Chapter Chapter Five #2
Amy smiled when she saw me, and her body language changed slightly, in a good way.
Her back had been ramrod straight, but now her shoulders dropped a little, almost as if her body was finally relaxing.
I watched her closely as she walked toward me.
She was wearing high heels too—silver to match her earrings.
“Amy, you look stunning. Took me right back to college.” Back to when I realized I couldn’t date my gorgeous friend.
“Thanks!”
“Margarita is already waiting for you.” I handed her the glass, and she immediately slurped it down.
“No clinking?” I teased.
“Oops. I just... I’m a hot mess.” She didn’t offer any more explanations as she continued to slurp.
“Amy, slow down. Have you had anything to eat?”
She nodded. “Yep, I did. I had a huge hot dog before I ordered the Uber. Come to think of it, I should have eaten something before my date. Then maybe I would have had more patience with that idiot.” She pretended to think on it, then said, “Nah, I wouldn’t.”
“Want to tell me what happened? Did he hurt you in any way?”
“No. Unless you count his insults.”
I saw red. “What?”
“Yeah. Two minutes into our date, he was hinting that we should leave the restaurant and go to his place.”
She looked at me briefly before taking another sip. “By the way, thank you so much for this.” Amy pointed at the glass and then enjoyed another swallow before adding, “I started with my whole spiel, you know, about wanting a relationship and whatnot.”
I barely kept from wincing. She really went through with that?
“Amy...,” I said, almost scoldingly.
“Once I finished, he started laughing.”
That was cold. I didn’t reply. She looked noticeably upset that he had just dismissed her plans. What an asshole.
“From our initial conversations online, I assumed he was on the same page. I mean, why would he even want to meet if he wasn’t?”
I wanted to tell her the truth, but she blinked a few times, and her eyes became glassy. It was best to let her talk it through.
Her voice noticeably shook now. “Then he said that he obviously went along with that because it was what I wanted to hear, but that he just wanted a hookup. And that by the way I...” She paused for a second before adding in an even shakier voice, “By the way I dressed, I was just looking to get fucked.”
That did it. “Where does he live? I’m going to give him a piece of my mind—and my fist.” Who the hell spoke to someone like that?
“I don’t know where he lives. Oh, I should have just insulted him right back.”
“Why didn’t you?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t want to cause a scene. Figured it was best if I faked an emergency instead.”
“For the record, on those kinds of dates, it’s perfectly legit to just slap him and walk out.”
“Here’s to hoping I won’t have any more dates like that.” She finished her margarita and then put the glass down.
She didn’t say anything for a few seconds. I moved next to her and put my hand on her back, only to realize it didn’t meet fabric but her skin. I wanted to devour her, plain and simple. I couldn’t hide from my own thoughts and desires.
“I dress the way I like,” she said. Her voice was still shaking, but it was stronger than before. “I won’t listen to anyone call me out like that.”
“And you shouldn’t,” I said, bringing my mouth to her ear. “It’s your prerogative to dress sexy as fuck if that’s what you want.”
“Yeah, exactly. I’m not going to suddenly just change my style because...” Taking a deep breath, she added in a whisper, “You were right the other day.”
I cleared my throat, leaning back and dropping my hand. I needed some distance. I’d only had a few sips of my drink, and I decided on the spot not to order anything alcoholic after this one. The last thing I wanted was to have my senses muddled around Amy.
“That men will tell me exactly what I want to hear to get what they want. I just...” She laughed. “I just don’t get it. Why did he think it would work? I told him I’m looking for a relationship. Why would he think I’d sleep with him once we met?”
“Because he’s a guy. Trust me, we’re pretty simple creatures.”
“Please tell me you’ve never done anything like that jackass did.”
“No, I never pretend. I make my intentions clear from the very beginning. I don’t want to mislead anyone.” And that was the truth. I didn’t want to be with anyone who wasn’t on my wavelength.
“Our entire interaction was a lie from the beginning.” Her eyes were glassy. “He even hates reading!”
“Amy.” I wanted to console her but wasn’t sure how.
“I refuse to believe that all guys are like that.”
I didn’t say anything. My guess was that most guys weren’t big readers, at least not the ones I knew.
She glanced at me and pointed a finger. “You disagree.”
“How can you tell?” I asked.
“Intuition.”
I sighed. “Look, I’m not saying everyone is a jackass. This guy really does take the cake. But... I gave you my opinion on your approach.”
“You did.” She groaned. “Okay, I have to admit, part of me always thought it wouldn’t work out.
That if it were that simple, people wouldn’t be single half their lives.
Maybe I just need to find better dating sites.
I did see one that vows to find soulmates.
” She looked so hopeful. Personally, I didn’t think it was that easy.
“Probably the one Griffin wanted to invest in,” I said.
“Wait, what? Your brother Griffin?”
“Do we know another one?” I teased.
“No, I’m just... surprised. Griffin always seemed like you. Though, to be fair, all of your brothers did.”
“I know, right? And then they all go and get hitched. I don’t know what’s gotten into them.”
Amy started to laugh. It was the first time tonight, and it was music to my ears.
“So, does that platform work?”
“Last time he looked into it, it boasted serious results.”
“I’ll check it out, then. Maybe I’ll have better chances.”
“Don’t,” I said.
She blinked. “Why?”
Why indeed? It was a good question.
“I don’t want to see you go through this again.”
“But you just said that the platform does deliver on its promise—soulmates.”
I swallowed hard. What the hell was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I just be her partner in crime as usual? Help her find Mr. Right?
“Let’s talk about something else,” I suggested.
“Oh, brilliant idea.” She glanced at the bar. “I want another drink, but the line is so long.”
“You can have mine.”
She raised a brow. “You’re not going to finish it?”
“No. I’m here with my car, and after just feeling better, I don’t want to press my luck.”
That was an excellent excuse. That way, I would only have nonalcoholic drinks the rest of the evening and could keep my wits sharp.
“How’s it going with your other project, the sponsorship?” I asked.
“I haven’t made much headway since we spoke two days ago.” She winked and finished off my drink too. For some odd reason, I couldn’t stop watching her mouth. Those lips were fucking perfection.
“But who knows?” she continued. “Maybe I should pause my search for my soulmate and focus on that instead.”
“You should do that,” I encouraged her.
Amy didn’t challenge me. She put the glass down and licked her lips.
“Do I have something around my mouth?” she asked.
“No, why?”
“You keep staring at my lips.”