are you doing?” I looked up from my menu and saw that Sabrina and her boyfriend, Mike, had entered the restaurant. The hostess was carrying their menus and waited for them to continue following her.

“Hey, my friend Lauren and I are about to eat. Have you guys met?”

“No,” said Sabrina. “This is my boyfriend, Mike, and I’m Sabrina.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Lauren said with a friendly smile.

“Nice to meet you, as well,” Sabrina said as she removed her hat and gloves.

“How did you guys get here?” I asked.

“Keysha and Wesley are out parking the car. We all decided to come out together,” Sabrina said. “We’re just waiting for them so that we can sit together.”

“Actually, do you guys mind if we sit with you? Keysha and Wesley are arguing in the car,” Mike said.

“That’s fine with me. Are you cool with that, Lauren?” I asked.

“Of course,” Lauren said as she scooted closer to the window to make room for Mike to sit. The hostess left their menus and then went back to greet the other guests.

“Cool, because my big sister gets on my nerves sometimes,” Mike explained.

“You don’t like your sister?” Lauren asked.

“Yes, I like her a lot. It’s just that sometimes she gets a little bossy, which is why she’s in the car arguing with her boyfriend,” Mike clarified.

“Oh, I know how that can be,” I chimed in. “My sister, Maya, is the queen of bossy.”

“Wow. I can’t believe Bernita is here,” Sabrina said disgustedly.

“Where?” Mike quickly turned around and scanned the room until he located her. “Yo. That chick there has some serious issues.”

“What are you talking about? Did you used to date her or something?” I asked.

“Oh, hell to the no,” Mike said as if I had just poked him with a fork.

“Bernita is crazy,” Sabrina said coldly.

“Did you guys get into a fight or something?” Lauren asked.

“We almost did, but Mike held me back,” Sabrina admitted.

“What did she do that made you so mad?” I asked in search of another reason to place in my grudge bag against Bernita.