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Quickly, I texted them back.
Aurora: I’m muting this chat now.
Connor: Go get ’em, tiger.
Austin: I swear to God, asshole. Quit with that shit.
Ignoring the little pang of disappointment I felt that Noah had nothing to say, I silenced my notifications and slipped my phone back into my purse. Right as Ryan appeared with my drink.
“One skinny vanilla latte.” He slid the mug toward me. “I also got us a double chocolate muffin each. Enjoy.”
My stomach dropped.
“Oh, I’m not hungry, thanks.”
He glowered, clearly offended. “It’s only a little muffin, babe. It won’t hurt.”
“I…”
This is exactly why I’d declined his offer to go for dinner. I didn’t want to feel obligated to eat in front of him. To have him scrutinize my meal habits. To become fixated on every little thing. What would I order? How many calories would it have? How long would I have to workout to burn it off? Would he comment if I chose something light?
“You’re not one of those girls, are you?” Disapproval creased his features.
“Sorry, what?”
“Like all obsessed with what you eat? Because, you know, it’s really a simple case of cause and effect. So long as you burn more than you put in, you’ll be fine.”
I pressed my lips together, giving him an awkward smile. If only it were that easy.
“You won’t find a better chocolate muffin in all of Lakeshore. Just try it.” He pushed the plate toward me with an encouraging smile, all while the walls closed in around me.
“I ate before I left, sorry.”
He let out a little huff of disapproval. “Fine. Let it go to waste then.”
Shame filled my chest. It was just a muffin. One little muffin. If I limited what I ate for the rest of the day, it would be fine. But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t eat it.
I sipped my coffee, hoping Ryan would fill the awkward silence. He seemed pissed, though, leaving his muffin untouched too.
The plates taunted me, making me wish that I could just be normal and eat the damn muffin. But I couldn’t do it, not with him watching me. Not with the nausea building inside me, making me feel like I was riding the Tilt-a-Whirl at the fairground.
“So…” I said, attempting to smooth over the rocky start. “How are your classes going so far?”
“Oh, everything is—” His cell bleeped, and he held up a finger. “Sorry, I need to check this.”
“Oh, okay.”
It went on like that for fifteen minutes. Every time the conversation got going, his cell would vibrate, and he’d snicker at something, fingers flying over the screen as he texted back.
I didn’t know who this asshole was sitting opposite me, but it wasn’t the pleasant, cute guy who had approached me the other day.
“Excuse me,” I said, tired of his dismissive attitude. “I need to use the restroom.”
I got up and hurried across the room, a sinking feeling going through me. Ryan wasn’t at all what I’d expected, and there was absolutely no spark between us. If anything, he seemed completely disinterested in me, which was weird, considering he had pushed for my number.
It wasn’t like I’d agreed to meet him with the expectation of starting anything romantic, but it would have been nice to make a new friend.
Washing my hands, I checked my reflection, tucking a stray hair behind my ear. I was glad I hadn’t dressed up; the vibe here was laid-back. And Ryan hadn’t looked twice at me anyway, so any effort on my part would have been wasted.
