16. Lyla
Chapter sixteen
Lyla
Four days into my agreement with Deacon, the word spread like wildfire through our apartment that I was actually dating someone. I thought Charlie was going to break down my bedroom door when Keira asked her if she had met my boyfriend yet.
“What the fuck is this about you having a boyfriend ?” Charlie demanded. She tossed her bag on the recliner and sat beside me on the couch. Her wide blue eyes told me she wasn’t giving up until I offered her an explanation, so I placed my laptop on the coffee table and sank into the cushion.
“It’s not a huge deal,” I started before I caught myself sounding too casual. I never did anything half-assed, and if I agreed to convince people that I was happy with Deacon to make his ex-girlfriend jealous, then I would play the part as if the role was made for me. “Remember that guy who picked up Andre a few weeks ago? The one who took us to Grounds?”
Charlie gasped and smacked my arm. “The guy you claimed wasn’t Mr. September? You bitch! You lied to me?”
“I didn’t lie!” I exclaimed, holding up my hands before she could get another hit. “He asked for my number, and things just kind of went from there.”
“But weren’t you just with Jake on Saturday?” Like a true friend, there wasn’t a hint of judgment in her question .
“Yes,” I admitted as my mouth formed a naughty grin. “But Deacon and I became official on Monday.”
Charlie sucked her teeth and stood up. “Lyla Brooks has a boyfriend .”
I rolled my eyes. “Shut up.”
My phone vibrated on the coffee table, and Deacon’s name was in the middle of the screen. Charlie’s mouth hit the floor. She quickly closed it and retreated to the fridge. I unlocked my phone and read Deacon’s message.
Deacon
I think we should hang out. Does that fit into your rules?
When I looked up, Charlie was staring at me. She stuck out her bottom lip and leaned over the kitchen counter. “Well, that’s fucking cute.”
My eyes narrowed. “What is?”
“You’re smiling at your phone screen. That’s some cute shit.”
“Don’t you have something you could be doing?” I snapped as I texted Deacon back.
Lyla
I’ll allow it. But no rom-com movie marathons. I draw the line at cheesy meet-cutes.
Deacon
How do you expect to run a bookstore without appreciating a good meet-cute?!
Deacon
I have to crank out this last paper. I’ll be over in an hour or so.
I sent him a thumbs-up emoji and placed my phone next to my laptop.
“I’m heading out tonight for Thirsty Thursday at Ziggy’s. So you’ll have the apartment to yourself.” Charlie winked before disappearing down the hall.
I groaned and sank back into the couch cushions. A week ago, Charlie would’ve invited me to Ziggy’s. We’d spin the shot wheel every half-hour and play darts. Single Girl Lyla would scan the bar for possible prospects, and Charlie would give her feedback. It was Thirsty Thursday, and I was staying in with my fake boyfriend. So far, this whole “having my shit together” nonsense was bullshit.
An hour later, Deacon walked in with a bottle of wine and a giant carryout bag from Campus Pollyeyes. I sat across from him at the counter as he pulled out two boxes of breadsticks and a small salad. It was the second time I appeared empty-handed while Deacon brought contributions.
“Wine glasses?” he asked, surveying the cabinets.
“Solo cups are by the sink.” I pointed at the pile of red cups and tried to hide the frustration in my voice. “Deacon, what are you doing?”
He screwed off the top of the wine bottle. “What do you mean?”
I gestured to the items scattered across the counter. “You understand that I’ve agreed to this, right? You don’t have to keep bringing me things whenever we see each other. ”
He pushed the bottle to the side and handed me my cup. I raised the drink to my mouth as he leaned forward on his elbows. His eyes never left mine as I finished my sip.
“My friend was working at Dunkin yesterday morning, so she gave me a free drink,” he explained. “I brought over food tonight because that’s what friends do , Lyla. They eat food and hang out and watch movies and have small talk to get to know each other.”
It was unusual for someone to make me feel like an asshole, but the tone of Deacon’s voice was so delicate it suddenly felt like a crime to accuse him of being anything but pleasant.
He helped himself to a breadstick. “I wanna know you, Lyla. I respect your relationship rules, but this whole thing will go much smoother if we actually become friends.”
I hadn’t been good at friends for a long time. Keeping people at a distance was easier—safer so no one could be disappointed.
I took a deep breath. “Full transparency?”
Deacon shot me a sexy smirk. “We don’t lie, Lyla Brooks.”
My shoulders relaxed, and I wasn’t sure if it was his voice or the wine. “I don’t have guy friends, and this whole ‘let’s hang out’ energy you’ve presented to me is just a little new.”
“No guy friends at all? You’ve never—sorry.” He shot me an innocent glance. “No asking about the past.”
“One relationship in high school. That’s all you get.” I plucked a breadstick from the open box and took a bite. There should be a warning label on Campus Pollyeyes breadsticks. They sucked you in and fed parts of your soul you didn’t know lacked happiness.
“I’ll take that. So one relationship and lots of . . . fun .”
I smiled at his choice of words. “I am a huge fan of fun. ”
We spent the next half hour talking about our hometowns and where we came from. Deacon was from Detroit, and his parents still lived in his childhood home. I learned that his younger brother, Drew, went to Penn State and was studying to be an engineer. Deacon was close with his family and hated how everyone looked at him when they found out he and Cassie broke up.
I chose to paint my past carefully when Deacon asked more about my mom and where I grew up. I was popular in high school. I played soccer, went to football games, and attended all of the school dances. I fell for the quarterback and spent weekends hanging out with our friends and going to parties. It was never a conversation whether I would attend college or not. My dad made it clear that I would graduate with a degree from a reputable university. It didn’t matter what my dreams were or what I wanted to do.
“Why Bowling Green?” Deacon asked.
“They offered me good scholarships and had a great soccer program. When I graduated, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play soccer in college. I visited the campus with my mom, and something about this place felt like home.”
Deacon poured more wine into his cup. “I hear you. I felt the same way when I came for my visit. My first choice was Ohio State. Their medical programs are amazing, but I wasn’t sure I wanted a big city feel.”
“What are your big plans for after graduation?”
“Pediatric surgeon,” he said proudly.
I pictured Deacon as a doctor and was pleasantly surprised with the fantasy. He’d fit right in with the cast of Grey’s Anatomy : a gorgeous male doctor with a knack for squeezing his way into your personal space. There would be seasons of storylines written about him .
“After I graduate, I plan on getting a job and working for a year before returning to school. I figured that would give me enough time to buy a house near Cassie’s family in Minnesota.”
I wiped the surprised look off my face. Even after this girl broke up with him over the phone, Deacon still considered moving closer to her family after graduation. I waited for him to say more, but the way he stared into his solo cup told me he was thinking about something. I decided to probe. What were friends for, right?
“You’ll be a hot addition to Minnesota, Dr. Scott. You and Cassie will be one of those couples painting their master bedroom her favorite color. It’s probably pink, isn’t it?” I winced at the scene unfolding in my head. “Like a basic bitch pink?”
Deacon chuckled. “I don’t know what basic bitch pink is, but I imagine her favorite color is blue or green.”
“Wait!” I lowered his cup onto the counter. “You imagine ? You’re going to move across the country for this girl, and you don’t even know her favorite color? What the fuck, Deac?”
He opened his mouth to speak but instead shot me a satisfied grin.
“Deac isn’t a pet name,” I argued. “It’s an abbreviation, and that’s different.”
“Whatever you say, baby.” He ignored my death glare from across the counter. “I guess her favorite color just never came up. But I know a lot of other things about her that most people don’t know. Do you remember everything about your first serious relationship?”
I blamed the third cup of wine for making me comfortable enough to generate an answer. “I thought I knew everything about my first and only boyfriend, and he still proved me wrong. So I guess I’ll let you pass with the color thing.”
I hopped off the bar stool and motioned for him to follow me into the living room. Even though I was missing a night out, I actually enjoyed Deacon’s company. He was easy to talk to, and every question he asked came from a place of genuine curiosity.
Deacon sat beside me on the couch and rested his feet on the coffee table. He moved to rest his body against mine until he realized what he was doing. He tried to pull away before I could notice, but boy, did I notice. I’d have to buy this man looser shirts if I was going to stop mentally undressing him every time the fabric pulled at his pecks.
I decided to test my flexibility. Not in the way I wanted to with the man sitting next to me, but sharing a couch cushion could be a nice first step. “It’s okay, you know. Couples sit together and watch movies, right?”
A nervous laugh escaped his sculpted chest. “I’m sorry. I would say it’s just a natural thing for me, but that sounds terrible. I would never want you to feel uncomfortable around me.”
I focused on the TV so I wouldn’t smile at his sweet gesture. “I’ll let you know if that ever happens.”
His full lips curved into a small smile. “Good.”
STOP STARING AT HIS MOUTH.
I motioned for him to lean against my side, and he shifted so his legs draped over the couch instead of the coffee table. We settled in, and I selected The Fast and The Furious from the movie options. Deacon was quiet for the first few minutes until I felt his hefty sigh against my side.
“There’s something you’re not saying,” I suggested playfully .
He took a deep breath and shifted so he could look at me.
“We don’t lie,” I reminded him.
His smile wavered, and he reached back to rest his hand on my knee. It was a delicate touch, but my skin was on fire.
“Not all guys are the same,” he said softly. “You said no asking about the past, and I respect that. But whatever happened”—he shook his head and ran his other hand through his hair—“I’ve only been fake dating you for four days, and I can already tell that you’re a pretty awesome person.”
I pulled back on my heartstrings and draped my arm across his chest. His skin felt warm through his shirt, keeping my perspective in check. I was mentally taking this shirt off only a few minutes ago. “You’re sweet. Are you sure there isn’t some dark trait you’re hiding that forced this girl to break up with you?”
He chuckled, and his entire body vibrated against mine. “Nah. I like to think I’m pretty normal.”
“Says every single guy,” I mumbled. “Relationships just seem so . . .”
He looked up again. “What?”
“They just seem like bullshit. Sorry, I know you’re looking to get back into one, but they are. You’re better off keeping things casual. It’s the easiest way not to lose yourself to someone else.”
The silence between us hung for a moment, and I wasn’t sure if that comment was too blunt for Deacon to handle. I couldn’t see why any girl looking for a relationship didn’t want to consider Deacon Scott, let alone lose him in the first place.
He sat up on his elbow. “That’s an easy way to protect yourself, but it’s also an easy way to end up alone. ”
I narrowed in on his innocent expression. “Watch the movie, sweetheart.”
Deacon’s laughter filled the room, and he collapsed back into me. Unlike most guys I met in Bowling Green, Deacon listened. He was intelligent, used punctuation correctly in his text messages, and made the room more comfortable just being in it.
Cassie was in for a wild fucking ride if she thought there were an array of options to choose from.