Evan laughed and then covered his mouth, probably realizing Lauren didn’t find this funny. Lauren glared at him and sipped her martini.
“So you’re telling me,” Evan said, “that this isn’t some, like, love-slash-hate thing like in the movies, where you fight but only because you’re secretly into each other? Like, uh, Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles in10 Things I Hate About You? Or Moira Kelly and…that guy inThe Cutting Edge. Or Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds inThe Proposal. OrMoonlighting. Or—”
“I get it.” Lauren rolled her eyes. “And please. The world doesn’t work that way.”
“I dunno. When I was twelve, I picked fights with this boy Tommy because I was madly in love with him and didn’t know what to do.”
“See, that’s a dick move. You probably traumatized him.”
“Nope.” Evan plucked a strawberry from the rim of his glass and popped it in his mouth with a grin. “What I did was exchange blow jobs with him in the locker room after gym class in tenth grade.”
“Men are the worst.”
“What? He wasn’t traumatized. He had a crush on me, too.”
“I just mean, you think sex fixes everything.”
Evan picked up the bar menu and started perusing the appetizers. He raised an eyebrow at Lauren. “Ah, I see what has you all riled up. He frustrates you. You say you hate him. But you still want to bang him.”
Lauren sighed and looked around for the waitress so she could order another martini.
“I mean, I get it,” said Evan. “He’s foxy.”
“He’s not… That’s not what I…”
Evan just grinned.
Okay, Lauren was attracted to Caleb, and he was quite foxy, but she was not in the habit of sleeping with people she found annoying—or sleeping with anybody, really, since it had been awhile—and it seemed like a bad idea to bang the guy who worked next door. They didn’t exactly work together, but if things went wrong, which they totally would, she’d still have to see him.
Of course, he seemed to be avoiding her. He hadn’t stopped in for coffee since that first day. He probably didn’t have much fondness for her, either.
Whatever, it didn’t matter. Caleb was an infuriating man. If Lauren slept with anyone, it would be with someone with whom she got along, someone she had mutual respect with.
Evan pursed his lips and gazed at the menu. “I want something salty. You want to share a bowl of their homemade potato chips?”
“Sure.” But before Evan could flag down the waitress, she said, “You know, you’re one to talk.”
Evan scoffed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“If sex fixes everything, then why are you here with me and not with Pablo the barista?”
Evan shrugged. “I’m playing the long game. He did get a job at the bookstore, so I guess I’ll have to catch up on my reading.”
“Right.”
“It’s not the same thing.”
Evan successfully got the waitress’s attention, and after they ordered several appetizers and Lauren ordered two more martinis because happy hour was almost over, Evan said, “This doesn’t have anything to do with Derek, does it?”
“Oh, for the love of—”
“I’m sorry, just the timing. I know you don’t want to get back together with Derek, but his wedding photos have been all over my social media feeds, too, and I know that can’t be easy.”
“No, it has nothing to do with Derek. Well, not directly. I mean, yeah, seeing him all happy with his new wife is not exactly filling me with warm fuzzies, but that’s not it. I’ve made a decision.”
“Yeah?”
“Derek was… I mean, he’s a great guy, but being with him didn’t really make me happy, nor did the stupid rebound fling with Jason the Math Tutor. You know what I’ve decided? To find what makes me happy. Working at the café makes me happy. Rescuing cats makes me happy. Spending time with my friends makes me happy.” She reached over and gave Evan a soft punch on the shoulder. “Even when they irritate me. So I’ve decided rather than pursue some relationship just for kicks and sexual gratification, especially with a guy I hate, who probably thinks I’m an idiot, I’m going to focus on the things that make me happy. I want to build a fulfilling life. If I happen to meet a nice man, great, but if not, that’s okay, too. As long as I’m happy.”
