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"Thanks," I mumbled down at the pavement. "And hey, I'm sorry too. About, you know..."
"Blowing me off?"
I looked up prepared to see a frown, but Jared was grinning.
"Hey, it's okay," he said as he reached out to pinch my shoulder lightly. "It was only one date. You met someone else. It happens."
"Yeah," I said quietly. "And look how that turned out."
"Hey." Jared reached a tentative hand out and tipped my chin up to look at him.
The gesture made me feel like a child. His face was open and friendly, but his finger lingered on my jaw for just few beats more than it should have. It wasn't until it dropped that I relaxed.
"Friends?" he asked.
I smiled. "Sure. Friends."
"Good," he said. "Because I'm going to need some study partners until we take this friggin' test."
~
Later that night, I was video-chatting with Jane before turning in for bed. Although she was an hour earlier than me, you wouldn't know it by the way she was dressed, completely decked out for a night out.
"Aww, there's the adorably sweet studded bracelet I remember!" I teased, earning a grouchy glare through the screen.
"I have to dress even more punk now than I used to," Jane said as she adjusted some of the spikes she had painstakingly arranged in her short black hair, which no longer sported any of its bright-colored stripes. "The ASA makes me come into work to do clerical stuff in the afternoons, so I have to look all boring and professional."
"You're like hipster-punk Korean Superman," I told her. "You rip off your suit, and underneath is a graphic tee with Nancy and Sid."
Jane grinned and fixed her thick-framed glasses. She prided herself on her collection of quirky frames, which I guessed she also had to eschew for her more sensible work persona.
"So please tell me you're not going to give Jared a second chance?" she said, changing the subject. "We're talking Jared Rounsaville here. Human equivalent of white bread. Cheddar cheese. Unsalted potatoes. Not to mention his family basically makes a living out of robbing the poor to feed the rich."
I smirked. "I think you're just hungry."
"Not that hungry."
I shook my head and laid down on my pillow, positioning the computer so that it faced me. "Well, you don't have to worry about any funny business. It's just...I was surprised by how nice he was. I didn't exactly treat him that well after we went out. It's refreshing, you know? To see someone without a grudge."
"Hmmm. Is someone experiencing a bit of self-reflection?"
I made a face. "Maybe."
For all her snark, Jane's sympathy emanated through the screen. "Well, in your defense, it is a bit different. You didn't exactly insult Jared; you just never went out with him again. Brandon lied to your face and hid the fact that he was married."
I scowled and pressed my face into my pillow. "Don't remind me."
"'Fraid I have to, chickie. You made me promise. You need to figure out what you're going to say come Friday. Has he texted you since?"
I sat back up. "No." I fought and failed to keep the disappointment out of my voice. "Just a confirmation email from his assistant."
"Where are you meeting? His place?"
My scowl deepened. "No." Again, it was technically what I wanted, since I knew that I probably wouldn't be able to stand my ground in such an intimate environment. "She made a reservation at The Martin."
"Ooh, chichi," Jane said. "That place is seriously swanky."
"It's where he takes important clients," I muttered with no little resentment. I was being treated like one of Brandon's many business engagements, and I didn't like it. Not one little bit.
