Chapter 12 #4
Grabbing my purse, I scramble after him to keep up. His friends have disappeared, and I ask him where they went.
“I told them to leave without me,” Jay says, holding the door open for me to exit. The security guards from before eye me the entire time, and I wave innocently.
“So, I guess this date was another fail?” Jay asks, even though the answer is obvious.
The night’s cool air hits me, and I shiver, wrapping my arms around myself. I need to start remembering my jacket.
“You could say that, I guess.”
“Was it fine until the whole skipping out on the bill thing?”
I laugh. “No, it was a fail before that, too. He spent the entire time talking about himself and telling me how much money he makes dealing drugs, which is ironic considering the whole dine-and-dash situation. And the only true things I told him about myself were that I wanted to see a sold-out art exhibit that ends today and that I didn’t want to buy cocaine.
” I shake my head. If Kalani thinks I’m better off with one of these guys than single, then my fifth wheeling must be a bigger problem than I thought.
“This is the third Friday in a row that I’ve wasted on a pointless date—no offense—and I could’ve gone to the art exhibit. Now I’ll never see it.”
“None taken,” he says. “Why didn’t you tell him he was rude and to shut up? You would’ve told me.”
His mouth quirks up, and I agree he has a point. I’ve never had a problem confronting Jay before. “I’m not sure.”
He’s quiet for a moment as we walk through the dimly lit parking lot. “Well, the night’s not over. It’s still salvageable.”
“I don’t know. I’ll probably just crawl into bed with Kevin. That’s how my bad days usually end, with us cuddling in bed together.”
Jay’s eyes practically bulge out of his head. “Why do you need to go on dates if you have Kevin?”
My eyebrows draw together. “What does Kevin have to do with anything?”
“You are so strange.” He shakes his head, baffled. He pulls out his phone and texts someone as we walk through the parking lot.
“I’ve heard that once or twice before,” I answer, not even offended.
Jay reads something on his phone before tucking it away. “What do you say to saving the night?”
We reach my car; I didn’t even realize he was walking me here. “How do you propose I do that?”
“I have an idea, but you’ll need running shoes.”
The frown on my face must give away my confusion, because he continues, “You won’t need to run or anything, but it’ll make what we’re about to do a lot easier if you’re in running shoes rather than those.
” He gestures to my strappy heels, and I tuck one foot behind the other, suddenly wishing I had done a better job painting my toenails.
“You want to do something with me?”
He shrugs. “I’ve got nothing better to do tonight. Plus, it would be fun seeing you do something not so uptight.”
“I’m not uptight!” I exclaim, and he laughs.
“Fine, you’re not, but I couldn’t think of a better word. Are you in or what?”
I eye him. “Are we doing something illegal? You’re being very conspiratorial about it all.”
He bites his lip to stop from smiling. “It’s a surprise. In or out, Princess?”
I huff and think about it. I really have nothing better to do tonight, and it’s barely nine o’clock. Plus, Jay did bail me out of a disastrous situation and hasn’t been as much of a jerk as normal.
“Come on, Princess. Live a little.”
He must know that phrase pisses me off to no end, because without thinking, I exclaim, “Fine! I’m in!” and he smiles knowingly.
“Did you drive here?” I ask, and he nods. “Follow me to my house so I can grab sneakers and pay you back. Text me what the total was after the tip.”
“Carla!” a voice shouts, and Jay and I turn to see Chad driving by in a white car. He stops beside us, his window open.
“It’s Carina,” I snap. The blood in my veins boils at seeing him. I want to open his car door and drag him out by his ear and kick very sensitive parts of his body. Repeatedly.
“Close enough,” Chad says, then he looks at Jay. “Who’s this?”
My nails dig into my palm. “This”—I throw my arm out toward Jay—“is the guy who just paid for your dinner! What the hell is wrong with you?! You can’t run out like that!
And you wanted me to meet you outside? You would’ve made me an accomplice to a crime!
A crime, Chad! I don’t even litter!” I step closer to the car, bending down to look directly in the window.
“You owe him two hundred eighty-two dollars and fifty-nine cents, plus tip.”
Chad pauses for a moment. “So, you don’t want to go play mini golf or something?”
In my head, I’m shrieking. My arms tremble with the need to reach out and shake him or strangle him or both.
“No, Chad. I don’t want to ‘play mini golf or something’ with you.” I imitate his deep voice. “I want you to pay Jay his two hundred eighty-two dollars and fifty-nine cents, plus tip, then never see me again.”
He stares at me blankly. Even though I’m irritated to no end, my chest feels lighter now that I’m letting it out.
“And another thing,” I add, “stop wearing sunglasses at night. It’s night, there’s no sun, it’s already dark, you can’t possibly need sunglasses.
It makes you look like a douche and probably ruins your eyes. ”
In a split second, Chad puts his car in drive and takes off, and I have to jump back to avoid getting my toes run over. Jay catches me from behind and steadies me.
“The sunglasses thing definitely pissed him off,” he says.
“You think?” I deadpan, feeling my anger build up again, but when I turn around to face Jay, he’s fighting back a smile.
My fury deflates. “What?”
“Nothing, but that was hilarious. Almost worth the whole two hundred eighty-two dollars and fifty-nine cents, plus tip, which you say often, you know.”
I feel myself fighting back my smile, despite everything that just happened tonight. Now Jay and I are standing in a dark parking lot, a cool breeze whipping at my hair, smiling stupidly at each other.
“Come on,” Jay says, the first to break eye contact. “Let’s get going. I’ll follow you home so you can grab running shoes and drop off your car.”
He takes a few steps backward, still looking at me with an amused smile, then he shakes his head and turns around, heading across the parking lot to his car.
Sliding into my car, I close and lock the door, thinking about everything that happened today.
Am I actually about to do something normal with Jay?
Hang out like . . . friends? And why do I feel excited about it?
Can we be civil together and enjoy a night out?
Oddly enough, it wouldn’t be the strangest thing that’s happened to me on a Friday night, or even tonight.
When headlights appear behind my car and Jay flashes his high beams at me to let me know he’s ready, I start my car and lead him to my house, ignoring my rising heartbeat and goofy smile.