“Right, yeah. Sorry about that, and sorry we didn’t get to…” I drift off, hoping he’ll finish my sentence in his head. He does.
“Yeah, that kind of sucked. Is your friend okay?” he asks, sounding actually interested to know the answer.
“What?” My eyes narrow in confusion. “Oh, yes. Yeah, she’s fine now,” I hike a thumb over my shoulder to where Ellie stands, paying for our popcorn and drinks.
His eyes move from my face over to Ellie. He nods and smiles.
“Good to hear,” he says, smirking, then extending his arm to shake my hand. Seems a bit trivial since his tongue has been in my mouth. I take is, his large hand encompassing mine.
“Hi. I’m Archer, and you are?”
My mind freezes and I debate telling him my name. He seems like the type of guy who gets attached and I’m not in any space for that.
“Come on,” he coaxes. “Tell me your name.”
Alright, what can it hurt. “Lainey.”
Archer smiles, his perfect white teeth shining brightly. He looks like he’d be an accounting major. Like he grew up with a perfect family and has never actually felt pain. A small pang hits my chest as I think about how different my life is from that.
“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” he teases, and I can’t help but smile. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Lainey.”
“I think we’ve already met. But it’s nice to re-meet you, Archer.”
His smile grows, and then I realize he hasn’t let go of my hand yet. He follows my line of sight down to our still attached hands and then drops his.
Tucking his hands into his pockets, he clears his throat before asking, “Would you want to get dinner sometime?”
My heartbeat stutters, because what the hell? I was not expecting that. I mean, I shouldn’t go, right? I’d probably wreck him, and he seems like a nice guy. No guy I’ve ever hooked up with, or almost hooked up with, has ever asked me out. This is new territory for me.
Of course I’ve gone on dates, and I’ve tried the whole monogamy thing, but I’m not so sure it’s for me. I’ve never really had anything stable in my life other than Ellie, Holland, and Gwen. I can’t imagine a man wanting to stay with me when my own parents couldn’t even stay.
My brain races as I try to come up with a good reason to tell him no. I’m emotionally unavailable. I’m damaged goods. I’m not worth it. Archer deserves someone that’s fully invested, and that just isn’t me.
Archer looks from Ellie back to me, his eyes studying my face and I can feel my cheeks heat. I’m a pretty confident woman, and I don’t get flustered easily, but I’m feeling pretty damn flustered right now.
This guy is sweet and kind, and I already know he can kiss and make me feel good. What harm could going to dinner with the guy do, Lainey?
“Well?” Archer asks, looking hopeful.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think so,” I tell him, and I watch the hopeful look fall right off of his pretty face. God, I’m an asshole, but I’m doing him a favor.
“Oh, really? Is there a reason?” he asks, a look of disappointment filling his face. Crossing my arms over my chest in a protective manner, I shrug.
“I don’t do dates,” I say simply. I won’t go into my tragic past or childhood trauma. Keeping it simple and frank is easier. I know he’ll think I’m a whore or a bitch, but that’s better than him developing any kind of feelings for me.
Archer nods slowly, although I know he doesn’t understand.
“Right, okay,” he says, his hands moving to his pockets awkwardly. “Well, then, it was nice seeing you again, Lainey.”
I’m such an asshole.
“You too, Archer.”
“See you around.”
Ellie looks between us as she shoves a piece of popcorn into her mouth as if this has been some form of entertainment for her.
“See you,” I tell him, secretly hoping I’ll never actually see him again.
