Chapter 19 Ella
ELLA
Dinner is a collection of sounds. Clinking silverware, sips from glasses, quiet chewing.
Neither of us knows what the hell to say or how to break the Titanic-sinking sized iceberg between us.
I feel like I’m a preteen at a junior high dance—no idea what the hell I’m supposed to be doing, all the while managing to be the most shy, awkward version of myself.
Fun times.
The sad thing is, Emily said something that was completely spot on, earlier.
Asher and I did seem to have a natural chemistry between us this week.
I certainly had plenty of times where I felt drawn to him, instinctively, and I could have sworn he felt the same way.
But since that spark was shoved under the sharp microscope eyes of Matthew, Emily, and Rhonda, it’s evaporated.
It’s like the pressure of having to show our chemistry has made it disappear, altogether. And I’m not sure how to get it back.
The feeling of being an out of place preteen takes root, but it gets me thinking, and I come up with an idea.
“We have to do something besides eat in silence,” I say, pushing the food around on my plate. “This might sound absurd, but what if we tried to make tonight fun instead of full of pressure?”
He lifts a dark brow. “How so?”
“Well, I was just thinking back to when I was a teenager and went to parties or dances where the atmosphere was cold and strained like this, that we would play stupid games to get things moving along. What if we played a game?”
Asher swallows, thinking. “What kind of game?”
“I don’t know. Dumb high school games, like spin the bottle or truth or dare.”
“Spin the bottle is kind of pointless with only two people.”
“Okay, maybe not spin the bottle. But we could play truth or dare. Which also makes me think that we know almost nothing about each other. What if someone asks us questions about each other tomorrow night? We should at least know the basics, like favorite food, hobbies, stuff like that. We could also answer speed dating questions.”
He seems to mull over my words for a moment. “So, you want to play truth or dare, and you want to answer speed dating questions.”
“Yes. Unless you think Matthew’s right, and we should just jump into the sack to try to solve our lack of chemistry?”
He snorts. “Fine. Let’s do it.”
Twenty minutes later, I have speed dating questions pulled up on my phone and we’re both in our pajamas, sitting on his bed.
I kind of want to slap myself for not purchasing any pajamas at my shopping appointment this morning since I’m wearing an old black t-shirt with a hole in the bottom and purple sweatpants that have also seen better days.
At least the t-shirt is fitted so I don’t look like a total slob.
But I still feel like it, because Asher is wearing gray sweatpants that make him look like a god, and a tight white t-shirt that does little to hide the masterpiece of what’s beneath.
“Look at us. It really is like teenage sleepover time,” I joke. “We should paint our nails next.”
Asher rolls his eyes. “I’ll go first since that was a terrible joke.”
I narrow my eyes. “That was a perfectly adequate joke.”
“We’re not here for perfectly adequate, are we Ms. Hale? We always strive for excellence at Langford Holdings.”
“Well then, Mr. Langford, proceed. I shall endeavor to meet your standards of excellence.”
He smirks at me. “We’ll see. First question: What was the last book you read?”
Oh, shit. I blush and hide my face in a pillow.
Asher snatches the pillow away and tosses it down on the bed, his brow quirked at my crazy reaction.
“Do I need to repeat the question?” he asks when I stay silent.
I squirm. “No. It was, um, a romance.”
Asher’s eyes flash with intrigue when I peek up at him. “That’s a vague answer. What was the title?”
When I don’t answer quickly, he continues to pester me. “We must be honest, Ella,” he says with a devious smile.
I groan. “Fine.” I tell him the title of a romance novel that has grown enough in popularity that he might have heard of it.
It’s also become a bit infamous because of the smut content.
It’s a great book, but so many people only titter on about the sex in it because they haven’t read it and don’t care to learn about the overarching story.
His devious smile grows. He’s clearly heard of it. “Was it a good book?”
“The best.”
“Lots of good content? And plot?”
Finding my nerve, I sit up straight, deciding to hold my ground and not be embarrassed for reading a good book.
“Actually, yes. It did have an amazing plot. And yes, it also had lots of other content—a veritable buffet of perfect smut. Just how I like my books.”
“Any scenes you enjoyed in particular?”
Now I smile deviously. “Several. I don’t watch porn, but I do read it because I’m a fucking lady.”
Asher roars with laughter. “You’re right. This game is fun.”
“Your turn to answer. What’s the last book you read?”
“I don’t even know. I rarely have time to read. Probably a memoir or self-help book.”
“That’s boring and not nearly as good as my answer.”
“Agreed.” He picks up his phone and types for a moment.
“Boring you already, am I?”
“Nope. Just finishing something up . . . now.” He clicks something on his phone and then sets it down. Then he steals my phone out of my hands and looks down to read the screen. “Next question: Do you prefer indoors or outdoors?”
“Indoors. However, I do like to hike and spend time outdoors. But camping would be too much for me. A hike and then a hotel would be more my speed. But I already know your answer is probably about the same thanks to Matthew’s email detailing a list of your likes and dislikes.”
“He sent an email with my likes and dislikes?”
“Monday night. I still can’t get over the fact that you don’t like amusement parks.”
He clucks his tongue. “I don’t dislike them on principle, I dislike it when they’re overly crowded. Which they usually are. And the ride lines always smell musty.”
“Still. That feels like an abomination to me.”
He rolls his eyes. “Moving on. Third question: What’s your guilty pleasure? Besides dirty books, that is.” He winks.
I swat at his hand. “Hmm.” I think for a minute. “Probably takeout and a good movie in my pajamas.”
“That’s it? Not very guilty as far as pleasures go.”
“Yeah, pretty simple. Maybe also coffee. I love coffee too much. What’s yours?”
“Probably my houses. I have a house in all of my favorite cities. They mostly all sit vacant since it’s not like I can visit each of them all the time. But I like having a place to call my own in my favorite places in the world.”
“Yeah, not the same answers for us this time. Where are your houses?”
“Saint-Tropez, Tuscany, Malibu, Aspen, and Montreal.”
“Oh, so just a couple, then.”
He smirks. “Just a couple. Next question: what’s your favorite way to celebrate your birthday? When is your birthday, by the way?”
“It’s July eighteenth. And . . . I don’t know. A dinner with friends and family, I guess. Maybe a little get together if people could make it.”
“If people could make it? Good god, you even try to people please on your birthday. No big, lavish party? No big vacation plans?”
I laugh, rolling my eyes. “Living in New York leaves very few pennies to my name once I pay all my bills. Lavish parties or vacations aren’t in my budget.”
“They are now.”
I tap my chin thoughtfully. “I guess they are, aren’t they? But still, spending time with my closest people would still be my preference. And you?”
“Same, actually. I’ve had enough large, lavish parties thrown in my honor that they’ve sort of lost their luster. I don’t mind them once in a while, but not all the time. However, after spending some time with family and friends, I would gift myself a good vacation.”
“And where would you go?”
“To one of my houses. Or somewhere new. Whatever I was feeling at that moment. What about you, if you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?”
“Scotland. But also anywhere, really. I’ve mostly just traveled across the US. I’ve been to Canada for dance retreats a few times, and I went on a trip to Spain, Portugal, and Italy with Zahra. But mostly my world travel is pretty low.”
“Looks like we’re going to have to change that, Ms. Hale.”
“I look forward to it, Mr. Langford.”
“I think it’s time to move on to the truth or dare section of the evening,” he says, leaning down onto his side. “But seeing as we have already shared plenty of truths, we should skip straight ahead to the dares.”
“You sound eager, Mr. Langford. Did you have a particular dare in mind?”
“I wouldn’t mind a live reading of your recently read book.”
“I don’t have the book with me.”
“Oh, don’t worry, it’s already downloaded onto my phone.” His devious smile is back in place.
“What?”
“That’s what I was doing a minute ago. You gave the book such a rave review, how could I resist getting my own copy?”
“You did not.”
“I most certainly did. Now, back to the game. I will search some key words, and we’ll see where the book takes us. Shall we?”
He types something into his phone as I hold my breath.
His eyes light up, and he grins like a madman. “Yes. There are seventy-two entries for ‘cock.’ So, those are some good options.” He types again. Then he bursts out laughing. “There are sixty-nine entries for ‘pussy!’ What are the odds? I think we’ll start there.”
Oh, god. I’m mortified and laughing so hard that I fall over on the bed. “You haven’t dared me,” I say through my laughter, trying to sit up.
“You are right. We must follow proper truth or dare protocol. Ella Hale, I solemnly, double dog dare you to read page one hundred eighty-two of this book, out loud, right now.”
He holds out the phone, and I take it, slapping my palm to my forehead and running it down my face. How the hell am I going to get through reading this out loud?