AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh, that’s not why I asked. I thought you could use an ear. We both have overbearing parents.”
“Addison, don’t make light of his comment. You deserve someone who will stand up for you. Never take less from a man, honey. Or anyone for that matter. After that, I told him to fuck the dance contest, and if he wanted us to participate in any future event, he’d ask respectfully.”
“No wonder you were in the library with a drink.”
“Yeah, but you finding me was the best thing about that night.”
“I agree,” I said, dragging my bottom lip between my teeth to avoid smiling too hard.
“So, how many guys have you dated?” he asked, standing up and opening the sliding glass door.
“Oh, now you’re going for the kill?” His brow scrunched into a firm line, and he tilted his head before sinking onto a black leather recliner.
“Okay then. How many boyfriends have you had?”
“Oh, um… Two, I guess—one back in college and the other maybe a year ago. But honestly, the one a year ago was casual, and he hated labels more than I did. So sticking with one would be more accurate.”
“Just one? Why?”
“Like I said when we started this fake relationship thing, I’m not good at them. Plus, I’ve never found anyone who’s held my interest past a couple of dates. I know that makes me sound like a martyr or scared of commitment, but I don’t like wasting time—anyone’s time. I’m not going to force myself into a box of what other people want or think I should do with my life.”
I shrugged my shoulders and waited for the judgment I knew was coming. I wasn’t expecting the casual indifference rolling off of him in waves as he stared at me through the screen. Not that I had ever cared what other people thought of me and my lifestyle, but his reaction was the polar opposite of what I’d expected.
Hell, even my mother couldn’t hide the giddiness in her eyes when I mentioned the word boyfriend, and I was sure it had to do with the possibility of her retirement without the one thing that would make it worthwhile—grandchildren.
“I respect the fuck out of you for not beating around the bush regarding relationships. It’s better to be upfront than pretending you’re all in when you know it’s not going anywhere. You should hold out for the right person. I know I am.”
For some bizarre reason, the lack of judgment in those storm-cloud gray eyes had me giving him more insight into my life than I should have.
“There’s no right person for me. I don’t believe in soulmates, true love, or fairy tale endings, but I don’t envy people who do. My three closest friends all have their happily ever afters, and I couldn’t be happier to share their joy. But I’m also pragmatic, knowing it doesn’t happen for everyone. They have love because they work at it, and they choose the same person again and again. It’s not destiny or some grand plan—it’s a conscious choice. If anything, this debacle has shown me what a selfish a-hole I was. So thank goodness I wasn’t stringing some poor guy along for the ride.”
“Huh. I’ve never looked at it like that. It was always another obligation, another thing to check off my never-ending to-do list. But then you came barreling into my life with your candy-smelling lips and no fucks attitude, making me question so many things. Now, all I want to know is how many more days until our date Friday?”
“Too many,” I said, biting my lip and feeling a pull deep in my belly with his sweet words.
“Sure it can’t be sooner?”
“It’s already Wednesday, Simon, and the rest of my week is full.”
“Fair enough, but I’m keeping you out late.”
“Deal. Now keep talking. I love the sound of your voice.”
A deep, baritone laugh filled my bedroom as he shook his head, blond hair swishing around his face, making him look like some sort of model-slash-emo God. The man had sex appeal leaking out of his pores, and my traitorous body wanted to soak it up like a sponge.
“Anything you say, honey,” he said, leaning back to rest a hand behind his head. “Have I told you about my sister?”
I shook my head, shimmying lower on the bed to get comfortable and focused on his voice, letting it soothe my stress and replace it with thoughts of him.
