My heart did that cartwheel again.
“We really thought you were with him,” Brit said, sneaking a piece of my scone. “That’s why it took us so long, but then we saw him coming out of one of the rooms with Jase and Ollie.”
“He was really worried when we asked if he’d seen you.” Jacob rubbed the skin above his brows. “He went right out there with Ollie and started looking for your car.”
Brit nodded as she eyed my scone. “It was kind of romantic, especially since you weren’t lying dead anywhere.”
I laughed as I slid the scone toward her.
“And then he rushed off, like a knight in shining armor, leaving the party and one very unhappy Little Skanky Red Riding Hood behind.” Brit dug into the scone happily. “Seriously, Avery, I know you’re saying you’re not taking hard to get to a whole new level, but you need to go out with him.”
“I am,” I said quietly, holding onto my hot chocolate.
“Because he’s not going to keep asking,” she continued blithely. “He’s going to move on and you’re going to be sitting in your apartment, crying your little heart out and—”
“Brit, shut it for a second.” Jacob leaned forward and slid his sunglasses down. “Wait. Did you just say you were going out with him?”
“Yeah.” Now my heart did a back flip. Just talking about it filled me with an absurd amount of nervousness. “He asked me again and I said yes.”
Brit lowered my scone from her mouth, her eyes wide. “What? When did this happen?”
“Last night,” I answered.
“When he left to check on you?” Jacob asked.
I nodded.
“Holy shit,” Brit whispered. “You’re going out with Cam.”
“On a date,” I added. “It’s really not that big of a deal.”
Of course, it was a big deal to me. This would be my first date—this was huge. No way was I sharing that little tidbit with them. It was bad enough that Cam already knew that embarrassing secret.
“I would be clapping like a seal right now if I weren’t so fucking hung over, just so you know. Inside, I am doing happy jumping jacks for you with glittery pom poms.” Jacob laughed at the face I made. “It’s about time. He’s only been asking you out for…?”
I shrugged. “Not that long.”
Brit gaped at me and a piece of scone hit the table, causing me to giggle. “He’s been asking you out since the end of August. It is the first day of November, Avery, just in case you can’t tell time. Most guys don’t even remember a girl’s name during that length of time.”
My brows rose.
“It’s true,” Jacob commented. “I forget your name about once a week.”
I laughed.
“So when are you guys going out?” she asked, tugging her ponytail down and then redoing it. “What are you doing?”
I was pretty sure that my heart was now doing the jumping jacks that Jacob claimed were going on inside him. “We’re not going out until next weekend. He’s got a paper he’s got to write this weekend and he’s already got plans with Ollie—something about one of those mixed martial arts fights on pay per view.” Cam had invited me to come over then, but it seemed like it was a guy night. “I think we’re going to some restaurant in Hagerstown next Saturday.”
Brit’s eyes lit up. “Oh, my God, girl, we so have tons of time to get ready.”
“I need a week to get ready?”
Her head bobbed vigorously. “You’ve got to get your hair done, your nails done, and then you should get waxed, you know, down—”
“Alright, when you guys start talking about waxing unmentionable places, that’s my cue to get the hell out of here.” Jacob grabbed his bag and stood. Stopping by me, he kissed my cheek. “Seriously, it’s about time.”
My cheeks warmed and I murmured “Thanks,” but didn’t really know why because it seemed like a weird time to say thank you.
After Jacob stumbled out the door, Brit picked up her cup. “Serious moment?”
“Okay.” I figured I was about to get a detailed lesson on Brazilian waxes and prepared myself.
Brit twisted toward me and when she spoke, her voice was uncharacteristically low. “Last night at the party, when that guy tried to dance with you…”
Uh-oh. My stomach shot straight to my toes. “Yeah?”
“What happened between you two?” She wetted her lips. “I saw him grabbing you.”
I looked away, swallowing against the sudden nauseous feeling. “That’s all he did. He just surprised me and I overreacted. I feel like a total idiot.”
Brit sucked her lip in-between her teeth as she watched me. “Not that some guy grabbing you is cool, because it’s not and although it freaking happens at parties all the time, it’s really annoying.” She paused. “Why did you overreact?”
Shifting in my chair, I slid my hands over my thighs. “Like I said, I was just surprised. He caught me off guard.”