“Okay.” She nods her head and then reaches for the door handle.Get the door for her, dumbass!“Well, thanks.”
Then, she’s gone. Walking down the long hallway to the elevator and out of my life forever.
Unless, of course, she needs a babysitter.
I shut the door and let my head bang against it for a moment before realizing that the chatter in the living room has ceased. I turn, my friends all with a clear line of sight to me in my misery, and Quinn raises an eyebrow at me.
“Well? Did you ask her out?” Her anticipated expression crushes my soul even more.
“I gave her my number.”
“Yes! I knew it!” She turns to Graham, who’s shaking his head in disappointment.We’re all disappointed, buddy.“I told you he was into her!”
“Did you get hers in return?” Chris asks, his analytical voice in use.
“No.”
A resounding groan echoes among the guys in the room, leaving the girls confused.
“What’s wrong with that?” Jane asks, looking to the girls for confirmation. “I’m sure she’ll call.”
“How did she get yours? What’s the context?” Viviana asks, looking like she was ready to start finding angles on how to get this to work.
“I…” I don’t want to admit it out loud. I know the second I do, they are going to start throwing things at me.
I already know what an idiot I am. Do I really need an audience for it?
“Derek,” Graham prompts, looking at me with curiosity. “What did you do?”
I swallow, then, leaning against the back of the couch, I blurt it out in one long word. “Iofferedtobabysitherdaughter.”
“What?” Quinn asks, frowning.
“Oh my god.” Garrett laughs, shaking his head, and Molly, his mortal enemy, shoots him a glare.
“What? What did he say?”
I take a breath, because apparently Garrett’s the only one who understands what I said and can’t seem to catch his breath.
Shaking my head, I finally admit the truth with unearthing defeat. “I offered.” I lick my lips. “To babysit her daughter.”
For a moment, there’s a collective silence throughout the room. Garrett notwithstanding, since he can’t breathe from how hard he was laughing. The boys give me sympathetic looks, and the girls seem to be trying to puzzle out what a colossal fuckup this was.
“I thought you liked her,” Quinn says, a questioning look on her face. “I mean, to be fair, I only saw you together at the wedding once, but—man, okay, I’m retiring from the fix-ups. I’m obviously way off base.” She turns to me and then makes me feel worse. “Derek, I’m so sorry for springing her on you. I really thought you were into her.”
“I am,” I answer, trying to figure out why I’m an idiot.
“But… wait, what?” Quinn questions with a lifted brow, looking at me. “Why didn’t you ask her out?”
“I swore off dating!” I say loudly, looking at my buddies, who were just now realizing what I was talking about. “I did it in front of all of you. Well.” I look at Graham. “Not you, you were in wedding bliss.”
“Thank you for leaving me out of it,” Graham replies, taking a sip of his beer.
“You were serious about that?” Enzo asks, reclining onto the couch and crossing his leg over his knee.
“Um, have you seen me date anyone since the wedding?”
I get a look from my friends at this. “What?”
