Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 19580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 98(@200wpm)___ 78(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 98(@200wpm)___ 78(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
"Dinner. With Elias." James looks at me like I've gone dense. "That okay? I should've mentioned it earlier, but anyway, no big deal. It's just Elias."
Just Elias. Right. Just the guy I've had filthy thoughts about. The main reason I always found other men wanting. No. Big. Deal.
"No, it's … that's fine." My voice sounds strangely distant. "I just didn't realize ... will he even remember me? "
James shrugs. "Maybe. He has a weird memory for details."
We wait in the hallway outside the locker rooms, where family and friends gather. I'm simultaneously praying Elias remembers me and hoping he doesn't. The former would be miraculous; the latter, well, disappointing, but less humiliating.
Either way, I really am not prepared to meet him when I look like this.
James scrolls through his phone while we wait, his expression suddenly shifting.
"Elise, did you see this?"
He holds out his phone, showing me Mia's Instagram post. It's the video from the coffee shop last week, artfully edited with a soft filter. The caption reads: So inspired by those who chase their dreams no matter how long it takes! Remember: success looks different for everyone. Don't let society pressure you into their definition of achievement. #BeYourself #ChaseYourDreams #AuthenticLiving #LiveLaughLove
Seventeen hundred comments already. Three thousand likes.
Humiliation burns through me like acid. Everyone from high school who sees this will know exactly what she's doing, showcasing my failure against her success. The reunion is two weeks away, and this is just the opening salvo. She's taken aim and has me squarely in her cross-hairs. No way she's going to back off now.
"I'm going to murder her," I whisper, already mentally picturing what she'd look like if the demon child in one of my stories showed up by her bed in the middle of the night.
The thought comforts me … a bit.
James squeezes my shoulder. "She's always been threatened by you. That girl peaked in high school. That's why she's still mean."
"Threatened by me?" I laugh bitterly. "The barista with the unpublished manuscript?"
"By you." He drapes an arm over my shoulder. "The smartest person in our class who didn't need to rely on her looks or her daddy's money."
The reminder doesn't help. All I can think about is walking into that reunion alone, facing Mia's pitying smiles and condescending questions about my life as a barista. Ugh, not to mention her mini mean squad. There really should be a statute of limitations on how long anyone can hold a grudge. Yes, I got better grades, and ignored her attempts to outshine me. I was never haughty or smug towards her.
Is it too late to back out now?
Not really, but if I don't show up, it means she's won. If I do show up, she'll have one hell of a time making fun of me. Why is life so complicated? Why can't some people just get over themselves?
"James," I say, the words tumbling out before I can stop them, "will you go to the reunion with me, like, I mean, as my date or my pretend boyfriend?" I try to sound casual, like I'm not pathetically desperate, even though I really, really am. "Just so I don't look like a total loser. Especially in front of her."
Understanding crosses his face. He opens his mouth to answer—
"Elise. I'll be your fake date."
That voice. Deep, warm, slightly amused. Coming from directly behind me.
I turn slowly, my body moving independent of my frozen brain.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The Holy Trinity, and Zuul.
Elias King stands five feet away, freshly showered, his damp hair curling slightly at the temples. He's changed into dark jeans and a forest green shirt that just this instant becomes my favorite color. This close, I can see the tiny flecks of gold in his irises, the faint shadow of stubble along his jaw. The scar on his eyebrow, and even a small white line bisecting the arch.
He's looking directly at me, not through me or past me. At me.
Am I dreaming? Is this one of those weird moments where you think something's happening, but it's really just my imagination? Am I hallucinating?
"You..." My voice fails. Did he just offer to be my fake date? To the reunion? Did he actually say my name? Did he actually remember my name?
His mouth curves into a smile that doesn't help my cognitive functions. The last of my brain cells wither and die, while my core simultaneously clenches.
"What do you say, Elise? Want to show up together and give them something to talk about?"
My heart hammers so violently, I'm certain both men can hear it. Heck, the entire stadium can probably hear it. Elias King remembers my name. Elias King just offered to pretend to date me. Elias King is waiting for my answer while I stand here like a malfunctioning robot.
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.