Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 67973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
While Becca was at the bar, the rest of us chatted. Whitney sat right next to me, and she leaned in close with a smile on her face, her glossy, curly dark hair falling over one shoulder. “So, are you going to get that guy’s number?”
She nodded in the direction of the dance floor, where the handsy man was still dancing, but his eyes were fixed our way. I considered her suggestion. He was good looking enough, with short blond hair and a smile that showed off perfectly straight, white teeth. But I didn’t feel any spark or chemistry when our eyes met.
“I don’t think so,” I said, looking away from him.
“Well, there are plenty of other good-looking guys here tonight,” Whitney pressed, her tone playful but insistent. “And it’s been a while since you dated anyone. Maybe you should try to pick someone up and have a little fun. Seriously, you look hot as hell.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Thanks, but I’m not going to hook up with someone just to say I did. You know me. I need more than that.”
Whitney rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Here we go.”
“I’m serious,” I said, leaning closer to be heard over the music. “I want the real thing. The butterflies. The spark. That pull in your chest that says, this might actually mean something. I’m not interested in sleeping with someone just to fill time or for an orgasm that my battery-operated boyfriend can handle just fine.”
“God, you’re such a hopeless romantic,” she teased, smiling before taking a drink of her water.
I took no offense to her words. “I always have been. You know that.”
Maybe too much so. I’d paid the price for that once before, falling for someone because I had misread the signals, convinced there was something more emotional between us than just sex, only to end up heartbroken. But I was still holding out for that special feeling. The butterflies. A relationship like my parents shared before Mom passed, and one like my father found again with Faith, his second wife.
I couldn’t be mad or upset my father had moved on, not when he was so happy. Seeing him find that kind of love twice gave me hope that it was possible for me, too. I could admit though, at least to myself, the situation with James had definitely made me more cautious when it came to men and their motives.
Whitney’s expression softened. “Yeah. But maybe holding out for perfect isn’t doing you any favors.”
I stilled, catching the shift in her tone, along with her reference to the guy I’d dated my senior year in college. “You’re talking about James.”
She hesitated, then nodded. “I just don’t want you to close yourself off because of what happened with him. You haven’t dated anyone seriously since and that was years ago, Morgan.”
I glanced away from my friend’s stare, the memory surfacing despite my best efforts to keep it buried. James. My college boyfriend, or at least I had thought he was my boyfriend. We’d spent months together. Late nights studying, long conversations, and the kind of sex that felt like it meant something. I’d fallen for him. Hard.
And then I found out he didn’t feel the same way. I had faced rejection and humiliation all in one fell swoop and not only was I blindsided, but completely devastated too.
“I thought we had something real,” I said, meeting her gaze again. “He told me he wasn’t looking for anything serious, but I didn’t believe him. I thought if I just waited, if I was patient enough, he would change his mind. That he’d realize he loved me, too.” God, I’d been such a fool.
Whitney reached out, squeezing my hand. “I know.”
“But he didn’t.” I forced a smile, even though the old hurt still stung. “He met someone else. Fell for her in, like, two weeks. Suddenly, he was ready for serious. Just not with me.”
“He was an idiot,” Whitney said fiercely.
“And I was just a convenient hook-up.” I’d also spent way too much time wondering why I hadn’t been good enough for him, beyond what I now recognized as regular booty calls. “Either way, I learned my lesson. I’m not going to chase after someone who doesn’t feel the same way about me. And I’m not going to settle for less than I deserve just because I’m afraid of getting hurt again.” But I also wasn’t a serial dater and didn’t want to waste my time with someone I had no chemistry with.
Whitney sighed, resting her chin on her hand. “I get that. I do. I just don’t want to see you close yourself off completely. You have these insanely high standards, and I’m worried you’re going to miss out on someone great because you’re too busy looking for those fireworks right away.”