Close to Perfection

Chapter 11

Saturday Morning 

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my doorbell ringing. I looked at the clock and saw it was 6 AM.

"Who the heck is at my door this early?" I muttered to myself and went to answer it.

I peeked through the peephole and saw a delivery guy.

"Delivery for Ms. Weiner," he said when I opened the door.

"That's me," I replied.

He handed me a clipboard to sign, then gave me a box wrapped in brown paper.

I closed the door, placed the box on the kitchen table, and went to get a glass of water. My head was pounding from last night's drama. I took an aspirin with the water and finally opened the box, expecting another care package from my mom.

My mom loves sending me expensive gifts. When I told her to stop, she said, "I'm your only daughter, and until you get married and give me grandchildren to spoil, I'm going to keep spoiling you."

Instead of a care package, I found a box of chocolates from a famous local shop. Inside were nine heart-shaped chocolates, and on the box was a note:

Someone wise once told me that "Everyone likes chocolates."

-Yours, Rock

Despite yesterday's mess, the early hour, and my headache, I couldn't help but smile. I took a bite of one of the caramel-filled chocolates, and it was heavenly.

The rest of the day was uneventful. I spent it lounging on the couch.

Monday Noon

At lunchtime in the office, Hailey and Art surprised me with Chinese takeout. As we ate, Art couldn't contain her curiosity any longer.

"So, how was the date yesterday?" she asked, exchanging a knowing glance with Hailey.

Since my mind was still racing, I brushed off their suspicious looks. "It was the worst date ever. That Mike guy was a total jerk, and you'll never guess who Sarah's date was."

They looked at me with concern. "It was Rock... Aidan Savage from 5Ace," I revealed.

Art asked, "Tell us everything from the beginning."

I recounted the entire ordeal, from the moment I arrived at the restaurant to the chocolate delivery that morning. When I finished, Art simply said, "What an asshole. I'll kill him next time I see him." Hailey nodded in agreement.

It took a moment for me to realize their reaction. They didn't seem shocked by Rock's appearance or his random behavior, but they were clearly angry at Mike's behavior.

"So, what's the possibility that Rock was Sarah's date and part of this whole setup?" I asked, voicing my suspicion.

"Well, it's a small world, so..." Hailey said, giving me a sweet, innocent smile.

"You set me up!" I exclaimed, looking at Art suspiciously. This explained their knowing glances earlier.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't know Mike would be such a jerk. I wouldn't have planned this if I had," Art said defensively.

"No! You knew! You both knew Mike was an asshole, and you knew Rock would be there. This was planned!"

"Nooooo!!!!" Art exclaimed trying to act innocent and surprised.

"Listen, we did plan it, but we didn't expect Aidan to act like such a jerk," Hailey explained.

"You went behind my back! You know I don't like being deceived," I said, feeling betrayed.