AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Grace pressed her fingers to her temples with another deep breath. “You’re mad, woman. Too many hours staring at space has addled your brain. I knew this was going to happen, but I thought I had more time before the space mania really set in.”
Lou blinked and then shrugged as if this was logical. “That may be, but that doesn't change the fact that I’m right.”
Grace frowned and managed to meet the unwavering gaze of her friend for a whole three seconds before she groaned and threw up her hands.
“Okay, so he’s attractive, and I just so happened to notice after months of correspondence. Sue me! Not to mention the whole he asked me out thing.”
“He what?!” Lou shrieked. A pair of nearby diners shot them looks, but Grace gave them an apologetic shrug, while Lou paid them no attention. “I knew it the second I saw the two of you fighting. What was in those emails? Why do you think I brought the spray bottle out? What the hell?!”
“About that.” Grace held up a finger. “Why the spray bottle?” It had made them stop, because who sprayed someone with water? But still, the fact that Lou had done it was odd, even for her.
“My grandma uses them on the cats when one goes into heat,” Lou told her matter-of-factly. “Given the sexual tension, I think I made the right call.”
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
Lou drew a line in the air with her hands. “Nope. Nein. Nyet.”
“But I already promised to play nice.”
“And I bet you’re going to play reeeeal nice.” Lou wiggled her eyebrows. “And what the hell? You didn’t tell me he asked you out! I am your best friend and that knowledge is my birthright.”
Grace groaned. “I didn’t know how to tell you, Lou. I wanted to, but then it got so weird and I was like, if I tell her, is it going to make things weird with work? I was not going to jeopardize all of that for-for, I don’t know. Some stupid crush.”
“It’s okay to be attracted to Anton.”
Grace grimaced. “No, it’s really not, Lou.”
“And why not?”
“Becauseheknowshe’s hot, and besides, everyone knows about Anton Kovalev.” Grace looked away, not wanting to say more because despite the wealth of public knowledge detailing exactly what kind of man Anton was she’d still fallen head over ass for the idiot.
Lou sighed and she knew her best friend was on the same frequency as she was when she said, “He’s not like that anymore, you know? That was years ago. He’s different now.”
She sniffed and looked away. “A leopard can’t change its spots.” His treatment of her had been proof enough that Anton Kovalev was still the spoiled brat the media had followed for years. It stung to think she was just one more in a long line of that. She’d felt something for him. Something special. He’d made her feel special.
And then he hadn’t. That was life.
“Pish.” Lou waved a hand. “I’m just telling you that Anton isn’t who the media has made him out to be, and you should let him show you that.”
“Are you sure? Because so far it seems like the media is spot-on about who Anton is.”
“Which is?” Lou asked.
“Selfish,” Grace said, raising a finger. “Arrogant,” she held up another finger and kept raising them with every shitty trait the man had shown her that day, “Drunk, vain,” she paused and added,“mean.”
Her Anton wasn’t mean. He was kind and warm. He listened about anything and everything. He made it known he was there for her. He’d never talk to her way the beautiful asshole had that morning.
“He’s exactly what they’re saying and more,” Grace said. She leaned forward on her elbows and raised an eyebrow at her friend, who rolled her eyes in response. It was easy for Lou to dismiss her, she knew. But that was because her friend didn’t know just how much Grace had fallen for the man.
“Give him a chance. He’s not that playboy party monster they say he is. I mean, he was practically a kid when all that happened anyways.”
“Twenty-four isn’t a kid. I’m twenty-four right now. I manage you and all those scientists and I keep my shit together.”
“Well, just-” Lou opened and closed her mouth a couple times before she sighed and said, “Girls mature faster than boys?” she offered weakly.
Grace’s mouth dropped open. “You did not just-”
Lou winced. “It’s the best argument I have at the moment, so I did. What I’m trying to say is Anton has done a lot of maturing over the last few years, and he’s trying to make a difference in the world.”
