“You threw me off!”
She laughed harder. “Then get back on! Come on, Ace. Listen… I know when Des asked me to do this for you, she mentioned there was a bit of a personality change when it came to women, and that it wasn’t positive. I understand you’re trying to change, but you have to be careful not to stifle the good parts of your personality while you’re working on the bad. You can be witty without being snarky, and straightforward without being abrasive. Do you get what I’m saying?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Just be myself— minus the asshole part— and go with the flow.”
“Precisely. So, now that we’ve gotten the lesson out of the way… let’s date.”
So we did. We ate, talked, and laughed until our stomachs hurt, and afterwards, I held her hand as I led her out of the restaurant.
“Umm… what’s this about?” she asked, gesturing towards our clasped fingers.
“You told me to pretend this was a date, so that’s what I’m doing. It’s late at night, in a big city, so I’m holding your hand while I walk you to your car.”
Tugging away, she stopped walking to turn and face me. “You really, really don’t have to do all of this, Avery. You did well.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to make sure you get safely to your car.” I grabbed her hand again, lacing my fingers through hers and gently urging her forward as we continued toward her car.
“And holding hands is part of that?”
I grinned at her as I squeezed her fingers. “Wouldn’t want some dude running up to snatch my girl away… I mean, if this was a date.”
She threw her head back, laughing as we rounded the corner into the parking lot. When we arrived at her car, I turned her around, gently pushing her backwards until she was pressed against it. Not leaving any space between us as I cupped her chin, I tipped her head back so I could get to her lips, and I was almost there when she averted her head.
“Avery… don’t do this,” she warned, pulling her lip between her teeth as she looked up at me.
“Do what?”
Tori rolled her eyes, then used her hand to gesture between us. “This.”
“What?” I asked again, pulling her hand up to my mouth to place a kiss against her fingertips. “We had a great time together, right? You told me I should go with the flow, and this is the point where I would kiss you goodnight— if this were a date.”
“Right. If. But it’s not.”
“I mean, we’re obviously attracted to each other… we’ve had a good time together… so it’s not like it would be a stretch. I’ve had a better time with you than either of the dates you’ve sent me on.”
Dude— are you begging?
“Those aren’t the only factors though, Avery.” She put her hands against my chest to push me backwards, and I didn’t resist.
“What, compatibility, chances of longevity, all of that? We don’t match up in your little system, so it would never work?”
Tori averted her eyes, looking down at her shoes. “Right.”
Dropping her hand, I turned away, swiping my face with my palm. Why the hell did I feel like this girl had kicked me in my chest?
“Hey,” Tori said, grabbing my wrist. “Avery, don’t sweat it. It’s easy to be caught up in a moment, and mistake a nice time with a new friend for something else. We said we were pretending it was a date, and I’m happy you committed to it. It shows me you’re serious about it this, and I appreciate that.”
Maybe she was right. I was feeling somewhat shitty about the two dead ends with Lauren and Stacey, so perhaps this feeling was a projection of how I wished one of those dates had gone. Of course I was comfortable with Tori. I knew her, spent time her before. Hell, I slept with her. We had the benefit of history.
“Before I got here, I heard back from your next date. Third time’s a charm, right?” She was smiling, but her eyes were pleading.
Just let it go, man.