Lily swallowed back a grimace and waited until Carter sauntered away to wipe her hand against her shorts. Ugh, why did he call her that? Was he trying to be Kieran?
Speaking of… Kieran stepped closer, one eyebrow raised in confusion as he glanced between her and Carter’s retreating form. “You’re going on a date with Carter?”
“I guess so.” Lily drummed her fingers along her case and exhaled. A quick sweep of the room placed Sebastián wiping down a bar rack. “Hey, Seb!” She waved a hand over her head, beckoning their friend.
Sebastián jogged over with a smile on his face. “Hey, Lily. Kieran. What’s up?”
“She’s going on a date with Carter.” Kieran didn’t bother to disguise the disdain in his voice.
Lily shot him a glare, a retort ready on her lips, but Sebastián cut her off with a low whistle.
“Okay, not my first choice but not awful. What’s the issue?”
“The issue is it’s Carter, and he has a new girlfriend every month,” Kieran drawled.
Lily smacked a hand against his chest, and with a pointed glare, turned her back to Kieran and faced Sebastián head on. “The issue is, well.” A flush spread across her cheeks, and she fidgeted with her fingers. “I’ve kinda never been on a first date and uh, well, would you like to get lunch with me tomorrow as a practice run?”
She could feel Kieran straighten behind her—his heat spreading over her back—but she kept her gaze trained on Sebastián’s surprised face.
“You’ve never been on a date?” Sebastián held his hands out as if he were a crocodile hunter approaching an endangered species.
“No, I mean yes, but…” Lily sighed and shoved her hands into her pockets. “Vovik and I started dating when we were fifteen. And we were classmates, so we never did the whole ‘where are you from, what do you do’ thing. We already knew each other pretty well.”
“You’ve only dated one dude?” Sebastián’s voice was incredulous.
Lily’s brows furrowed together, and she glowered at her friend. “I thought I was gonna marry him,” she muttered between clenched teeth. “Can you do a practice run with me or not?”
Sebastián sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I really am, because I’d love to help you out, but my older sister and her husband are in town this weekend. I’m booked.”
The confidence Lily had managed to muster blew out of her in a single breath. Her shoulders dropped, but in a moment she had her signature painted smile back on her face. “No worries, then! I’m sure I can figure it out.” Even if the idea of not having a plan left her wanting to burrow under her covers and never come out.
“I can take you to lunch.”
Lily turned, surprise widening her eyes, and she met Kieran’s dark stare. Rude, condescending Kieran Sullivan wanted to have lunch with her? “I was being serious.”
“So was I.” He shrugged. “You want to be in control. I get it. Let’s go to lunch.”
Her lips pinched in a frown. What did Kieran know about not being in control? Every aspect of his life was perfectly sewn together. From his wonderful, happy family to his immaculate home and rigid health routine. Kieran knew nothing of fear or helplessness.
“Whatever.”Come on, girl. Don’t be a bitch.Lily shook her head and sighed. “I mean okay. If you’re willing to practice with me, I appreciate it.”
Kieran passed over her case and gave a curt nod. “I’ll call you tonight.”
“Okay.”
He sauntered back toward the Octagons, and Lily turned, puzzled, toward Sebastián.
Her friend sucked in his lips, unable to contain a gleeful smile.
She crossed her arms. “What?”
“Nada.” He held up his hands in surrender and backtracked to the rack he’d been cleaning. “I’ll see you on Monday, Lily.”
Yep. Lily huffed and shouldered her bag. She’d see him Monday. Assuming, of course, her date with Carter wasn’t a disaster where she ended up as a missing persons case.
ChapterSix
Carter was lucky their upcoming tournament wasn’t until next week; otherwise his punishment for being late to training would’ve taken him out of his next fight. Instead of getting high fives for scoring the social media manager’s number, he got a one-on-one date with the floor after too many burpees and weighted squats.
