Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Then I’m on your trivia team,” I said, resolute. “I’m not going to be much help, because I know about as much trivia as a brain-dead chihuahua, but I’ll do my best.”
My little joke got a half-smile out of him, and I could see his whole body relax as he realized I was here to stay.
I knew how it felt to be alone in public, and even for me as an extrovert, it could really suck. I wanted to be here for Adam, and when his green eyes met mine again, I knew I’d made the right choice.
Even if he had no clue that I’d just been getting hard while watching his video.
“Thanks, Chase,” he told me.
“You and me,” I said to him again, the same thing I’d told him after my little pep talk while filming at his house. “We’ve got this.”
6
ADAM
It wasn’t often that I thought back to middle school these days, but sitting there alone at the trivia table had brought those memories back screaming, in full force.
Week after week, the gym coach, Mr. Matthews, would choose two star athletes to pick members for whatever sport we were playing that week. And every week, I’d be one of the last people picked. Dead last, most of the time. Soccer, basketball, baseball, flag football—it didn’t matter. I’d be standing there, looking down at the washed-out grass, trying not to look as pathetic as I felt. Even though I eventually filled out and got taller, I’d been a scrawny, nerdy kid until middle school, and nobody wanted me—whether it was for throwing a football or at the lunch tables later on.
Sitting at the trivia table alone tonight hadn’t quite been that bad, because I was an adult now and I knew that technically, I could leave whenever the hell I wanted.
But until Chase showed up, I’d felt like I was plunged right back into my old school days.
Now that he was sitting across from me, I just had to figure out how to act normal around him. The way Chase looked at me made me feel so many things at once. He paid more attention to me, which I liked, even if it made me feel like a crazed animal inside.
I breathed deep, remembering all of the advice I’d tried to commit to memory.
Compliment people.
Let them know they’re appreciated.
They can’t always read your mind.
“Thank you for coming to join me, Chase,” I told him. “I’ll do my best. I like to think I’m pretty okay at trivia.”
“Bet you’re pretty damn good at it,” he said.
“I do enjoy watching Jeopardy.”
“Hey, you,” a man said, coming up and leaning in to give Chase a kiss on the cheek. “Where have you been, Chase?”
“Hey, Frankie,” he said, looking up at the guy, who was about six foot five, stocky, and had sandy-blond hair. “I’ve been around.”
“We missed you at Bolt the other night,” Frankie told Chase, not looking at me. “Come hang out with us over at the bar.”
Chase nodded at him. “Maybe I’ll stop by later. This is Adam, by the way, and I’m going to be doing trivia with him tonight. Adam, this is my friend Frankie.”
“Hi, there,” Frankie said, giving me a quick glance as one of his friends pulled him away toward the bar. “Never thought I’d see you doing trivia, Chase. Look at you go. See you later, I hope.”
“I’ll see you around,” Chase said. “Have fun.”
“Don’t be a stranger,” the guy said, giving Chase a wave as he walked away.
Right as Frankie was walking by, a group of women passed by and two of them stopped to chat with Chase, too. Another guy waved at him as he entered the bar, and over the course of the next five minutes, I realized I was sitting across from one of the most popular guys around town.
He kindly introduced me to everyone that came over, but each time, the focus was all on him.
People really liked Chase.
And he was equally nice to everyone, even if he had to politely decline multiple requests from people who were trying to drag him off to the bar or out to other clubs down in Denver.
After the people had filtered through, he turned back to me and smiled, an apology already in his eyes.
“Sorry. Didn’t expect it would be so packed in here tonight.”
“It’s okay,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m happy to just hang back and observe. I’m better at that than I am at talking, anyway. Are you sure you don’t want to go join your friends?”
Chase looked at me like I was nuts. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be right now than doing trivia with you. We’re going to rock it, Adam.”
That made me feel warm and fuzzy, despite myself. Even if he might be taking a little bit of pity on me because I was alone, it still made me feel special. And it had been a long time since I’d felt that.