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“You believe in fate?”
“Yeah. I do, actually.”
“Like in those Final Destination movies?” I joked with a grin.
He laughed. “Man, I used to love those when I was a kid! Are they still making them? I mean, they must be up to like Final Destination 12 or 13 now if they are!”
I chuckled. “I think they stopped on number five or six.”
“Oh, you don't know how much Hollywood loves horror sequels. They'll milk it until it literally can’t be milked for another drop.”
“I think they may have reached that point in number five. It was awful,” I replied.
“Nope. It can always get lower. Always. I mean, didn't you see that South Park episode where James Cameron took a submarine into the deepest trench in the ocean to find out how far the bar has been lowered?”
A grin broke out over my face. “I did not. I don't watch South Park. It's so crude, come on. Do you really think that sort of stuff is funny?”
Emerson shot me a mischievous grin. “It's hilarious, Brooke! C'mon, you shouldn't just write it off like that without giving it a chance. It's actually pretty awesome social commentary.”
I couldn’t believe he’d just said, “social commentary.” I wasn't expecting that from a guy like Emerson. A guy who admitted to doing awful in school the previous semester. A guy who rode a motorcycle, partied, and spent more time in the gym than one guy probably should. I didn’t expect it, but I had to say it was stimulating to hear it. The more he showed me this side of him, the more attracted to him I found myself.
“Social commentary, huh? Alright, alright, maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge. Maybe I should give it a chance.”
“I've got every season on my hard drive. I'll lend 'em to you.”
“You're that big of a fan, are you?” I gasped with mock surprise.
“Yes, I am! How did we get onto this topic again, anyway?”
“Uh, fate. We were talking about fate. Then Final Destination, and then…”
“Oh, right. Yeah, got it. Well, like I was saying, I do believe in fate. Destiny. If something is meant to happen, it happens.”
I wanted to ask, “So you believe if two people are supposed to meet, they will?” But I didn't. I didn't want to be too suggestive of anything at the moment, and I suddenly realized I had been letting my defenses down with Emerson, something I had explicitly set out to not do. Things were starting to get a little dangerous and I began to question my decision to come out to eat with him. I rarely made impulsive decisions, so what had prompted me to agree to dinner?
I needed to back off a little, to cool things down because they definitely seemed to be heating up. Of course, I could not back out of dinner. We were already at the restaurant, and it would have been a bitchy thing to make up an excuse and ask that he take me home. So, for the rest of the evening, I'd just have to keep my guard up and make a conscious effort to keep some distance between us. I couldn’t keep letting myself get drawn too deeply into conversation with him. I couldn’t let myself fall for his charm—charm that he certainly had. I couldn’t allow that suggestive glimmer in his eyes or the curve of his heart-stopping smile get to me. Whatever attraction I was feeling to him, it seemed pretty certain he was feeling for me.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so at ease chatting with a guy. It felt like forever, to be honest. Granted, I’d had some good chats with Garrett from class, but nothing that felt quite as comfortable and easy as how Emerson and I had suddenly been chatting. It was just natural, and that’s what had me concerned. I had to wonder what exactly was happening.
Everything that I had hoped wouldn't happen, that’s what.
I made a conscious attempt to reel things back in. “Well, enough talk about what we don’t have any control over. I’m hungry, and we do have control over that,” I offered with a forced smile. “Besides, I've actually got a lot of work to do, so let's quit standing around and go inside and get some food.”
“Alright,” he agreed. “I've got a lot to get done, too, so, let's go.”
Chapter Fourteen
Emerson
It was almost like I’d flipped channels with a remote control. One minute, the conversation was easy and fun and we seemed to be hitting it off. The next, I saw something wash over her beautiful face, and just like that, the mask returned, the armor was back on, and the walls were erect.
But for a few moments, I got to see something more. The real Brooke. The girl hiding inside that suit of armor. And I have to say, I liked her. I liked her a lot. Which might have been the problem.
I think she sensed that. And not only did she sense it, but she felt it, too. That’s why she put the walls back up so abruptly. There was no doubt about it, Brooke was afraid of letting someone in. I don’t know who the asshole was, but someone had done a number on her in the past. She’d apparently been hurt pretty bad and her number one concern had become protecting herself. I had to give her credit, she was doing a bang-up job of that.
I wasn't sure what to do next or even what to say. The reality of it all was this: I was attracted to Brooke. Really attracted to her. In a way, I hadn't felt before. She was incredibly different from every other girl I knew, especially Melissa. Somehow, I think she knew how I was feeling and wasn’t ready for it. Maybe all she saw when she looked at me was this guy she could really connect with, who also wanted to truly connect with her. And that only made her want to reinforce those walls around her heart with even more steel and concrete.
So, as I walked into Patak's behind her, I tried to decide how the next hour might play out.
