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She swallowed hard at my words. “Oh.”
“I know you don’t feel the same. I know that I hurt you too bad to ever have your trust…”
“You don’t know that.”
It was my turn to blink in surprise. I’d been beating myself up for everything that had happened in the past. Reminding myself that if she said no, I deserved it. I’d left her. I’d fucked it up. And now, she was giving me…hope.
“Could you trust me again?”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’d like to try before you decide for me.”
I laughed at that. Why did I keep assuming things for her? Why did I think that she would only see the worst of me? Because she always had, and I deserved it. Still, if she was willing, then I would take all I could get.
“Saturday?”
She nodded. “It’s a date.”
20
Blaire
I had agreed to a date with Campbell Abbey.
I had agreed to a date with Campbell Abbey.
My insides quivered at the thought as I got dressed Saturday night. Piper sat on my bed, and Eve hung out in the doorway. She was still acting like she expected us to tell her to leave.
“It’s going to be fine,” Piper said.
Eve tilted her head. “Might I suggest something sluttier?”
I snorted as I stared down at myself. I’d picked a form-fitting knee-length black dress and strappy nude heels. It was a date, but it was still just Campbell. I honestly had no idea what to wear.
“I second that suggestion,” Piper said.
“What do you have in mind?”
Eve raised an eyebrow and disappeared. A few minutes later, she had a black leather skirt in hand and a dark green crop top. “I don’t know your shoe size, but I have these black leather platforms that would make your ass look awesome.”
I glanced at Piper. “What do you think?”
“I think Campbell would fall all over himself to get to you, no matter what you’re wearing.”
“Hmm,” Eve said. “How did I get the drummer?”
We all laughed at that.
“Anyway, so you and Campbell, you dated before?”
I nodded. “Yeah, in high school before he left for LA.”
“So, he’s already seen you naked.”
“Well, yes, but not in eight years.” I wasn’t as fit as I’d been in high school, but I ate better, so I usually called it a win. I taught girls all over the world not to judge their bodies. But then here I was, about to go on a date, worrying about my figure. Fuck, cultural stereotypes about body image were so insidious. “It doesn’t matter.”
“You’re hot as hell,” Eve said. “So, you’re right; it doesn’t matter. He’s going to want to fuck you either way, right?”
“You sure get right to the point.”
Eve frowned at that. “I didn’t mean…”
“I appreciate it,” Piper said. “I like a girl who says what’s on her mind.”
“Me too. It’s just complicated. It’s not about sex. The sex is the easy part, right?”
Eve and Piper both nodded emphatically. None of us had problems with that at all. It was the getting intimate part, the forgetting the past part, the knowing where the hell this is going part. Would it be easier if we just had a fuck buddy situation for a few weeks until he left? Would my heart ever survive it?
Just then, the doorbell rang.
“Guess you’re wearing that,” Eve said with a wink.
“Guess I am,” I said with a laugh.
“Have so much fun,” Piper said, standing and pulling me into a hug.
I grabbed my purse, stuffed my phone inside, and went to answer the door. When I opened the door, all cognitive thought fled my mind. Campbell Abbey was standing before me in a black suit with a crisp white shirt underneath. I had seen him dressed like this in glossy magazine photos or on TV at award ceremonies. It was hard to avoid since my friends were obsessed with his music and, well, I enjoyed the Grammys…of which, he had a few. Hello, Song of the Year for “I See the Real You.”
But I’d never seen him dressed like this in person.
Unless you counted Peyton and Isaac’s wedding earlier this year, but I’d purposely not looked at him then. I hadn’t wanted to see how good he looked.
And honestly, even prom night, he hadn’t dressed like this.
I could remember that moment so clearly. As if it were yesterday. Neither of us had wanted to go to prom. I didn’t have friends at school to hang out with exactly, and Jill had made overt overtures to get Campbell to ask her to go. When he declined, she took one of his friends in a huff. Campbell hadn’t wanted to deal with any of that.
My mom, however, thought it was a rite of passage. She’d bought me the dress and given me the money to purchase tickets. When I’d told Campbell, he’d laughed and said we might as well put on the show.
