Free Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes

women.”
    Coca-Cola dripped drop by drop from the straw down his cheek. Charlie made a face as if to say, “See.”
    “But you’re funny,” I said, giggling. “Funny’s funny and that’s that.”
    I mean, even if I secretly thought it was incredibly rude of him to have pointed out that I possibly wasn’t radiantly happy when we first met, he was definitely amusing.
    “Girls can’t resist a sense of humor. And then you’re a director, too. I bet you have some really beautiful actress girlfriend,” I said.
    “Nope. No girlfriend right now.”
    “Well, do you want one?”
    “I never think about it like that,” said Charlie. “Girlfriends are one of the few things you get less of the more you want one. But yeah, it would be nice. Everyone wants to fall in love when it comes down to it, don’t they?”
    Suddenly, I thought Julie . She’s desperate to fall in love. If he tried really hard not to do the straw trick in front of her, Charlie might be the perfect PH for her, especially since he knew about important fashion icons like Azzedine Alaia. I know she’d said she didn’t want a creative type, but maybe she needed to broaden her horizons.
    “How about if I set you up with one of my friends? What kind of girls do you like?”
    “Happy ones, who can’t eat a thing,” he said flirtatiously.
    “Oh, I’m taken, I’m engaged to him,” I said coyly, gesturing at Zach. He had come into the room and was now standing in a far corner with his back to us. He turned momentarily but didn’t see us.
    “Handsome guy.”
    “Look, I can hook you up with a girlfriend of mine. But you’ve got to be more specific; exactly what kind of girl do you want to date?”
    Charlie paused for what seemed like forever before he answered me. Then he looked me straight in the eye and said, “Someone exactly like you,” which was slightly uncomfortable for someone as radiantly happy with her fiancé as moi .
    I shook the ice around in the bottom of my glass while I thought of something to say.
    “I’m in New York a lot for work right now,” said Charlie, breaking the silence.
    “Cool. I’ll set you up at my engagement party,” I said.
    “I thought this was your engagement party.”
    “This is my Los Angeles engagement party. But my friend Muffy’s throwing one for me in New York. Everyone’s so nice to you when you get engaged, it’s completely impossible! Would I have seen any of your movies?”
    “I doubt it,” he said. “They’re an acquired taste.”
    “Are they art house?” I asked.
    “No, comedies!” he exclaimed. “The trouble is, I think they’re funny but no one else does. Most people find my work depressing, but I say there’s no comedy without tragedy. Unfortunately, the studio heads don’t agree with me. Now, would you like to see the straw trick again?”
     
    I was pretty happy driving home after the party. Seriously, after Daphne had rescued me, I’d laughed all night. Everything was going to be okay with Zach again soon, I was sure of it. I tried to talk to him as we drove along Sunset toward the Chateau. It wasonly eleven o’clock and I guess I wanted to smooth the way for some Latin American activity when we got back.
    “Darling, even though I’m radiantly happy, I’m… très, très depressed,” I said quietly.
    Oh god, that came out all wrong. I hadn’t meant to say that at all.
    “Are you gonna hassle me about sex again ?” said Zach, without taking his eyes off the road. “You’re obsessed. It’s so fuckin’ weird.”
    Finally, Zach was talking to me. It was a breakthrough of sorts after the last few days. Did he have to be so gruesome though? Sometimes New Yorkers can be a little too direct for a demure girl like me, even one who’s realized she’s probably more sluttish than demure-ish.
    “Sweetpea, I wish you wouldn’t say that. It’s not very romantic,” I replied, half-joking and half-trying not to weep, which was all I really felt like doing.
    “You are so