“I won’t kiss you again until you give me permission.” I back away from her. I would never force a woman into something she didn’t want.

“It’s not that I don’t want you, too. I don’t know... I’m just scared.”

“Don’t be scared. I would never hurt you. Do you want to leave?” I feel scared of her answer.

“No, of course not. Let’s finish dinner.”

We sit in our seats across from each other. I am aching for her… to touch her. Maybe we should have gone to a restaurant instead. I didn’t think emotions would be brewing like this. Her face looks like she is in deep thought.

“Are you okay?” I ask, raising my eyebrows at her.

“Yes. I’m sorry. I overreacted. I don’t want my old feelings to interfere with dinner. Let’s start over.” She reaches out her hand. “Hi, I’m Hailey, and it’s so great to meet you.”

I take her hand in mine. “Hi, I’m Chase. You are a very beautiful woman, and I would love to get to know you better.”

She hesitates and then gets up from her chair. She walks around the table.

I’m not sure what her move is about. Is she leaving? I told her I wouldn’t touch her.

“Chase.”

I look up at her. “Yes.”

She smashes her lips against mine. This move definitely catches me off guard. She likes me. She breaks the kiss, smiles, and goes back to her chair. As she sits back down, before I can speak, the doorbell rings.

What the fuck? What perfect timing…? I’m certainly not expecting anyone.

“Can you excuse me for a minute? I need to answer the door.” I’m hoping they have the wrong address. My parents are in California visiting my aunt and uncle, so it can’t be them. I look through the side window and see P standing there. Why is he here? I have to answer or he’ll never go away.

“Hey bro, what’s up?”

He looks at me like I’m crazy. “The Knicks game. We were supposed to watch it tonight. I brought the pizza.”

“Shit man, I forgot. This day went too fast for me. I have to tell you something.”

“What?”

“Hailey’s here. I cooked dinner for her.”

“Oh damn. I’ll go.” He starts to walk away, shaking his head. “Whatever happened to bros before hoes?”

“Dude, you’re an ass. Come in. You drove all this way. I’ll talk to her.”

“Now you need permission from the date.”

I glare at him. “You have no feelings whatsoever.”

“None,” he says, laughing.

We head back inside. Hailey stands up from her chair. “Hailey, you remember Parker from school?”

“Yes, of course.” She shakes his hand and looks at me, confused.

I grab her hand. “P, I’m gonna talk to Hailey in private for a moment.”

He eyes us both up strangely and goes to sit in the living room. When he leaves, I whisper to Hailey, “I forgot we were watching the Knicks game tonight, but I could have sworn I told him. I must have been so wrapped up in thoughts of you, I forgot about everything else.

“That’s sweet, but I can just go,” she says.

“No, I want you to stay. It will be okay. P is my best friend, and you are my… friend… too. I’m sure all three of us can hang out.” I try to convince her, but really I’m trying to convince myself. I know how P can be.

“Okay, I’ll see how it goes.” Her smile is genuine.

I am dying inside. I hope to God P acts on his best behavior. She is sensitive, and he knows how to break people down. He also has no filter and says whatever comes out of his mouth.

I hope I’ve made the right decision.

CHAPTER 18

Hailey

SO MUCH FOR A GOOD DATE. I’m sitting here with two guys who were the most popular boys in high school. Who would have ever thought that would happen? Parker is eating his pizza with not a care in the world. He keeps looking over at me. Chase looks aggravated but keeps smiling at me. The whole situation is nuts. Parker finally speaks to me after twenty minutes.

“You look good, Hailey. It’s good to see you.”

That seems out of left field! Chase doesn’t look too happy with the comment.

“Thanks, Parker. It’s good to see you, too. It’s been a long time.”

As I’m sitting here, I receive a text message from my best friend, Erica. She was my only friend in high school, one of those people who were friends with everyone.

How’s the date going with Mr. Hot Lacrosse Player?

Horrible. Guess who showed up?

Who?

Parker.

Seriously, is he still gorgeous?

What do you think? Do they ever get ugly?

Figures.

I don’t want to be rude, so I’ll text you later.

Bye, try to have fun.

Doubt it.

I answer Melanie’s text, as well, since I am bored to tears.

How is Romeo? She texts.

He drank the poison.

What? You killed him?

LMAO... No! I’ll tell you tomorrow.

Do you need bail money?

I KILLED NO ONE. I was joking.

Phew I was nervous. See ya tomorrow. I’ll be up if you need me or money …bahahahaha.

We sit in silence until Parker starts talking about the game. They both start screaming at the television. I become the third wheel in this bromance.

“I think I’m gonna get going. I have to check into the office early.”

“Are you sure? I want you to stay,” Chase says, getting up from his chair.

“It’s okay. I’m tired.”

“I’ll call you later. We’ll talk.” He winks.

“Thank you for dinner. It was great.”

“You’re welcome.”

He walks me to the door. It is a very awkward situation. I like Chase. I hope it will work out, but I’m not sure how I feel about things. I’m kind of confused at the moment. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

“Come here.” Chase grabs my arm and kisses me goodbye. “Call me when you get home, so I know you made it safe.”

“I will.”

I’m not sure if I even want to get involved with him. I know this wasn’t his fault… or was it planned? I’ll never know.

A tear rolls down my face. I feel like I’m back in high school again, being made an ass out of by the popular kids. I get in my car and drive away, leaving behind any reminder of tonight.

CHAPTER 19

Chase

I FEEL HORRIBLE. I don’t want Hailey to think I planned this, but let’s face it: the date didn’t go great.

I plop into the chair and grab my beer off of the table. “What is it with me and women?” I ask P as he sits engrossed in the game.

“Honestly?”

“No lie.” I slam the beer back down.

“You’re not over Megan. You cannot move forward until you get over her.”

“I was going to ask her to move in with me. I was going to propose to her. It’s not that easy.”

“Do you like Hailey?” he asks.

“She’s a really nice person, and she’s beautiful,” I respond, avoiding the question.

“What kind of answer is that?”

“I don’t know how I feel. Obviously she’s gone, so she doesn’t like me too much, either.” I am conflicted; that’s all I know at the moment.

“Maybe you’re just not compatible. Are you going to call her?”

Ahh, the million dollar question.

“I don’t think I’ll call her for another date. Maybe as a friend. I don’t know. What’s the point? She didn’t really seem interested in me. I have to talk with her. I think I wooed her just as a way to fight my Megan demons. It’s hard to get over Megan when she calls me every damn day. I mean I really can’t stand Megan, but I still think about the things we shared, the memories.”

“I can talk to Hailey for you,” P offers.