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“His name’s David. We met when I was finishing up high school, and he was my first serious boyfriend. He meant everything to me. But of course, I was naïve and stupid enough to believe that high school sweethearts really were that common. He didn’t always treat me the best, using me and treating me like I was his slave, but I let it go. I thought that’s how relationships are supposed to be.” She paused for a minute, and Alistair reached a hand out to tuck a strand of hair behind Amelia’s right ear. “But I was foolish,” she then continued, “to believe that he actually loved me the way I loved him. Two months before we finally broke up, I found a pair of panties in the back seat of his car.”
Alistair continued listening without saying a word while he reached over to hold her hands in his.
“Can you believe it? I caught him cheating on me, and I still stayed, telling myself that it’s just a mistake, and that he still loves me. He didn’t even deny it!” She sighed. “Anyway, two months after that, he found out that he’d knocked her up, got her pregnant, and just dumped me without saying another word. Since then, I’ve stopped going out on dates until I know I’ve found the perfect one. I can’t risk getting hurt again.”
“Do you think it’s a mistake that you’re here with me now? Do you think I’ll hurt you like David had?” Alistair squeezed tighter.
“Honestly,” Amelia admitted, “I thought so at first. I thought my aunt was tired of me being single, so she forced me to go out with you. Now? Now I’m not so sure.”
“What do you mean?”
“I like being around you, Alistair. These past two days have been amazing. I’m… I’m just not sure if you’re the perfect guy yet. Please don’t be mad.”
And he wasn’t. “It’s okay, Amelia. After going through such heartbreak like you have, I completely understand why you have your standards. And I know that reaching those standards is a hard role to play. There’s a chance that we’re not perfect for each other. But there’s also a chance that we are. You never know until you’ve tested out the waters.”
“Thanks for understanding, Alistair. And I don’t mean to offend you.”
“Not offended at all.” Suddenly, he leaned over closer to her, caressing her face with his hand, and planting a soft kiss on her lips. She kissed back at first, for a minute or two, before pulling away.
“I… I can’t,” she whispered, causing Alistair to retreat to his side of the car.
“Sorry, I’m sorry. I should’ve asked.”
“No, no, don’t be sorry. I… I just don’t know how I feel about you yet.” Amelia explained. “I liked the kiss. I really did. I just don’t want to get my heart broken again.”
Alistair remained silent, his heart obviously stunned.
“I think maybe you should take me home,” she muttered with a heavy heart.
***
AMELIA COULDN’T SHAKE THE feeling of guilt away later that night. She felt awful about the way she treated Alistair. He’d been so nice to her, and she couldn’t even give him a simple kiss in return. She tossed and turned in her bed, frustrated that she couldn’t shake away the feeling. Eventually, she gave up and sat up in bed. She reached over to grab her phone and dialed.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Alistair.”
“Amelia? What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry for calling so late. I felt really bad about earlier, for pushing you away, and I wanted to apologize. I hope you’re not mad at me.”
“I’m not. Don’t worry about it. It was a shock at first. I thought we were getting along, connecting. It just took me by surprise when you pushed me away.”
“I know. I’m really sorry. I hope this doesn’t ruin our date tomorrow.”
“Nah, I’m over it. Pick you up at five tomorrow?”
“I’ll be waiting.”
CHAPTER
FIVE
THE NEXT DAY, AMELIA had a few hours to spare before her third and final date with Alistair. She still hadn’t decided whether she wanted to continue seeing him after, or if she’d just return to her old ways on her trusty app, but that was a decision for later that night.
She scheduled an appointment at the salon to get her hair done, not to impress him, but because her hair was matted from not being groomed in over three years.
But on her way there, she saw the backside of a familiar figure, someone she knew, someone—
