“Are you sure? You made it very clear that he was-”
I cut him off, not wanting to go into that debate as I remember the whole ‘so young and in love’ conversation. “So, you’re telling me that the guy was outside Julia’s — most likely smuggling the drugs – was not the same guy owning the restaurant?”
Gio nods rapidly. “Sì amore mio.”
“So, my judgement was off?” I ask again, just to make sure. Gio adjusts in his seat, glancing out the window before looking at me. He holds my stare, swallowing. I stare back at him, waiting for him to prove me wrong. To tell me the truth. Whatever that is.
“It happens to the best of us,” he says finally.
But not to me, I think to myself.Not to me.
* * *
I try to keep my cool on the date with Max. It feels like ‘trying’ is the only thing I’ve been doing recently. I try to have a fun time. I try to focus on the ridiculously attractive man in front of me who gave me countless orgasms after our last date. I try to enjoy the food at the Michelin star restaurant that only exclusive members are allowed to go into. I try to focus on the heavy hand that’s holding mine under the table. I really do.
We booked a seat in the back of the restaurant in a secluded corner with dim lighting. He looks extra good today, his hair is neatly combed back, freshly shaven and unlike Evan, his tie is actually tied.
God, I must really be out of it if I’m comparing my date to Evan as if he’s the standard. Not only am I invaded by thoughts of Evan, but Gio too. I can't stop thinking about the noises coming from whatever the hell he was doing. I just wish I could focus on him. He deserves it.
We’ve been engaging in basic small talk for the last hour over our steak and fries. When the meal is done and we’re chatting over an empty table, I slide my card onto the table as the waiter comes to collect it. I return my attention to Max, smiling as he talks about his little sisters.
“How many siblings do you have again?” he asks me.
“Four older brothers.”
“Brutal,” he says, wincing. “What do they think about us? I’m not in for a major beating, am I?”
“I haven’t told them,” I say simply. Max is the only guy other than Jake that I can even consider as someone I’m ‘dating.’
Telling my brothers would only cause more drama. Plus, my mom would be all over it. It’s not that I want to prove her wrong by not being in a relationship. It’s the way she views relationships that annoys me. Like she can’t fathom the idea of two people coexisting without having to desperately rely on each other and need the other to complete them. I want to be in a relationship with someone that sees me as an equal. Not someone that they see as a threat to their manhood or someone who thinks they can use me and belittles me.
“Why not? I told my sisters about us,” he says flippantly.
“Your sisters are five and seven, it’s not the same thing,” I say, trying to laugh. He just stares at me. “It’s just complicated.”
He nods and continues talking about London. I’ve been five times, but he doesn’t seem to care as he mansplains how the underground system works. When I’ve been zoning in and out, I don’t realise that he’s switched topics.
“You know…” he begins. “Your last name sort of sounds like that clothing brand all the girls at Drayton are obsessed with.”
Oh, shit. My card was on the table for everyone to see. When the waiter returns with it, I swipe it off the table, slipping it back into my purse. I’ve been so out of it today I forgot my one rule. My one stupid and pathetic rule I should have been protecting tonight.
I do what I’ve been taught to do: deny.
“Yeah? Sounds like it doesn’t it,” I say, laughing quietly. He quirks an eyebrow, shaking his head. For a second I think he’s going to drop it, but he doesn’t.
“Do you like their clothes?” he asks, sipping on the sparkling water he ordered, that I stupidly paid for. I was too tired to put up with the fight of splitting it. I nod at him, not wanting to let this go any further. I’m tired as it is, and I want this date to end. Then we can try again when I’m not feeling like a sack of potatoes. “I heard there’s a sale on at the pop up at the mall. Maybe we could go, and I'd get you something you like.”
I shake my head at him, almost laughing. “Babe, I don’t need you to buy me clothes.”
He smiles at me, dimples popping out as if this is a new thing for him. As if he gets off buying things for other people. “They’re really expensive. It's just a nice gesture. To say thank you, you know…for….”
I tilt my head. “For what? The sex?” He nods eagerly. God, he’s got this puppy-like persona about him. It’s honestly adorable. “I’m good.”
“I'm just trying to be nice, Scarlett,” he concedes, leaning back in his chair as he crosses his arms across his chest.
“I know and I appreciate that, but I don't need you buying clothes for me. Especially not from somewhere where I can get clothes for free,” I say, putting an end to it. Maybe if I tell him the truth, he’ll still like me. He’s been a great guy to hang out with. Maybe he’s not like everybody else.
“Oh. Do you have a friend that works for the company or something?” he asks curiously.
