A bitter laugh barks from my chest. “Stupid? Oh god. This night keeps getting better and better.”
He curses. “I mean, you could get hurt.”
“It’s fine.” I hold up my hand and take one step back, my bare foot pressing into the pavement. “Tonight can’t get any worse than it already is.”
I turn to walk down the street, being careful of any glass bottles and who knows what else. Footsteps echo behind me, but I don’t look back.
“My night is bad because I came out for a drink to distract myself from stuff I’ve got going on at home, but my friends decided to get us kicked out, and quite frankly, they’re pissing me off.”
My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I slowly come to a stop. I tilt my head over my shoulder, my blonde hair swishing. “So what are you going to do about it?”
“Ditch them,” he says instantly. “And ask if you want to go for a drink with me instead, because I think you might need it as much as I do.”
My mouth opens, and I shut it immediately in shock.
“You want to go for a drink with me?”
“Yeah.” He nods. “I could do with six shots of tequila, and I bet you could, too.”
“I don’t like tequila.”
He narrows his eyes but smiles anyway, a cheeky yet playful glimmer reflecting in his irises. “Fine, sambuca then.”
My heartbeat pounds in my throat as I stare at this abnormally handsome man—something Ireallydidn’t want to acknowledge again.
“My shoe is broken,” I say, raising the heels in my hand.
“I’ll hold you up.”
For a moment, I look at him. “What’s your name?”
“JJ.”
I tilt my head at his Godlike confidence.
It’s practically oozing out of him. I want nothing more than to peel my eyes away, but I can’t remove myself from his undeniable energy.
“And yours?”
I lick my bottom lip. “Ivy.”
“Well, Ivy. Would you like to go to the next bar so we can banish this shit day with a sambuca shot?”
I shove down the pounding thoughts that are telling me to go home. He’s right, we could attempt to make this night better if I fall into nicer company. Otherwise, I’ll be wallowing in self-pity the second I get home and striking myself out for future dates.
Not that this is a date, by any means.
JJ stands there waiting patiently for an answer.
I roll back my shoulders and shake out my stiff spine. I can’t remember the last time I’ve done anything this spontaneous, not since the accident. I’ve been living in bubble wrap for far too long, and tonight might be the night to surprise myself.
“Alright, fine,” I say softly. “But I’m only going for the sambuca.”
CHAPTER 2
IVY THOMPSON
We walk down to the next bar.Scratch that.I hobble down to the next bar with assistance from JJ. The second we enter the vibrant space, I’m gasping for another drink.
