Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91299 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91299 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
His date takes his arm and pulls him down to the seat.
He keeps his gaze on me for a long time. I glare back.
“Shit, Charisma, who is that?” It’s Mike speaking, and I tear my eyes off of Blaze and look at him.
I clear my throat. “Blaze Townsend.”
His eyes flare. “That’s your ex, isn’t it? The most popular guy on campus?”
“Not technically an ex, and there are others more popular.” Not really.
“He’s seething. Something really serious happened between you and him, am I right?” He leans in closer. “You want to get out of here?”
I think about it. It would be the prudent thing, but when do I ever make the right decision? “No. Maybe I…need to see this.”
“You sure? I don’t like the way he’s looking at me.”
“Trust me, he doesn’t care—or if he does, he’s never said so.”
He said I want you.
Mike thinks, his gaze bouncing from me to Blaze. “Some guys aren’t much for pretty words, but their eyes tell the story. His are…scary.”
Maybe.
The waitress shows up with our refills, and once it’s in my glass, I suck it down.
21
The Purple Iris is packed when we walk in and make our way to a booth.
“I love this place! Great idea,” she says, looking up at me with deep blue eyes.
Not my idea. “Yeah,” I say as we take in the open seats.
She squeezes my arm. “I heard the band tonight is great.”
“Yeah.”
She nods and bats her lashes. She’s Dillon’s cousin, and he’s been begging me to be nice to her and give her a chance. “You’re grade A prime beef and you’re moping around the dorm. It’s fucking embarrassing. You’re in the Combine. If you don’t have her, ride a new pony!” He might have used the phrase pussy-whipped.
I’ve been ignoring his nagging, but today after classes and my workout, his cousin showed up at the dorm and Dillon begged me to double up with him and his girl—and why the hell not?
She asked for space, I remind myself.
I opened myself up in class, and Charisma acted like it wasn’t a big deal, almost like I was a nuisance, and trust me, I’ve felt like that plenty of times in my life growing up. I don’t want to go there again.
Doesn’t she know I don’t say those kinds of things to any girl?
Still, I don’t want to be here. I shouldn’t have come.
I spot a booth and we move through the crowd. Voices call my name and people wave. A couple of players invite us to sit at their big table in the front, but I tell them we’re hanging with Dillon and his girl when they show up.
My stomach jumps when I see Charisma at a booth. The girl next to me is talking nonstop, but I’m not hearing a word she’s saying.
She’s…she’s with someone. My hands clench and press against my legs as I take them in, the glasses on their table, the way he’s leaning in over her, his arm around her shoulder.
Yeah, it’s like that then. Space.
Yet, here I am with someone.
What right do I have?
But those are logical thoughts, and right now, logic is way out of reach, stupidity inching in. I want to go over there and pull her out of that booth. My hands curl—
“…which side of the booth do you want?”
I look down at the redhead and blink. What’s her name? Melody…Melanie? I shake my head then nod when I realize that’s the wrong response.
“Uh, wherever, yeah, great.” Only when I slide in, my view is of her.
My hand goes in my pocket and I touch the note there.
The one I can’t bring myself to ask her about.
My date leans into me, and I look down at her. How the hell am I supposed to get through this date when I don’t even remember her name?
We order a round of drinks as the band picks up, a ragtag but talented group of students from Waylon who mostly do old rock cover songs.
M is on her second beer when Dillon and his girl, a brunette, join us. I don’t know her name either, but I’m glad for the distraction.
“How’s it going?” he asks me when the girls pull out their phones to take selfies.
“What’s her name? Your cousin?”
He rolls his eyes. “Fuck you, man. That’s my family and you don’t even know her name?” He studies my face, and whatever he sees makes him frown. “Dude, it’s Mary—easiest name in the world.”
“Does it end with an “I”, like M-E-R-R-I? Because I’m starting to see a trend lately.”
He smirks. “Nah. Just regular Mary.”
I nod.
His eyes skate over the room, linger for a moment in one spot, then come back to me. “Now I know the problem. Your ex is here.”
“Not my ex.”
“Okay, your former hookup who’s also in our class, also known as the ‘hot piece who turned me down sophomore year’.”