Chapter Thirteen #2
Alex smiles so brightly it makes my stomach flip.
She nods, and I turn, walking with Alex and our security detail back inside the restaurant.
As we head into the beautifully made-up room, I wonder what Alex is thinking.
Is she thinking about Logan? Or is he not even entering her mind at all at this point?
Uncertain where to sit, I guide Alex back to her original table. She slips into her seat, and I settle into Logan’s chair just as the waiter reappears, his face brightening when he spots us. “Dessert menu? Coffee?” he offers with an eager smile.
“Both, please,” Alex replies, and he walks off to his podium to grab the menus.
“You gonna talk to Logan again?” I ask as the waiter places the menus in front of us.
“I’ll probably keep in contact, but it will be a friends-only thing.
Nothing romantic. I’ll probably go to him to get a tattoo, though.
He’s really talented in that department.
But enough about me. Tonight was about you.
She leaned in and kissed you, I saw it. To be honest, when that happened, I was like, well, Matt doesn’t need me to be here anymore.
I can leave him to be with Jaci on his own, and he can enjoy his night without worrying about me. ”
“And you think I read body language all wrong?” I let out a bemused laugh. “No, she was kissing me because I was telling her it wasn’t going to work, but I’d give her concert tickets if she wanted to come.”
She explodes, laughing, and then quickly covers her mouth. “No way! You were holding hands and everything.”
I scoff. “So were you and douche canoe.”
“Yeah, only because he told me his brother died.”
I shrug. “We were holding hands ’cause we were, in a way, breaking up. Not that we were together, but you know what I mean,” I defend.
“Wow! We totally misread each other’s dates, didn’t we?
” She giggles, glancing at me with those big doe eyes that seem to draw me in.
Her lashes curl delicately, framed by dark eyeliner that accentuates their depth.
The chandelier’s soft light reflects in the whites of her eyes, making them glisten, and it strikes me how something as simple as her gaze can be so breathtaking.
As I sit here, captivated by the sparkle and intensity in her eyes, a shiver runs down my spine.
I draw in a deep breath, trying to steady myself.
“Are we ready to order dessert?” the waiter asks from beside me. I hadn’t even realized he was here until he spoke, breaking me from staring at Alex. She quickly averts her eyes from mine, and the connection is lost as we both look down at the menu.
I’m not sure what that was.
It was weird.
Clearly, I’ve had too much champagne.
“I need chocolate… lots of chocolate,” Alex says, making me and the waiter chuckle.
“Well, I recommend the chocolate surprise, but it’s big enough for two.”
“I am a garbage guts and could probably eat the whole thing, but what d’ya say, Matty Moo? Wanna share some sort of chocolatey surprise?”
Chuckling, I nod and close my menu. “Sure, sounds great. And an Americano, no sugar.”
“God, your coffee order is so lame, I’ll have a hot white mocha, three sugars and extra foam, please,” Alex orders, and I chuckle at how even her coffee is chaos incarnate, then hand the waiter my menu before he walks away.
“So, disaster dates are done and dusted. Dessert on the way. Tonight’s looking up for the internet dating losers,” Alex says, and I let out a chuckle.
“Nice alliterations there, Alex.”
“Why, thank you!”
“So, honestly, are you okay? Not too upset that it didn’t go well?” I ask, and she shrugs.
“I’m okay, I suppose. I’m more bummed for you. I know you wanted Jaci to be the ‘right girl. ’ ” She uses air quotes. “Your perfect ten and all that. I hope you can find her. You deserve to be happy, Matt.”
I furrow my brows. “You do, too.”
She shrugs. “Meh! Think I’ll go back to my humble apartment and keep to my simple life. I’m happy there.”
“You’re not giving up, are you? Not after one setback? No, Alex, we have to get back on the horse. We have to try this again at least one more time.”
She screws up her face and snorts. “Seriously? I think one douche canoe is about all I can bear. Aren’t they all going to be like Logan?”
“Well, I’m on the app, and I’m not like Logan, am I?”
Alex purses her lips. “Well, I suppose not. But you don’t tell the truth either. So I guess I have to expect a different kind of guy when I meet them on the internet.”
Sighing, I nod. She’s right. I know there is a lie in my profile, but I have to. I can’t come right out and advertise who I am.
I guess Logan and I aren’t that dissimilar after all.
Fuck. I’m a douche canoe, too!
“Anyway, I guess what I’m saying is don’t give up just yet. Mister Right is out there for you, Alex. Maybe going for the guy with tattoos and bad-boy looks isn’t the right type for you. Has that worked in the past?”
She lets out a stifled laugh. “Nope, definitely not.”
“Then change it up. Go for a guy that you wouldn’t normally go for, maybe?”
Alex nods. “Okay, fine. But if I’m doing this once more, you are, too,” she demands.
“We’ll do it together again, okay?”
“Deal, but on one condition…”
“Okay, name it.”
“In a couple of days, the women’s shelter I stayed at is having this nighttime fundraiser thing, and I think it would be really cool if they had a big name come along.
Ria was going to attend, but she’s too, um…
yeah, anyway, she can’t go. So maybe you could go in lieu?
I know I’m asking a lot, but…” she trails off.
Swallowing hard, I want to ask why Zaria can’t go.
I want to think it’s because she is too messed up over my brother.
That perhaps they can work it out and get their act together, but it’s what she didn’t say that sounded different, like maybe there’s more to the story.
I hope it’s not because she’s already moved on.
Goddammit! Nate will be devastated.
“Matt?” Alex asks, making me realize I was lost in my thoughts and hadn’t actually answered her.
“Sorry. Yes. Of course. That sounds like fun, actually. What would I need to do? Anything official?”
“Nope, just come and hang out with me. Participate in the activities and talk to the women. That’s it. There might be some reporters, so you might need to tell Tillie you’re doing it.”
“Sure, I’ll fill her in. Tillie and Oliver will be cool. Any publicity for the band is good. Thanks for this, Alex. Thanks for thinking of me. Why didn’t you ask Nate?”
She winces. “A lot of the women there know Ria, and they’ll probably be talking about her. Didn’t want to upset him, you know?”
“You’re good to him. Thanks. I do appreciate it.”
She snorts. “Ah, well, someone’s gotta be nice to the moody bastard. He doesn’t always make it easy, but he’s a good man, just a tad broken right now. We can try to fix him, but he needs to want help in order to receive it and all that jazz.”
“Yeah, he’s gotta try to calm himself down. Remember to be… cool, calm, collected.”
She giggles. “You remind me of someone I know.”
“Think Jaci and Logan are just as bummed as we are?” I ask.
Alex exhales, lips pursed. “Probably, yeah. But they’re solid people, they’ll bounce back. Honestly, we’re just too fucking awesome. That’s the real problem.”
She giggles, and I grin. “No one out there can handle the combined force of this much awesome.” I gesture between us like it’s obvious.
She throws her head back laughing. “Exactly! See? You get me. Logan would’ve looked at me like I was insane for saying that.” She groans. “God, I just hope the next guy isn’t a walking red flag.”
“You need someone completely different,” I tell her. “Like… nerdy. Gentle. The anti-bad-boy. Someone who’s gonna actually treat you right.”
She tilts her head, one brow raised. “Yeah. Maybe it’s time to get out of my comfort zone.”
I smirk. “Let me pick him.”
She immediately shakes her head. “Absolutely not! You’d pick some unhinged weirdo just to watch me spiral for fun.”
I snort, raising my brows at her. “Wow! So much trust.”
“Oh, I trust you… to be chaotic evil.” She grins.
I jerk my head back with a snort. “Did you just call me evil?”
She smirks, shrugging her shoulders. “If the shoe fits, babe.”
I grin, fighting back a full beaming smile. “Wow. Disrespectful… yet, accurate.”
She nods. “Yeah, wear that badge with pride, Matt. But seriously, you’re not picking my next Lovepessimist match. I’ll let you help scroll, though. That’s your limit.”
“Deal,” I chime. “And you can help me too. I wanna find someone in time to bring to Danger and Lunar’s wedding in three months.”
Her eyes light up with evident excitement. “Ooh, I love weddings!”
“Well, you never know. I might be able to wrangle you an invite.”
She chuckles. “Pretty sure I should meet them first before crashing their big day. I’d be like… ‘Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here’s my number, now wedding maybe?’”
I can’t help but grin. “You crack me up. And that, making a musical pun mid-sentence, is exactly why we’ll always be friends.”
She reaches out and grabs my hand, and unlike when Jaci touched me, the warmth of Alex’s skin spreads through me, soothing and electric at the same time. It’s strange how something so simple feels like safety—like home. My heart stumbles over itself, and for a moment, I forget to breathe.
“Hey, we’ll always be friends, no matter what. Even if there was no music left on earth, Matt.”
“Friends for life!”
She grins wide. “Yeah, boi,” she exclaims, trying to sound gangster as she purses her lips and throws up the rock-and-roll symbol.
I smirk as she starts headbanging dramatically, her hair flying, her expression pure mischief. I can’t help but laugh. This chick. She knows how to steal the spotlight. She knows how to steal… me.