Chapter Thirteen
MATT
My stomach twists, and I slump into my seat, releasing a slow, shaky breath as my eyes drop to the table in front of me.
“So… the art girl. You know her, don’t you?” Jaci’s voice cuts through the quiet, and my head snaps up, meeting her gaze.
“What?”
Jaci smirks, sinking back into her seat with a cocked brow, her confidence radiating effortlessly. She’s stunning—so stunning it’s almost impossible not to feel drawn to her. But no matter how magnetic she is, she’s not the one for me.
“You know that girl. The one who left with the hot guy, right?” she asks, her tone teasing but pointed.
“I, uh… yeah,” I mumble, shifting uncomfortably. “We kind of… did this internet dating thing together.”
She smirks, sitting forward in her seat, and licks her lips. “Look at you opening up to me. You’re sad she hit it off with her date, and you didn’t?”
I furrow my brows. “What? No. We hit it off. This wasn’t a total disaster.”
“Wasn’t it?” she asks, tilting her head.
“Matt, I think you and I both know we’re leaving here alone and will probably never speak again.
You’ve ignored me the whole evening, too interested in someone else’s date, and you’ve told me I don’t meet your expectations.
I know I did the wrong thing, and it made you switch off, but if you had told me who you were from the start, it might have been different. I might have been better prepared.”
I huff. “And if I told you who I was, you would have believed me?”
She exhales, looking up at the ceiling as if to ponder that thought.
“I guess you have a point there. I’m so sorry this didn’t work out for us, and I am sorry I ruined the evening.
I really like you, though. But if there is any consolation in this, I’m sure if the roles were reversed and you met one of your idols, you’d have reacted the same way. ”
I exhale and retake her hand, giving it a slight squeeze. “I’m sorry, too… about everything. I should’ve been more present with you here tonight. You deserve better.”
“I did, but at least we know now before we get too attached. It was amazing to meet you, Matt. I can honestly say I’ll never forget this evening, even if it was one-sided.” She stands, and I stand, too, leaning in to embrace her. “Walk me to my car?”
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “I would, I really want to, but I can’t just walk through the restaurant. Being who I am, it’s not safe. The public, the fans, they could swarm us. It’s dangerous, not just for me but for everyone around me. We could get mobbed.”
“Of course…” She shakes her head and lets out a small giggle. “For a second, I forgot. Then I guess this is goodbye?”
I clasp both of her hands in mine. “It’s been a privilege, Jaci. You’ll make some lucky man very happy one day.”
She leans and kisses my cheek. “Think about what you want, Matt. I mean really think about it. You may already have the answer,” she says, pulling back and grabbing her purse from the table.
Furrowing my brows, I answer, “What does that mean?”
“You’ll figure it out when you’re ready. Thank you for an…” she tilts her head, “… interesting night. Don’t worry, I won’t go telling anyone who I met on my date. You have my word.”
Looking into her eyes, I know she’s telling the truth. I may not know Jaci that well, but I know sincerity when I see it. “Appreciate that. And you don’t have to be a stranger. I mean it, if you ever wanna come to a concert or anything, just let me know.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
I chuckle softly. “I don’t feel right letting you walk to your car alone. I’ll have Dwayne go with you.” Turning to Dwayne from security, I give him a quick nod, signaling him to come over. “Goodnight, Jaci,” I add, offering her a small smile before stepping back.
“Goodbye, Matt.” She embraces me again quickly, then turns, walking out of the room with Dwayne following her.
It’s funny, I thought I’d feel something. Sadness. Loss. Remorse. But nothing. Other than maybe slight relief.
Jaci exits, and I realize I’m left in the room with Scott from my security detail and figure…
Once again, I really am alone.
This is me.
This is my life.
And this is probably how it will be for the foreseeable future.
Matt, the loner.
The waiter walks in, looks around, and gives me a soft smile.
“I’ll pay the bill now. Thanks for tonight, and if you could thank the owner for making this room available for Alex and me, that would be great.”
He nods. “Of course, sir.”
I hand him my card without asking for the total, and he doesn’t offer. It doesn’t matter.
Thinking back over this disaster of a date, I wonder if it ever stood a chance.
What are Alex and Logan doing right now?
When they left, they were coupled up and appeared to be having a good time, even though it started with him arriving late.
And that’s when it happens.
It hits me that I’m jealous.
Not that she left with him, but that her date went well enough for her to leave with him. Especially considering she didn’t really want to do this dating thing in the first place. Hell, she only went along with it to appease me.
But I guess if Logan is the guy for Alex, who am I to stand in the way of her happiness?
Who am I kidding?
He’s not the guy for her.
I grunt, and the waiter looks at me, creasing his brows as he hands me my card. “Sorry, long night,” I say.
The waiter nods with a gentle tilt of his head while giving me my receipt. “Well, we don’t close for a few hours, and neither of you had dessert, so if you feel like something sweet, the room’s available until eleven.”
I chuckle. “Thanks, good to know.” I pat his shoulder and turn to watch Dwayne walking back in. With a tilt of my chin to my security detail, they walk toward me, and then we head to the back of the restaurant, walking out the back door and toward my car.
“Did you have a good night, sir?” Dwayne asks, and I scoff.
“I tried, I did. Just wasn’t meant to be, Dwayne,” I reply as we continue toward the car.
“Oh, well, better luck next time,” he states.
Suddenly, Scott halts in his tracks and puts his arm out, stopping me from walking.
I look up to see a figure leaning against the trunk of my car.
Scott tips his chin to Dwayne, who is instantly on alert.
My spine straightens, the tension putting me on edge.
It’s dark, so we can’t make out the figure completely, but Scott pulls me back against the wall, standing directly in front of me as Dwayne takes off toward the car at full force.
It all happens so quickly, their protection mode immediately kicking into gear.
I go rigid, wondering who would know I’m here and how they knew that was the car I arrived in. Unless someone overheard Jaci saying something on her way out, and now a fan has come to find me? But surely, she wouldn’t be that stupid, would she?
Dwayne rounds the car, his body at the ready as he approaches the dark figure.
He steps up to the person, and I take in a deep lungful of air, not realizing I was holding my breath.
All my muscles tense while I watch him, wondering who the fuck it is and what game they’re playing at.
I hate even more that it’s dark, and I can’t see anything other than an outline from where I am.
Sometimes being famous sucks. It’s times like these when you realize fans are not always your best friends.
Dwayne’s body relaxes while he looks back at us and shakes his head.
“It’s fine, false alarm,” he calls back to Scott, who releases me but stays by my side as we walk to the back of the car.
With each step, I try to calm my racing heart, wondering who the hell it is.
As we get closer, the moonlight reveals the figure of an obviously petite woman, and then I look at her hair, and the dim glow highlights a familiar aqua color.
“Alex?” I call out, and she smiles.
“Matt, where’s Jaci?”
“Where’s Logan?” I ask, confused.
She jumps off the trunk of the car and steps up to me. “Uh-uh, you first. You guys were such a good match. Why is she not on your arm right now?” she asks, poking me in the ribs.
“Once she saw me, realized who I was, I knew she only cared about the fame. It was over from then on. Sucks, but it is what it is. But that’s not the issue here. You walked out with his arm around your neck. You two were so cozy. I thought you were leaving together. Why are you here? At my car?”
“Oh, Matthew, you’re so bad at reading body language. Logan and me? Friends is all it will ever be. He’s a good egg and all, but eggs can sometimes turn rotten, you know what I mean?”
I cock my head and stifle a laugh. “So, you’re not into him?”
She bursts out laughing and shakes her head adamantly.
“Oh, God, no. He’s selfish, cocky, and arrogant.
Sure, he’s got a soft side, but the guy’s a complete fucking douche canoe.
I could never go out with him. He’d drive me to commit homicidal, bat shit, balls to the wall, psychotic murder.
We’re talking Hannibal-type shit here, Matt.
The guy would make me crazy. A couple of hours with him, and I already feel manic. ”
“Wow! That good, huh?” I ask, and she nods. I am a little confused because it really seemed like they were getting along so well. Maybe she’s right? Maybe I do read body language all wrong. “But you were laughing all night?”
“More like laughing at him than with him. Sure, he was laughing, too, but he knew we were only heading down a friend path. Once we figured that out, we relaxed and had a fun night.”
“So, both our nights were a bust then?”
“Yep, and I didn’t even get any freaking dessert,” she says.
I raise my brow and glance back at the restaurant, remembering the waiter’s words before I left. A thought springs to mind, and I say it before having time to rethink. “I didn’t have dessert with Jaci either. Wanna go back and have dessert together, so the night’s not a total bust?”