“How do you feel saying that?”
“My stomach hurts.” I rubbed my nape. “But less tense, I think.”
“That’s good. Why do you think people don’t love you?”
My smile was thin. “Gee, maybe because everyone I’ve ever loved has left me. My mother, every guy I slept with. Even my dad left.” My voice caught.
“Bailey, you had no control over your parents. Your mother’s abandonment was a selfish act of her own, and your father’s death was a tragedy. You’re seeking to fill the void with random men, but it’s not helping.”
“I always think, maybe this guy…and then they leave, and I never hear from them.”
Dr. Sharpe fixed me with her steady gaze. “Yet you keep repeating the same self-destructive behavior. Now you’ve done the same with Keston. Try and arrange a date with him, and don’t have it end in sex. Ask to see him again, but say good night, no matter what.”
After the session, I thought about everything she said, and though it made me cringe, I figured why the hell not? Better to exorcise him from my system now, before I fell harder for him. But all that had to be shelved until later, as I had several court appearances and a closing on a co-op.
By the time I got home, the last thing I was thinking about was sex. It was six o’clock, and I was hungry and tired.
And yet…I picked up my phone and texted.
Doing anything?
My text remained unread, so I decided to take a shower and figure out what to order for dinner. I came out of the shower, rubbing my hair with a towel, when I saw my phone light up. I couldn’t deny the thrill that ran through me.
I was. Bottom half of a full sleeve.
I chewed my lip.
Feel like dinner? I can come downtown.
I waited, my hopes draining with each passing second.
Sure. Meet me at Temakase at 7:45.
I stuck my fist in the air for the win.
Ok.
I put on jeans and a button-down over a Henley. Casual but not sloppy. The car dropped me off in front of the restaurant, and I spotted Keston walking toward me from the second he turned the corner. Black jeans, white sweater, and a battered leather jacket. Effortless and completely gorgeous.
I gave a small wave. “Hi. How’s it going?”
“Good. Hungry.” He pulled open the door, and after a five-minute wait, we were shown to a table. A young woman in her twenties gave us a practiced smile as she approached.
“Hi, I’m Janessa, and I’ll be your server. Can I get you a cocktail, beer, or anything else to drink?”
Reading the menu, Keston nodded. “Sapporo, please.”
“Same for me,” I said.
“Great. I’ll be back in a few.”
After she left, I waited a moment before speaking. “Surprised to hear from me?”
“Not really.” He smirked and pulled off his jacket. “I figured we have to eat.”
The teasing grin on his delicious lips left no doubt that he thought he was getting lucky later.
We studied the menu. “I’ve never been here. What’s good?” I asked, hoping to start some kind of conversation, as I figured he wasn’t going to make much of an effort. Keston came alive when we were having sex but was a man of few words otherwise.
