basketball or soccer games or while we’re hanging
out down at The Hops. Who knows?”
“That’s a
threat.”
“And this is
me, outside of my bed in the middle of the freezing cold night while a very hot
girl is in it.”
“She had…cats.”
“What? Huh?”
“I don’t like
cats.”
“What don’t you
like about them?”
“They freak me
out, okay?”
Dante burst out
laughing.
“You’re a good
friend, you know that?”
“I’m sorry man,
I’m sorry.” Dante tried to compose himself and then started laughing so hard
again he could barely keep driving. “Go on. Really. I’m listening.”
“I just don’t
trust them. They have shifty eyes. And they’re so sneaky. They stalk around all
soundless, jumping from behind corners, like the deadly, silent predators they
are. How can you trust a creature that makes no sound at all like that just
sneaking up on you all the time? A dog would never do that.” Owen shuddered.
“Mini panthers. Or lions. They’re predators. You trust a lot of predators?”
“Guess not,”
Dante said.
“Okay, go
ahead, just get it out of your system,” Owen said, suppressing his own grin.
Now, in the safety of Dante’s car, far away from Jennifer’s apartment, it did
seem a little funny. Just a little bit.
“Thank you,
man.” Dante grabbed his side over the fabric of his coat after letting out a
round of pent up laughter. “Oh, my stomach! You’re a good friend. Your debt is
paid.” Dante erupted into a round of hyena cackles, and Owen sat back in his
seat and closed his eyes.
By the time
Dante dropped Owen off at his car, Owen felt a lot better. So the date hadn’t
gone so well. There would be others.
A small,
nagging part of him wondered, were the bad dates the
universe’s way of pushing him in Marci’s direction? They kept crossing paths
after all. Well, maybe the universe had better have a little talk with Marci
about that. He wasn’t the one who was resistant to the whole idea. And he was
done chasing girls. Especially rich girls who thought they had something to
prove to their parents. That’s what he’d done with Kristin, and look how that’d
turned out for him. Four years of putting up with her tantrums. Ugly fights.
And the worst had been begging her to come back whenever she decided she’d had
“enough”—and he wasn’t ever sure what he’d done to be “enough”—and
broke up with him. They’d broken up and gotten back together more times than he
could count. That’s why he hadn’t believed the last time was really the last
time. Until he found out about Justin.
And for what? So she could go off and get engaged to Justin
on his daddy’s big, fancy boat? Enough of that.
Nope, time to
get back on the horse. As soon as he got home, he was going online to the
dating site and finding someone to set up date number three with.
If he could
have seen the future, and could have known what a disaster date number three
would be, maybe he would have conceded and let the universe have its way.
Chapter Eleven
Marci knew from
the moment she walked through the door and saw him lying prostrate on the couch
that this was going to be bad.
“Hey, Tyler,”
she said, entering the apartment like she was literally walking on eggshells
the way she was figuratively. Closing the door softly behind her, she
approached the couch. Tyler didn’t move the arm he had draped over his face.
She knelt next to the couch. He still didn’t move. Wouldn’t say anything.
“Tyler, honey, what is it? Are you okay?”
Still nothing.
“Sweetheart.
What can I get you? What can I do?” she rested her chin on the arm of the sofa
and looked down at him. He was breathing too rapidly to be asleep, but just
barely. “I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nobody can fix
it,” Tyler finally mumbled, his voice muffled by his arm. “It’s unfixable.”
“Ah, now I bet
that’s not true.”
Tyler flung his
arm aside and
out down at The Hops. Who knows?”
“That’s a
threat.”
“And this is
me, outside of my bed in the middle of the freezing cold night while a very hot
girl is in it.”
“She had…cats.”
“What? Huh?”
“I don’t like
cats.”
“What don’t you
like about them?”
“They freak me
out, okay?”
Dante burst out
laughing.
“You’re a good
friend, you know that?”
“I’m sorry man,
I’m sorry.” Dante tried to compose himself and then started laughing so hard
again he could barely keep driving. “Go on. Really. I’m listening.”
“I just don’t
trust them. They have shifty eyes. And they’re so sneaky. They stalk around all
soundless, jumping from behind corners, like the deadly, silent predators they
are. How can you trust a creature that makes no sound at all like that just
sneaking up on you all the time? A dog would never do that.” Owen shuddered.
“Mini panthers. Or lions. They’re predators. You trust a lot of predators?”
“Guess not,”
Dante said.
“Okay, go
ahead, just get it out of your system,” Owen said, suppressing his own grin.
Now, in the safety of Dante’s car, far away from Jennifer’s apartment, it did
seem a little funny. Just a little bit.
“Thank you,
man.” Dante grabbed his side over the fabric of his coat after letting out a
round of pent up laughter. “Oh, my stomach! You’re a good friend. Your debt is
paid.” Dante erupted into a round of hyena cackles, and Owen sat back in his
seat and closed his eyes.
By the time
Dante dropped Owen off at his car, Owen felt a lot better. So the date hadn’t
gone so well. There would be others.
A small,
nagging part of him wondered, were the bad dates the
universe’s way of pushing him in Marci’s direction? They kept crossing paths
after all. Well, maybe the universe had better have a little talk with Marci
about that. He wasn’t the one who was resistant to the whole idea. And he was
done chasing girls. Especially rich girls who thought they had something to
prove to their parents. That’s what he’d done with Kristin, and look how that’d
turned out for him. Four years of putting up with her tantrums. Ugly fights.
And the worst had been begging her to come back whenever she decided she’d had
“enough”—and he wasn’t ever sure what he’d done to be “enough”—and
broke up with him. They’d broken up and gotten back together more times than he
could count. That’s why he hadn’t believed the last time was really the last
time. Until he found out about Justin.
And for what? So she could go off and get engaged to Justin
on his daddy’s big, fancy boat? Enough of that.
Nope, time to
get back on the horse. As soon as he got home, he was going online to the
dating site and finding someone to set up date number three with.
If he could
have seen the future, and could have known what a disaster date number three
would be, maybe he would have conceded and let the universe have its way.
Chapter Eleven
Marci knew from
the moment she walked through the door and saw him lying prostrate on the couch
that this was going to be bad.
“Hey, Tyler,”
she said, entering the apartment like she was literally walking on eggshells
the way she was figuratively. Closing the door softly behind her, she
approached the couch. Tyler didn’t move the arm he had draped over his face.
She knelt next to the couch. He still didn’t move. Wouldn’t say anything.
“Tyler, honey, what is it? Are you okay?”
Still nothing.
“Sweetheart.
What can I get you? What can I do?” she rested her chin on the arm of the sofa
and looked down at him. He was breathing too rapidly to be asleep, but just
barely. “I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nobody can fix
it,” Tyler finally mumbled, his voice muffled by his arm. “It’s unfixable.”
“Ah, now I bet
that’s not true.”
Tyler flung his
arm aside and
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