His smile fades. He stares down at his phone dumbly.
I wait patiently as he books, cloaking my bad mood in a layer of aloofness. When he hangs up, I glance over at him.
“So, are you planning on picking her up?”
“Lewis said I—”
“You asked Lewis already?” I interrupt. “What the hell am I here for, then?”
“He said I should just meet her there,” he continues evenly. “That way if things get weird, I can just ditch her.”
“You realize that works both ways, right?”
“Right. Which is why I think you should be my chaperone.”
I hate that he actually looks nervous about this date.
“I mean, what if she stands me up? That would kill me.”
“Same.” I nod. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for nearly two whole months now.”
He leans across the table and covers my hands with his. “I won’t let you down, Carrie.”
I pull my palms from his, desperate to get away from the heat of his skin on mine. I let my hands fall into my lap, gnawing at the inside of my cheek.
“I’m curious,” I start. “Is this the first time you’ve ever asked a girl on a date?”
“Yup.”
“Wait, really?”
He nods. “Up until this summer, I liked to keep things short and sweet, if you get me.”
I think for a moment. “So, all those girls you slept with—you never wanted to take things further? Not even once?”
I’m expecting him to bounce right back with a reply, but he takes a deep breath in and turns the question over in his mind. He looks at me for a moment.
“I just wasn’t ever in that headspace.” He shrugs. “But that was then.”
Damn.I have no idea why—but this actually hurts. He’s basically saying I’m like all the other girls. Short and sweet, nothing more.But that was then.It’s like a sucker punch to the gut.
I give myself a shake. This is a good thing, I remind myself. That’swhat I wanted. Remember?Short and sweet. That’s all I ever was. That’s all I ever wanted to be.
I rub my hands together, doing my best to shrug off those weird feelings.
“Okay—let’s get to work.”
We spend the next thirty minutes brainstorming stuff to talk about—topics to sidestep any awkward silences. Donovan is super focused, nodding to show he’s taking it all in, jotting down a few notes in his phone.
“And that’s all you have to do,” I finish. “Play your cards right, and she’ll be hooked by dessert. Take her out on a couple more hot dates, and then it’ll just be a case of telling her you love her, ideally by candlelight—job done.”
“Wow! That’s maybe one level too high, even for your favorite student.”
I ignore him. “And when youdotell her you love her—hell, you should get down on your knees to really sell it. Girls love maximum yearning.”
He laughs. “The nineteenth century called—it wants its life hacks back.”
“Oh, I’m sorry—I didn’t realize you were an expert now.”
