A Good Little Girl Like You (A Sample)

mannered. Okay, mostly well mannered. Except for those

times when he was awkward and nerdy. He claimed to have

mild Asperger syndrome, and that explained his difficult

side. But since most people didn't notice those difficult

moments, the two of them were considered "perfect" for

each other. Too bad they weren't.

The two of them started as friends in business school.

He was so cute and smart and considerate that she was

fooled into thinking he'd be a good lover. Sadly, the fires

never caught. All she got was a momentary flash of

kindling, leaving behind a cold, damp pile of unlit wood.

Quentin seemed to have no idea what Rebecca wanted

from him. She had tried to explain her desires, but he

couldn't get it. The guy simply didn't do passion. He was

content to park himself in the boyfriend cubbyhole of her

life, mostly ignoring her and occasionally filling a need.

One of those needs was to accompany her to Kay's wedding,

so nobody would think she was a lonely workaholic. But

Rebecca knew how lonely she felt, even when she was with

Quentin. The lack of attention, the insincere compliments,

the disconnect. She hoped she wouldn't catch the bouquet.

Just as Rebecca pondered all of this, Quentin arrived.

His work day was done and, precisely at the planned time,

he was there to take her home. He gave her a little buss on

the cheek and issued a perfunctory hug, then stepped back

to admire the dress. "Nice."

"You should have seen it when my hair was out." She

took off the hat and let her hair fall.

Quentin looked at her for a second, then shrugged.

"Looks the same to me." Kay and Bubbles chuckled.

"Don't you see how this dress clashes with my hair?"

Rebecca held out a lock.

Quentin stared at her and fidgeted, clearly struggling to

answer the question. Rebecca wondered if he even knew

what "clash" meant. Few men did.

She offered a hint. "My red hair looks bad in this pink

dress."

He brightened, finally able to understand the

conversation. "Oh, come on! You always see red and pink

together. Everything on Valentine's Day is red and pink."

"I am not a Valentine."

"Well then, if your hair looks so bad, why don't you dye

it?"

Rebecca and Kay stared at each other for a second

before bursting into laughter. "You're kidding, right?"

"Hey, you can dye it back after the wedding, can't you?"

More laughter followed that.

Rebecca tried to explain. "Not happening, Quentin. It's

not that simple."

"Dye the dress?"

Kay wiped away a tear of laughter and put a hand on his