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I give my head a shake.Woman.What’s the deal with that? I’ve been a man for a number of years now, so I haven’t datedgirlsin equally as long. I guess the problem I’m having is, regardless of what I feel like is sparking between us, there’s something about her that whispers innocence.
So maybe I stuff my high hopes and settle on my original plan—a lonely night.
I’ve pretty much reverted to this course when I remember thewe.I pick up another fry and dunk it in the sauce. “So, you’re a student?”
A slow shrug. “I just graduated.”
A wave of relief crashes over me, and I allow my former plans to stir back to life. She’s a college graduate, so she can’t be too young. Fair game, I say.
I ask, and she tells me her degree was in economics and math. This isn’t what I expect, a knockout with an equally impressive brain. I like that, even if her intellect isn’t the number one thing on my list of requirements this evening.
I prop my elbow on the back of her stool. “So…buy you a drink?”
She sayssure, but I wish she wouldn’t always pause before answering my questions. Her hesitation makes me doubt my plans, and somehow, myself.
CHAPTER 2
Annalise
I should have said no to the drink, though for reasons other than one might expect. I’ve made two monumentally lousy mistakes in my life, in the last six months to be exact. Both came after the consumption of adult beverages. I’m not a teetotaler like my parents, yet I rarely drink alcohol, and never more than one, or possiblypart of a second, even throughout the most rebellious chapters of my life.
The same holds true for the occasions including the rotten decisions, although those were coincidence, not causation. Still, I always link the two in my brain. If I don’t, I may have to reconsider my own intelligence.
So it could be I allow the beer this man has ordered on my behalf because I’m aware of a shift between us, one I’m weirdly open to. It’s a path I’ve never taken, indeed have resisted at every turn.
Almostevery turn.
Meaning, if I follow my current instincts, I might need an excuse by morning. Despite my bravado about telling his kind to bug off, I suddenly have no intention of doing so tonight. I’m unsure why.
No, I’m not. It’s Kyle’s fault. He’s the reason in some shape, form, or fashion for everything I do lately. He’s also the reason I’m sitting here in a blouse I feel half-naked in. I found it in my roommate’s closet and donned it this morning with an eat-your-heart-out confrontation in mind.
My morning did not go well. In fact, I think it’s safe to say my plan backfired.
Full disclosure—this morning wasn’t even in the top two of my poor decisions.
But I left the tears behind somewhere around Houston. Anger feels better.
Still, I should have thrown my jacket on before coming inside.
And this man…his eyes. They’re the most gorgeous green color I’ve ever seen. Not brown with green flecks, but full-on green, light in a way that contradicts his olive skin. I like the two-days’ worth of five o’clock shadow on his square jaw. Since he’s seated, I can’t be sure, but my guess is he’s average height. Tall is usually a thing with me, but in this case, I don’t care, and I’m not exactly supermodel height myself.
Oh, those eyes…
He surprises me suddenly by summoning the waiter with one finger. Not only does he order me one of what he’s drinking, he tells the dude behind the bar to make my takeout dine-in. Kind of forward, but I’m okay with it. Slow is good. Besides, I’m still desperately hungry.
Time to tap the brakes. I’ve made no offer, he’s made no invitation. Wow, I’m bad at this. Although I’m a novice at the follow-through of a rendezvous such as this, I’m a certified expert at the leadup. I’ve been hit on more times than I can count, and I’m good at saying no. Other than Kyle, I’ve zero experience saying yes.
And yet…an air of inevitability suddenly hovers over me. I’ve never experienced a feeling like this before, even with Kyle. I’m caught quite off guard, and I think this guy feels it, too.
I should probably ask his name.
Shouldn’t I?
Frankly, I don’t know how this is supposed to go, so I’m going to play it by ear. Everybody else in the world does it. Why shouldn’t I? Why should I always have to be alone?
But this isn’t about Kyle or relationships. It certainly isn’t about forever. Something has come over me, and I am, without warning, heartily tired of playing the good girl. That all crashed and burned to an end with Kyle anyhow.
In the back of my brain, almost drowned out by the alternative rock streaming from the speakers, Imaybe vaguely aware of a low but steady beeping thatmightbe some sort of caution.
