The Sympathy Screw | 18+

Chapter 3 - To-Do List

Author's Notes:

The theme song for this chapter (mostly the last half of the chapter) is:

"Follow You Down"     by      The Gin Blossoms

~-~

As soon as I woke that morning, I grabbed some paper and started to write a list. Thank God it was a Saturday, because Andrew was one of the few people I knew who could (and would) sleep in even later than I would.

My rumbling stomach would usually wake me up around nine o'clock and then I would spend hours begging and pleading for him to get awake and out of bed on the one day a week when we could actually have breakfast someone else would cook for us. I had learned years ago that you can't keep your body trim and healthy living on burgers and fries, but French toast and bacon was my one indulgence that I allowed myself once a week, and there was usually nothing that could stop me from eating it.

For once, I ate my typical weekday protein shake for breakfast and left it at that, and then I began to make my list. And re-make my list. And make my list again. I must have gone through at least twenty different men's names that were horrible ideas before Andrew woke and joined me in the dining room.

"Vi," he asked, "Not that I mind, but why didn't you wake me? You always want me up early for breakfast on a Saturday."

I blew out an exhausted breath that puffed my bangs up in the air. "It's this damn list. I think I finally got it, though. I'm just not sure about the order of them all."

"Did you write anything on the list to indicate who they were? Something to let me know about them as people?"

I assured him, "I didn't, but I can. But if you need to, you can see pictures of them, too. Well, what I have, anyways."

Andrew took a sip of coffee that I somehow hadn't noticed was in his hands until that moment and replied, "I'll tell you what; write that out and rate the guys' appearance on a scale of one to ten and write it on the paper. I don't need to see pictures. I'll make my list while you're writing that down."

"You can make your list that quickly?" I asked.

"Funny thing is, Todd suggested I go through this whole process of, 'what would I be giving up the chance at?' before I proposed to you. Part of that was coming up with what other women I would want to have," Andrew laughed. He actually fucking laughed. I was seeing red until he added, "I wasn't missing out on anything. Every other woman paled in comparison to you, Vi."

"Alright," I agreed, "Give me a few minutes and I'll write up who they are and what I'd rate them. But you have to do the same for your list."

"Fine," he offered, "Five minutes or less."

As if he had a timer set, Andrew was back at almost exactly the five minute mark.

"Okay," he said, "Let me see it."

We exchanged our sheets of paper and I handed him my list. On it, was written:

1. Sam Torrence - 6 - Had a big crush on me in high school
2. Nick (?) - 7 - Dating site "relationship" a few months before our first date - never met in person
3. Antonio Bianchi - 10 - Coworker from the Italy home office

On his own list, he had written:

1. Jessica Radulovich - 10 - Cheerleader I banged in college
2. Brianna Banasiewicz - 10 - Long-term high school girlfriend
3. Brooke Miller - 10 - Was my secretary before she moved last year