I blast my favorite Lena Lux song—Self Sabotage—singing along as I flip on my blinker and chug my way across town and onto Soleil Drive. My mind wars between what I just agreed to—a date with a stranger—and the only person I’m actually interested in going on a date with. And not just a last-minute thing at home, a real one. Ty pops into my mind, and I try desperately to remove him from it.
Think about Ryan, Avery.Ryan.The one who wants to meet you. The one who didn’t ask to see you out of sheer pity.
And then I can’t help but wonder: why did he want to meet up with me? Because I’m a cheerleader? All he knows about me is how I pose in photos. Larissa fancies herself a matchmaker, but I know nothing about him. I can’t imagine she shared much about me. The thought of Ryan being attracted to me solely based on my accomplishment feels… wrong. I plucked and tanned and improved myself until I was the image of what other people expected from me. Which, I guess, is a good thing. I like being attractive. I like being praised for my dance abilities. And I worked hard for these legs and even harder for hair this glossy, considering the amount of heat I put on it.
Chill out, crazypants. It’s not like you’re meeting him at the altar. It’s one date. And maybe a masquerade.
A giddy feeling bubbles up inside. Even if Ryan only likes the way I look, getting free tickets to a ball because of it might make it worth it.
I pull onto Soleil Drive and putt my way down Ty’s block. As I close in on his house, the sight of a woman loading things into a massive SUV out front stops me in my tracks. Literally. I slam on my brakes before I realize what I’m doing, then quickly accelerate with a screech.Nice. Discrete, Avery. Rounding the block again, I remind myself I’m not supposed to be here. I’m definitely not supposed to be drawing attention to myself with obnoxious car screeches. I turn the stereo down to a low roar as I circle the block again. My stomach sinks as I watch the vehicle pull out on my second trip around the block. I coast around one more time, parking far enough away for it to not be conspicuous. I think. Then I sneak around to the door off the garage and type in a code. Moments later, I’m standing in the middle of the kitchen as Ty blankly stares at me.
“The neighbors probably thought you were casing the neighborhood,” he says, lifting a glass of water to his lips.
“What?” I drop my bag on the island.
He nods toward the direction of the street. “You were creeping around out there. People probably thought you were casing their homes.”
“Um… Someone was here. I couldn’t just barge in.”
“That was Linda. She cleans up around here twice aweek.” He finishes the glass and places it in the sink. “If you thought you were being sneaky, you weren’t.”
I press my lips together and turn on my heel to head up the stairs. “I was looking for parking.”
“The whole block is open.” He sighs. “You could have texted me, you know. You have my number, right?”
Something trills behind me, and I look down to see Dollyboy chasing after me. He follows me up the stairs. I stare at myself in the mirror atop the cream-colored dresser as I pull my hair out of its sweaty ponytail. An ache radiates down my arms as I rake my fingers through my hair. I make a mental note to chug some pickle juice or electrolytes or something after my shower. The last thing I need is a cramp. When I step into the hall with my toiletries, Ty is already there. He stares down at me, his eyes scanning from my face to the towel draped over my arm and back up again.
“Yes?” I ask.
“You ignored my question.”
“Not on purpose. I’m just sweaty. I hate the way dried sweat feels on my skin.” I try to read his face as he stares down at me. Does he think I’m crazy? “It’s overstimulating and all I can think about until I can shower it off.”
“Breaking a sweat’s good for you.”
“Maybe. But it’s gross.” I grimace as I peel a strand of hair from my neck. “What was your question?”
“I asked if you have my number.”
“You never gave it to me.” A fire flares in my cheeks. “I have your garage code and a key. I don’t need much else. I’m a simple girl.”
I shouldn’t be embarrassed that I saved his contactinformation after our first exchange, but it’s weird adding someone to my contact list without a direct go-ahead. Ty took some liberties—like scooping up my business card unbeknownst to me. How is saving his number any worse? The thought of admitting it out loud makes me feel like I’m back in grade school, confessing to someone that I have a new crush. Pushing around him, I duck into the bathroom.
Jiminy Christmas, Avery. Do you? Is that what this feeling is? A crush?!
“I have yours.” He pulls out his phone, trailing behind me. “See.”
I do see. He saved my number. And never texted me. Maybe he hasn’t had a reason to… But I wish he would have.
He pockets his phone. “Linda was on vacation. Today was her first day back to work.”
“So?”
“So she comes on Fridays and Wednesdays.”
I stare up at him as the dots connect. “Oh. So I need to lay low those days.”
“Exactly.”
