“I’m not sure that’s any of your business,” I mutter, shying away from him but rushing to keep up with Bonnie’s tugging.
“Hey.” Levi grabs my arm to stop my retreat. Body tense, I let him inspect me from head to toe, feeling more like an alien than a normal girl who’s begging for a guy to notice her. To notice her as a woman who has thoughts and feelings instead of a friend who needs dating advice.
“What’s wrong, Charlie?” he murmurs quietly.
“Nothing.”
“Tell me.”
I want to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Instead, I give him exactly what he’s asking for, and I don’t sugarcoat an ounce of it. “Fine. I’ve never been kissed. I’ve never been on a date. I’ve never done anything. Hell, I wasn’t even asked to a high school dance, remember? Is this what you wanted to hear?”
“Charlie—”
“Don’t.”
“Charlie—”
“Seriously. Don’t.” I shrug out of his hold, keeping a safe distance between us.
“Charlie, you were never asked to a dance because I told all the guys to leave you alone. I knew what the punks in high school were thinking and what they wanted, and I didn’t want them coming near you. I’m—”
“Levi, I really don’t care right now, and I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’m not in the mood, okay? In fact, I think I’m going to take Bonnie for another mile. You can just drop off Buddy at Forever Grey. I’ll talk to you later.”
Then I run back down the hill in the opposite direction until the muscles in my legs ache as bad as the one in my chest.
He wouldn’t let guys come near me in high school? Why? That doesn’t make any sense. Especially when he’s so gung-ho about my current dating life.
Gah!
And they say girls are complicated?
My ass.
Chapter Ten
Levi
“Alright. If we’re going to make this work, then you gotta treat her like gold.” Pulling out a chair in the break room while knowing I only have five minutes before my next meeting, I watch Conner chew his peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
After a few seconds, he swallows. “That won’t be a problem. Anything else?”
“You gotta promise me that she never finds out I had anything to do with this.”
“Deal.”
I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.
There was just something about this morning with her. I knew I’d been overprotective during high school, and that I probably shouldn’t have intervened so much with her dating life. But to hear that she’s never even been kissed? She’s twenty! How the hell is that even possible? What’s holding her back? She needs a push in the right direction, and if I have to make a deal with Conner to get her to live her damn life, then so help me, I will.
I breathe a slow sigh then rest my elbows on the table.
“Fine. I want you to know that I’m not just doing this for you or for the job. I’m doing this because she needs to get out of her shell, and I think she needs a little push in the right direction.”
There. I said it out loud. So, why am I still feeling so damn guilty?
“Then push away,” Conner replies, clearly invested in the conversation.
“She likes sports. She’s obsessed with baseball and running. Loves pizza and burgers. Hates fish. Her favorite candy is Nerds, though she’ll tell you it’s chocolate. She runs when she’s scared and almost never yells. When she’s nervous, she’ll pick at her clothes and avoid eye contact. She also––”
“Dude. First, you should probably just email me all this shit because there’s no way I’ll remember all of it. Second, how am I supposed to use this information?”
Frustrated, I run my fingers through my hair before blowing out another breath. “I’m not the one trying to date her. You are. I’m giving you all the ammo I can think of to make that happen, but the ball is still in your court.”
He shakes his head. “That’s not how this works. Yes, I think all this info is a great start, but I’m still going to need your help.”
“Then you’re going to have to be more specific,” I bite out.
“How do I convince her to give me a chance?” he returns with just as much venom.
Apparently, I’m not the only one with a lack of patience for the day.
“I don’t know. Right now, she’s pissed at me too.”
Pulling away, Conner takes another bite of his sandwich after asking, “And why’s that?”
“Because I asked her if….” For some reason, divulging the fact that my best friend has never been kissed seems like crossing a line. “I asked her if she was seeing anyone.”
“You didn’t know if she was single?”
“I assumed, but we don’t really talk about our love lives.”
“Why?”
Because she doesn’t want to hear about mine, and I never bothered to ask about hers, I think to myself, feeling like a dick for being so self-absorbed. Still, the thought of her being with someone makes my nose wrinkle, so maybe it’s self-preservation more than self-absorption. Or maybe I’m just trying to make myself feel better, and that I’m not really a shitty friend.
Realizing he’s still waiting for a response, I say, “Because we have more important shit to talk about. But you’re in the clear. She’s single. Which means that if you can get her to see the current you instead of the asshole from your past, then you might have a chance.”
“And how do we get her to see that?”
“She volunteers at a place called Forever Grey. Maybe you can run into her.”
As the wheels turn in his head, Conner nods, forming a plan.
“I can do that. Do you know when she’s usually there?”
“She usually runs in the mornings, although sometimes it isn’t until after her shift at Get Baked.”
“That’s not exactly helpful.”
Seriously? Does he want me to hold his hand through this whole damn thing?
Frustrated, I run my hands through my hair before growling, “Fine. I’ll set up a time to run with her then bail at the last second. Sound good?”
He nods. “Perfect.”
Shoving away from the chair, I pull out my phone and leave Conner to his PB&J.
My gut tightens as I type out a text, but I ignore it.
Me: Hey. I’m sorry about today. Let me make it up to you.
Charlie: And how would you do that?
Me: I’ll bring Chinese tonight, then we can run it off tomorrow morning.
The little bubbles pop up, notifying me that she’s typing a response before they disappear for a solid minute. As my eyes stay glued to my phone, I almost run into Alex, one of Montague’s employees.
“Shi—” I correct myself. “Sorry, Alexandra.”
“No worries,” she replies with a kind smile. Alexandra has always been friendly yet professional. She’s also personable as hell, so it doesn’t surprise me when she asks, “So are you coming to the grand opening of the Jelani Arts Center?”