AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Did I?
No.
No, I didn’t.
I groaned and ran my hand through my hair, tugging lightly on the dark, silky strands. My makeup was simple, my hair looked the way it usually did. Maybe I should’ve tried to curl it. Or put on more makeup?
I hated first dates. There was just so much pressure, and Ihatedpressure. I always felt like I was about to explode from putting on a perfect show for my date. I had to somehow show them that I wasn’t a weird yogi who had issues ten miles long. But it was impossible to completely hide that part of myself.
First date pressure sucked more than any other type of pressure.
You had to sell yourself, make yourself seem like the best person in the world so you could hopefully get a second date. But I didn’t even want a first date with Benji, let alone a second one.
I glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Seven-fifty-five. Five minutes until Benji arrived. Maybe I could just sneak out. Or maybe he’d be like every other guy my age and text me when he got here. If he did, I could just lie and say I was going to hang out with Lily. Eli would never be the wiser.
Slowly, I opened the door and stuck my head out, looking both ways. Eli was playing with Emma before I came to my room to get ready. Maybe he was bathing her and I could just slip out.
My stomach twisted as I stepped into the hallway, closing my bedroom door tightly behind me. Quietly, I made my way to the living room, holding my breath as I passed Eli’s door. My knuckles were white as I clutched my purse at my side, trying to force my breathing to quiet.
I peeked into Emma’s room, finding it dark, and Eli nowhere to be found. His room. He must’ve been in his bedroom. Perfect.
I hurried the rest of the way down the hall and into the living room, my shoulders slumping when I didn’t find him.
I was in the clear. Thank God.
Then a knock came from the front door and my spine snapped straight. Shit. Shit.Shit.
He knocked again, louder, and I sprinted for it, my hand already outstretched for the doorknob.
“Who’s here?”
I stumbled into the wall at Eli’s voice. My head whipped around, finding him strolling from the kitchen, a glass of whiskey in hand. His dark brows rose as he scanned me, taking in my outfit.
“Where are you going?” he asked, his voice clipped.
“I—Lily—” I pointed at the door. My chest heaved with every breath. Eli’s eyes narrowed as he set his glass on the side table. He continued toward me, my heart hammering in my chest with every step closer. His head dipped, and he looked at me through his brows. My breath caught at the intense look on his face.
“Lily?” he asked, and I nodded, my mouth too dry to speak. I pressed my back against the wall as he hovered over me, his eyes searching mine. “You’re wearingthatto see Lily?” I opened my mouth, ready to give him an excuse when another knock came.
I winced.
Shit.
“I should go,” I breathed. He braced his hand on the wall beside my head, forcing me to stop.
“I’ll answer it.”
“You don’t—”
“It’s not safe for you to answer the door at night,” he said, and my mouth fell open.
What the fuck?
He gave me a hard look, almost as if he were daring me to argue. But I just closed my mouth, trying to calm my racing heart. His cologne was strong around me, mixing with the rich alcohol he’d already drunk. Instead of his scent doing anything to calm me, it just ratcheted my anxiety up ten notches.
Slowly, he moved toward the door, his eyes on mine until he reached for the doorknob. I squeezed my eyes shut.
This was it.
