“Well, that was going well until he made it blatantly obvious that I’m more into him than he is to me.” Chastity rolls her eyes.
“I don’t think that?—”
“Dani.” She gives me a look that tells me to stop bullshitting her.
All I can do is sigh. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay.” She huffs. “I don’t think Lincoln’s that into you either.”
“Yeah, well, no huge loss there. I wasn’t feeling it myself. He was so friendly and bubbly when he first walked in here, but then he started droning on about football, and I think he saw my eyes glazing over. There was no going back after that.”
“Ugh!” Chastity rises from her seat, brushing a hand down her dress to straighten it. “Why does dating have to suck so badly?”
“I know, right?” I give her a sympathetic smile, surprised by how not bummed out I feel.
But I really don’t.
If anything, I’m feeling nothing. Or just… neutral.
This date wasn’t a winner, but it was fun hanging out with Tyrell and Chastity for a while.
Holding out my hand, I wait for her to reach for mine, then give it a squeeze. “You know the best part of this night for me?”
“What?”
“Getting to know you better.” I smile up at her, and she grins right back.
“Girl, yes. Thank you.” Pulling me into a hug, she laughs against my ear, squeezing me tight before kissing my cheek.
“All paid up.” Tyrell returns, looking between us and obviously trying to figure out what we were just talking about.
“Thanks for that.” I smile at him, then nod at Lincoln. “It was nice to meet you.”
“Yeah, you too.” He extends his hand, and I give it an awkward shake while Tyrell gives him another quizzical frown.
Shaking his head, he follows Lincoln out of the restaurant before walking us to Chastity’s car.
“Thanks for a great evening.” He raises his hand in farewell.
Chastity scoffs, opening her car door and slipping inside while I wince at Tyrell.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbles. “I didn’t mean to be rude. She just caught me off guard.”
“Don’t worry about it. You obviously weren’t feeling it.”
“But she’s really nice. I just…” He cringes, and I squeeze his arm to reassure him.
“It’s okay, Ty. I’ll find you a winner next time.”
“Should there be a next time?” He scratches the back of his neck.
“Hey, Jackson, let’s go, man!” Lincoln calls from beside Tyrell’s SUV.
“Comin’!” Ty lifts his hand before looking back to me and asking again, “Should there be a next time?”
I bite my lips together and force myself to nod. “We can’t give up so quickly. Good things take time, right? I’m in if you are.”
He studies me for a long beat, and I squirm in my heels until he finally nods, his voice all soft and rumbly. “Okay. I’ll, uh… try to find you a better match too.”
