AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When the waitress leaves, Sophie meets my eyes. “It was nothing you did.”
I’m skeptical. “You can be honest with me. It seemed like things changed in an instant, and I feel like I might be to blame.”
Sophie rubs her fingers firmly across her forehead. “Ok, please stop blaming yourself.”
I close my mouth and watch her patiently.
She leans back in her chair and stares at me for a moment. “Look.” She sighs. “Last night was a mistake. You live a different kind of life than I do. And I just…I wasn’t comfortable. I thought maybe I could be. I tried to be. But I don’t go to clubs expecting to leave with guys like you…who I’ve just met.”
I try to understand her rationale. Guys like me. Does she think I’m some kind of playboy who sleeps with hundreds of women I don’t know just for the fun of it? I’m not that bad.
I frown. “Well, contrary to what you apparently believe, I don’t take strange women home with me every weekend.”
She raises an eyebrow at me. “Well, I don’t go home with strange men any weekends.”
I continue to watch her, wondering how literal her statement is. “Never?” I ask quietly, barely believing she could be that innocent.
She blushes and looks down, straightening her fork on the table. “Ok, once.”
Ok, maybe she is.
I’m quiet as I wait to see if she will continue. And after a moment, she does. “At one of Leah’s college parties. It was… He was…a jerk.” She whispers the last part, staring at her fork.
She’s been hurt. The pain in her expression makes me immediately feel even worse for pushing her.
When she meets my gaze again, regret flashes across her face for a second, and then she covers her eyes with her hand in embarrassment. “Oh God, why am I telling you this?”
“It’s ok,” I assure her gently. “Thank you for being honest.”
The waitress reappears with our meals, and Sophie pulls her hand back from her blushing face and tries to ready herself to eat. I look down at my omelette, but I suddenly don’t feel very hungry. The number of questions I have for her are growing exponentially with every passing minute.
“Well clearly, he was an idiot,” I say with distaste. “I’m sorry you ever knew him. But I hope you realize that last night…” I pause, making sure I use the right words. “…I wasn’t using you, Sophie. I really wanted to spend more time with you. We could have just talked if you were uncomfortable. It didn’t have to be anything more than that.”
She stares down at her plate, still rubbing her fingers across her forehead. “This is so embarrassing. Why are we talking about this?”
“Why is it embarrassing?” I ask.
She looks up at me and slumps her shoulders. “Put yourself in my shoes and then ask yourself that again.”
“I can’t put myself in your shoes. I have no idea what was going through your mind last night.”
“Good,” she says quietly.
“But I’m also not mad that you stopped me.”
She eyes me with suspicion.
“I mean, I wish you wouldn’t have,” I correct myself. “But I’m not angry with you.”
“Well, you should be,” she says. “I can’t believe I let things go that far.”
I study her for a moment, trying to understand. “You said you were never interested in a one-night kind of thing, like last night would have been… But you said you tried to be, right?” I clear my throat. “So, why did you try to be, with me, anyway?”
She picks up her fork and looks up at me, defeated. “Do I have to answer that question?”
I press my lips together, trying not to smile as I realize the effect I apparently had on her. It’s flattering, if nothing else. “I’m sorry I was so enticing…” I let a full smirk play on my lips.
Sophie doesn’t smile though. She just pushes a bit of egg around on her plate in silence.
