Chapter 3
Lacey
Dia
Please say you’re hungry. We made way too many waffles.
I unlock my phone and type a quick reply underneath the counter of the café where I work. The place is dead. I think I can get away with sending one little text.
Lacey
Waffles? For dinner?
Dia answers immediately.
Dia
Blame it on Aveena’s pregnancy cravings. It was either that or pickles dipped in sour cream.
Her message makes me chuckle. Our friend Aveena is seven months pregnant and a sucker for weird food combinations. It’s just been getting worse and worse as the pregnancy progresses. We’re having a girls’ night later, and I can’t wait. It’s been ages since we got together.
Up until last week, Dia was in physical therapy from getting injured in a fire, and Aveena was busy growing a small human, on top of spending all of her time with her head in the toilet.
Another text comes through on my phone, this one from my stepdad, Daniel.
Daniel
Don’t forget lunch with your old man.
I’m having lunch with my stepdad tomorrow. I’ve known the man almost my entire life. He and my mom got together when I was a kid. I consider him my second father.
If I’m being honest, I’d see him more often than Clark, my biological dad, growing up. Sure, I’d spend every other weekend with Clark and my siblings, but then I’d find myself back home with my mom and Daniel first thing Monday morning.
“What are you doing?” my coworker Lydia questions from across the café. She was busy sweeping the entrance, which is why I checked my phone when she wasn’t looking.
“Nothing,” I lie.
Lydia is a big old snitch, and the last thing I need is for her to tell my boss I’m texting at work.
I unlock the cash register. “I just need to count it real quick, then we’re out of here.”
We don’t say a word for the next five minutes, mindlessly going through the closing procedure. Lydia tells me to switch the Open sign to Closed while she gets the lights in the back.
I oblige, trailing to the front of the café. Only seconds before I can reach the door, it flies open, triggering the bell above it.
A tall, handsome stranger enters the café, and a pair of bright blue eyes lands on me.
Sweet baby Jesus .
He’s gorgeous.
With a sharp jaw, tousled dirty-blond hair, and teeth so straight and white I wonder if he has veneers. Crazy thing is, I’m not usually one to go for blond guys, but he just might be the exception.
His gaze darts across the empty café, and realization darkens his features. “Shit, are you closed?”
He might look like a walking Greek statue, but I’m not trying to get off work ten minutes late. Lydia turns the corner, alerted by his voice, and her jaw drops.
I know, Lydia, I know.
“We’re still open. It’s 7:57,” she says.
I know this girl. She’s turned away plenty of customers who cut it close before. Of course she’d make an exception for the guy who looks like every girl’s wet dream.
She has a point, though. We close at eight. But I have places to be and other things to do than serve coffee to some Abercrombie-looking guy.
“Are you sure?” Greek god asks me , as though he can see the irritation in my eyes.
I suck it up. “Of course. Come on in.”
I’m back behind the counter before I know it, taking this guy’s order when I should already be on my way to Dia’s place for girls’ night.
Thankfully, he just wants an Americano. I don’t know what I would’ve done if he’d dropped a big order on us.
“Are you new? I’ve never seen you around here before,” Lydia asks as she’s making his coffee, and I have to stop a laugh from escaping my lips.
Lydia and I both suck at flirting, but at least she tries . I haven’t even bothered looking in a guy’s direction in a year and a half.
I offer the stranger the terminal so he can pay, and his fingers accidentally brush against mine when he takes it. Shivers zap up and down my arm. It feels like it’s been forever since I was touched by a man, let alone a man this handsome.
Well, I’ll be damned.
Maybe I’m not dead… down there … after all.
“I am. Just transferred to Duke at the beginning of the semester,” he answers Lydia, but his gaze doesn’t stray from me as he gives me the terminal back. “What about you? Do you go to Duke?”
I finish up the transaction, pulling out the receipt and handing it to him. Seconds go by, and no one makes a sound.
Why isn’t Lydia answering him?
That’s when I realize…
He’s looking at me .
And when I say looking at me, I don’t mean because I’m in his line of vision. He’s looking at me like he’s waiting for something?
“Oh, y-you’re asking me?” I stammer.
His smile is my answer.
“I…”
Say something.
Words. It’s not that hard.
“Y-Yes, I do,” I finally manage to say.
“Yeah? What’s your major?”
“It’s, hm…”
Woman, you know your own major. Just say it!
“I’m studying, hm…”
Wow, I’m an embarrassment to mankind.
“She’s studying economics,” Lydia speaks for me.
If he thinks I’m a complete freak, he doesn’t let it show, his smile growing in size. “Nice. I’m in finance.”
Jesus, I used to be so good with guys.
When did I lose all my game?
“I’m Aaron, by the way.” He continues to speak directly to me.
I return his smile. “Lacey.”
Aaron takes his coffee from Lydia’s hands with a thanks, then casts another look in my direction, that pantie-dropping smile on display.
“It was nice meeting you.”
I watch as he makes his way to the door and exits the café.
“Well, that was pathetic,” Lydia mocks, twisting the knife, the moment he’s out the door. “You don’t date much, do you?”
“Not really,” I admit.
What she doesn’t know is I promised myself this would be the year I get back in the game.
Time to act like it.
I pull up to Dia’s apartment complex a half hour late. I stopped by my place to change after work. I might’ve also used my change of clothes as an excuse to check on the babysitter I hired to watch Oli and Sierra—but mostly Sierra.
Mrs. Harrison is down with the flu, so she couldn’t make it. I feel awful about needing her so much, even though she’s always telling me I’m doing her a favor because she’d never leave the house if it weren’t for us. I figured getting a babysitter every once in a while would give her a break.
I park my car in one of the visitors’ spots out front and amble to the entrance of the building. I press Dia’s apartment number on the intercom and wait for her to pick up, which she does just seconds later.
“Password, please?” a chuckling Dia says on the other end.
“I have wine?” I improvise, clutching the cheap bottle of rosé.
She snorts. “Correct. You may proceed.”
She buzzes me in, and a pit of emotion settles in my throat. It’s so good to hear Dia laughing again. She went through hell last year.
She had to drop out of school to recover from a brain injury. She was in physical therapy for three months. Her boyfriend, Finn—I’m sorry, her fiancé —stood by her side every step of the way, but I could tell she was struggling.
Things are just starting to get back to normal. Only difference is Dia’s decided not to return to school. She’s not sure what’s next, but she’s thinking of creating a dog-walking app. She’s always been a big animal lover.
I reach Dia’s floor in no time and shimmy down the hallway. I don’t even bother knocking, letting myself into her apartment. The smell of bacon makes my mouth water the second I walk through the door. She wasn’t kidding about this breakfast-for-dinner thing.
The girls are sitting on the living room sectional when I come in.
“Finally. I was starting to wonder what the couch cushions taste like,” Aveena says, and I know she’s only half joking.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned since Aveena got pregnant, it’s that you do not want to stand between a pregnant woman and her cravings.
The girls leap to their feet. Scratch that— Dia leaps to her feet. Aveena’s belly is so big she grapples with gravity, trying and failing to get off the couch a few times before succeeding.
It’s no secret that Vee has had it with being pregnant. She’s seven, almost eight months in, and she hasn’t been as lucky as she’d have hoped.
Her nausea persisted well into her second trimester, and she has constant, terrible back pain. At least Xavier, her boyfriend and the father, worships the ground she walks on. He’s been catering to her every need since that test came back positive.
He even delayed his entry into the NBA draft to be by her side. TJ and Theo then followed suit for personal reasons, most of which they’ve kept to themselves.
I kick off my shoes and hang my coat by the door. “I know, I’m sorry. I stopped by my house to change into something more comfortable.”
Then I’m walking into my friends’ embrace for a group hug. “But hey, I brought a peace offering.” I laugh and hand Dia the questionable twelve-dollar wine I got at the gas station on my way over.
“All is forgiven.” Dia takes it, trailing to the kitchen to get wineglasses out of the cupboard.
“Speak for yourself. I can’t even drink. Or have sushi. Man, I miss sushi,” Aveena whines.
I sling my arm around her shoulders for comfort. “I promise the second little Tyler pops out of you, we’re pulling up at the hospital with the biggest sushi platter you’ve ever seen.”
She cracks a thankful smile.
“Now, let’s eat before someone gets hangry,” Dia teases Aveena from the kitchen, making us laugh.
My laughter dies when I turn the corner and see the feast waiting for us on the table.
Eggs.
Waffles.
Bacon.
Breakfast sausage.
She went all out.
“How many people are you feeding?”
She laughs. “Yeah, I might’ve gone a little overboard. But Finn will be home soon, and he’s bringing friends.”
On that note, we each grab a seat and dig in.
The girls and I are bursting at the seams by the time we clear the table and put the dishes away. You guessed it, there were leftovers. I’m sure the guys will be more than happy to offer their services in clearing the fridge when they get home.
I drop onto the couch, a hand pressed to my stomach. “That was incredible.”
“Agreed.” Aveena sits across from me, wrapping the blanket on the couch around her shoulders.
Dia snatches the last free spot on the couch and lets out a groan of satisfaction as she stretches. Her phone pings with a notification as soon as she sits down. She pulls it out of her pocket to check.
“The guys are running late,” she relays the message. “They’re showing Theo’s new roommate around campus.”
“Theo got another roommate?” I ask. Last I heard, Everest moved out last summer, and with TJ recently leaving, too, it makes sense that they’d get someone else to help with the rent.
“Yep. And a hot one, at that. You won’t be surprised to hear Heather’s already putting the moves on him.”
Aveena cringes. “For the love of God, don’t say that name. I’m already nauseous.”
I laugh at the mention of Aveena’s least favorite person on campus.
Chance recently got himself a girlfriend. He and Dia dated for a little while, but they weren’t serious, which is why no one batted an eye when she got back together with her ex-boyfriend Finn, and Chance moved on.
Chance’s new girlfriend, Bethany, is a sweetheart. Her best friend, Heather, on the other hand? Let’s just say she’s not my cup of tea.
The girl is loud, superficial, always has to be the center of attention, and worst of all? She’s a man-eater with a thing for unavailable guys.
She tried to get with Xavier, Aveena’s boyfriend and baby daddy, at a party at the beginning of the semester.
Xavier practically yeeted Heather off him when she sat on his lap. Anyone with half a brain knows Xavier Emery only has eyes for Aveena, but that only seemed to make Heather want him more.
She sees taken men as a challenge, a way to boost her ego, hence her becoming public enemy number one.
You mess with Aveena, you mess with all of us.
I stop paying attention to the conversation, my thoughts drifting back to TJ’s proposition. I feel a little guilty about refusing to help him.
I wouldn’t mind tutoring him if he compensated me for my time, but I can’t afford to do it for free.
My focus diverts back to the girls when Aveena lets out a loud “Are you shitting me? That’s the new guy?”
Dia is showing her a picture on her phone.
“I know you said he was hot, but damn,” Aveena comments.
I scoff. “He can’t be that hot.”
Dia passes me the phone. “Strongly disagree.”
My heart crawls up my throat when I catch a glimpse of him.
Stunning blue eyes, dirty-blond hair…
Holy shit.
“It’s him.”
“Him who?” Dia questions.
I give her back her phone. “I saw that guy earlier. He came by the café.”
The girls seem to pick up on the details I’m keeping to myself because they both respond with, “And?”
I shrug. “And nothing. He was nice. Asked me a few questions to be polite.”
“What kind of questions?” Aveena presses.
“Like where I go to school, what my major is. Then he asked me my name. Just normal chitchat.”
Dia snorts. “Chitchat? I’m sorry, when was the last time a smoking hot customer asked you where you study and what you want to do for a living?”
Are they right?
Was he flirting with me?
It only takes a moment. Aveena and Dia exchange glances across the room, and I know I should’ve kept my trap shut.
“We are so setting you up,” Dia squeals.
Here we go .
Trying to set me up is these girls’ favorite hobby.
I slouch into the couch. “Please, I could barely put a sentence together in front of him. He must think I’m a weirdo.”
“It’s almost been two years since you had a roll in the hay. I’m sure you’re just rusty,” Dia protests.
“Come on, it’s time . Think of us as your personal matchmaking service,” Aveena chimes.
They’re ridiculous. Not to mention more invested in my own love life than I am.
I would’ve turned them down in a heartbeat a few months ago, but I made myself that promise for a reason. I don’t want to look back and realize I missed out on the college experience.
“Okay.” I can tell, looking at their faces, that “okay” is not the answer they expected.
“Did the queen of celibacy just say okay?” Dia asks Aveena.
“Check her for a fever,” Aveena teases.
I throw my pillow at Aveena, missing her by an inch. “Will you stop? I’m not that much of a lost cause.”
Dia’s phone pings before Aveena can answer. She checks the screen, a cunning smile making her lips twitch.
“What?” Aveena and I say in unison.
“Change of plans. Finn wants us to meet him and the guys at Munchie’s later.”
Munchie’s is a twenty-four-hour diner right on campus. It’s where drunk students go when they’re craving a late-night snack. They have burgers, fries, milkshakes—any comfort food you can think of.
“The new guy will be there. What do you say?”
Remember your promise, Lacey.
“Sure, why not?”
Next thing I know, she’s texting her fiancé to accept his invitation.
The place is packed.
I didn’t expect anything less on a Friday night, but if I’m being honest, this is too much for me. High school Lacey was the definition of a social butterfly, but now? I can’t shake the feeling that I don’t belong.
Finn spots us near the entrance before I can back out. He waves us over, and Dia leads the way to the guys’ table, which is covered in unfinished junk food and milkshakes.
TJ, Theo, Xavier, Finn, and this Aaron guy are sitting in a circular red leather booth, bickering about something. I’m careful to avoid making eye contact with TJ as we approach the group.
I wonder if he’s mad at me for the other day.
Not that I care.
Theo smiles when we reach the table. “You ladies ever heard of this thing called a cell phone? Five more minutes and we were sending out a search party.”
He’s got us there. We’re two hours late. It’s getting to be a real problem with us. Once the girls and I start yapping, there’s no stopping us.
“You again.” A familiar voice calls for my attention.
I lock eyes with Aaron across the booth.
“Lacey, is it?” he asks.
He’s staring at me so intently I get weak in the knees.
“I… Yeah, it’s Aaron, right?”
Damn it, Lacey, be cool.
He smirks. “Twice in one night, huh? I’m starting to think you’re following me.”
I chuckle nervously. “Oh, don’t worry, I wouldn’t do that. I mean, not that you’re not worth following. I’m sure you’re a perfectly acceptable target for a stalker. I’m just saying I’m not one. I’m a normal person. Although, if I were one, I wouldn’t mind stalking you. You… You seem interesting enough to stalk.”
Shut. The. Fuck. Up.
Aaron fake laughs, discomfort plastered all over his face. “Thanks?”
I’m suddenly hit by the urge to dig a hole, crawl inside it, and die. Every soul at the table is looking at me like I’m a crackhead on a bender—well, everyone except TJ, who seems more amused by my psychotic rambling episode than weirded out.
“So, where should we sit?” Dia changes the topic, allowing us to move past what just might be the most awkward interaction I’ve ever had.
Everyone scoots over, and Aveena squeezes in next to her man, her belly bumping against the table as she does. Xavier wraps an arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders the moment she sits down, guiding her closer to drop kisses all over her forehead.
Dia and I are about to sit down on the other side of the booth when Finn decides he’s not having it.
“Yeah, that’s not going to work for me.” He turns to Theo, who’s sitting next to him. “Move your ass, Cox.”
“Always so polite, huh, Richards?” Theo mocks.
“Move, please ,” Finn adds, giving his buddy a shit-eating grin.
Theo scoffs and slides out of the booth.
“Get over here,” Finn tells Dia, who doesn’t hesitate to slide in next to her fiancé. Finn responds by pulling her into his chest and kissing the breath out of her.
All these public displays of affection are making my heart yearn for a love it’s never known.
Something I’m not sure it ever will.
I chase the thoughts away before I start feeling sorry for myself. Theo and I grab the last two seats near the aisle. The guys resume their conversation just seconds after we’ve sat down, but something in the air feels… heavy.
My gaze darts around our circle, skimming over my friends’ faces.
Until I notice him.
TJ is staring at me from across the table. I search his dark brown eyes for a moment, hoping to identify the emotions reflecting in them, and his lips tug up slightly.
I can only assume he likes making me uncomfortable.
I don’t know what’s going on behind those eyes, but I can tell he wants something from me—my money is on the free tutoring I denied him. And his staring is his way of letting me know he’s not going to give up.
For a moment, I think I’m going to be able to hold his gaze, but then his good looks start getting to me. The sharp curve of his jaw, that taunting smirk, and those dimples.
Nope, I’m out .
I only realize I’ve lifted off the banquette when I tell the group, “I’m going to get a milkshake.”
Do I want a milkshake? No.
Am I going to pay the outrageous amount of money this place charges for a milkshake? You bet.
I march myself to the counter and order a chocolate milkshake. I tap my card on the terminal, hoping it’ll take a little while, but the lady is handing me my order just minutes later.
I release what’s left of the air in my lungs, but just as I’m about to turn around, I hear a voice say, “What’d you get?” right behind me—and when I say right behind me, I mean just inches away from my ear.
Only I don’t have time to stop myself, and I bump into Aaron. No, I practically crash into Aaron. I’m so surprised I grip the plastic cup in my hand, and half of my chocolate milkshake goes flying.
All over Aaron’s white shirt.
His jaw falls open as soon as the cold liquid seeps through his clothes.
This isn’t happening.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Here, let me help you.”
I run over to the nearest napkin dispenser, take out a bunch, and start rubbing them all over his chest as though napkins are going to magically un ruin his white shirt.
“I’m so sorry,” I repeat, my clumsy attempts at cleaning up the mess only making things worse. Any inch of fabric that wasn’t covered in chocolate before definitely is now.
“It’s fine, I got it.” Aaron takes the dirty napkins from my hand. He doesn’t seem super mad, but he also doesn’t seem like he’s a fan of me right now, understandably so.
“You should go soak your shirt in hot water. I’ll pay for the dry cleaning, I promise.”
“I said it’s fine, don’t worry.” A hint of annoyance bleeds through his words, but he remains polite despite being forced to wear my milkshake. “I’m going to go rinse it off or something.”
I watch as he throws away the dirty napkins and makes a beeline for the bathroom.
Why did I have to do that?
The first time I might be semi-interested in a guy in ages, and I have to go and pour a whole milkshake on him.
And the cherry on top? I got some milkshake on my new blouse, too. I never buy myself clothes, but this was a gift from the girls for my twentieth birthday.
Way to go, Lace.
I have no doubt the entire diner is looking at me, including all my friends, but I spare myself any more embarrassment and book it to the ladies’ room to try and salvage my blouse.
Thankfully, the bathroom appears to be empty.
I strip off my blouse, now only wearing a tank top, and twist the water on.
“My, my… lost your sister, dumped a milkshake on your crush. This isn’t your week, huh, rich girl?”
I nearly flatline, my eyes lifting to the mirror. TJ stands behind me, his back pressed to the door and his arms crossed over his chest.
“What do you want, TJ?” I huff, bringing my focus back to the task at hand.
He scoffs. “Haven’t we been over that already?”
I knew it.
This is about the tutoring thing.
I continue to rub my blouse under running water. “Too bad the answer hasn’t changed. Now, scram.”
“I think I can help you with your… problem.”
I don’t even look at him. “Unless you have the ability to turn back time, I don’t need your help.”
In response, he pushes off the door and stalks toward me. “That’s not the problem I’m talking about.”
Annoyance courses through me like lava, and I turn to face him. He’s much closer than I anticipated, the height difference between us forcing me to crane my neck.
“Then what is?”
Everything this guy does just rubs me the wrong way. And him ambushing me in the women’s bathroom after I made a complete fool of myself isn’t helping his case.
“When’s the last time you got some action? Be honest.”
I arch an eyebrow. Did he just ask me that?
“W-What?”
“The last time someone fucked your brains out. When was it?”
“I…” I need a moment to regain my composure. “That’s none of your business.”
A deep laugh packed with mischief leaves his mouth. “Oh, come on. Humor me.”
I turn my back to him. “Fuck off.”
He doesn’t let that faze him, filling the distance between us until he’s standing inches away from me. I feel his closeness in my stomach.
“I’ll tell you what. I help you get the guy, and you keep me from flunking out of school.”
His offer gives me pause.
I look up, our eyes locking in the mirror. “What guy?”
He lets out a breathy laugh. “None of that shit. You want Aaron. You were practically drooling all over him earlier. And for some reason, he looks like he might be into you, too. But you have to play your cards right.”
Okay, rude .
He made it sound like he couldn’t possibly imagine why a guy like Aaron would be into me.
I shrug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He sighs. “Look, you want real talk? You’re fucking terrible at flirting. You have no game, you’re awkward, and you don’t know when to shut up. You need me.”
Is he serious?
“Gee, TJ, you really know how to sweet-talk a lady.”
He smirks. “Yeah, yeah, I’m a dick. We’ve already established that. But that doesn’t mean we can’t help each other.”
I crack a mocking laugh. “And how would you help me exactly?”
He stops to think for a moment. “We need to get your confidence back, for starters. Then, we’ll need to work on your flirting. Maybe throw in a few seduction tips. I can find out what he likes, what kind of relationship he’s looking for. Think about it. I’m going to be spending a lot of time with the guy.”
He’s really thought this through. He must be pretty desperate.
“So? What do you say?”
I can’t believe the thoughts colliding in my head. TJ might be a prick, but even I have to recognize everything he just said is spot-on. I’ve lost all confidence in myself, especially when it comes to guys.
And I’ve said some crazy things in my life, but… none of them even come close to this.
“Okay.”