He’s not deterred by my harsh tone. If anything, it spurs him on. “You don’t know how to live a little.”
“Of course I do.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Yeah? When’s the last time you pushed yourself out of your comfort zone and did something you normally wouldn’t?”
I rack my brain for an example to prove him wrong. “Well, there was that time when—” Wait, no, I chickened out. “Okay, this other time—” No, that was Emi. Have I really never pushed myself? I glare at him, and a lightbulb goes off in my mind. “Right now! I’m here! I didn’t want to go on a blind date, but here I am!” I cross my arms smugly across my chest. Ha! He’s wrong!
He shakes his head. “No. You just told me you were forced to be here. You didn’t come willingly.”
“Yeah, well, what do you know?”
“I know that you walk around like you’re too good for everyone else.”
I wasn’t expecting that. “What? You don’t even know me.”
“From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I knew it. Getting out of your fancy car in an expensive dress at a cliff jumping party, looking around at everyone like we were all beneath you, terrified to slum it with a bunch of public school kids instead of your uppity private school friends. Then there’s the whole yelling at me for making sure you didn’t nosedive off a cliff thing, acting like my touch was offensive. I know you, Princess.”
I’m too stunned to defend myself and my actions, to tell him that I didn’t even know we were going to a cliff jumping party, to tell him I was looking around with fear and confusion, not contempt. That I pushed him away not because I didn’t like his touch but because I liked it too much.
“If I’m such aterribleperson, why did you agree to this date? Why are you here?”
“Curiosity.” He shrugs. “Plus Kalani said if we made it through appetizers she’d give my sister Harry Styles tickets. That concert sold out, and my sister loves him, so let’s order some apps, huh?”
My heart drops into my stomach. Kalani bribed a guy who thinks I’m shallow and judgmental to go out with me? Is this what I’ve been reduced to? So undatable that the only person who’ll go out with me is someone my best friendpaid?
“You are unbelievable,” I tell him, gathering my handbag. “I’m not so pathetic that I need my friends to pay someone to date me.”
He leans back in the booth and crosses his arms against his broad chest. “Really? My being here says otherwise.”
My nostrils flare as my face heats up. As if bribing someone to date me wasn’t bad enough, now the guy that’s currently a giant pain in my ass has more ammo against me. The thought of him thinking I’m a loser makes my throat tighten.
“If anyone’s pathetic, it’syoufor believing I’d sit through a whole date with you, never mind the apps.”
“Right back at you, Princess. I’m only here for the concert tickets.”
There’s a sharp pain in my chest, and my vision blurs as I try not to let him see how much his words affect me.
Sliding out of the booth, I adjust my skirt. “Well, I hate to break it to you, but we didn’t even last long enough to order drinks. Looks like you showed up for nothing.”
He doesn’t look bothered in the slightest, his expression calm and collected. “It’s probably for the best. I couldn’t make it through the whole dinner pretending to be nice to you.”
“Thatwas you being nice?” Insulting me and talking about my panties? “AndI’mthe pathetic one for being set up? No wonder you’re still single.”
He slides out of the booth, his height forcing me to tilt my head up, a challenge in his eyes. “Believe me, Princess. If I didn’t want to be single, I wouldn’t be.”
“Doubt it,” I shoot back, though with his good looks, I don’t really doubt it. He probably doesn’t have trouble finding dates, it’skeepingthem around with his terrible personality where the problem must lie.
“Is everything okay?” comes a new voice. It’s our waitress. “Can I get you guys something other than water to drink?”
“No,” I say, looking squarely at Jay. “I’m leaving.”
Without giving him time to reply, I spin on my heel and march through the restaurant. The chill of the night doesn’t even penetrate the hot layer of rage emitting from my body. I keep my head held high and my shoulders back the entire time. It’s not until I’m in the safety of my car that I let them sag, let the truth of the night hit me, let his words play over in my head until I’m fighting back tears.
What’s so wrong with me that my friends need to pay a guy to date me? Is my presence soterrible that they’ll set me up with anyone, including someone they know hates me, just so I won’t fifth wheel them anymore? Am I so pathetic that the only person who’ll go out with me is someone who’s gettingpaidfor their time? If I tell my friends how terrible this date was, are they going to make me go out with someone else, and is he going to be even worse than Jay?
Worst of all, Jay knows my true feelings about Emmett. Is Kalani going to ask him about our date, and is he going to tell her what he knows? How far am I going to have to go to keep Kalani in the dark about my feelings for Emmett?
I put myself out there by going on this date, and it was exactly the worst-case scenario. It couldn’t have gone worse if I tried.