“It was good,” I said neutrally. “Umm, maybe 5 or 10 minutes,” I shrugged noncommittedly. “We don’t have to go out, if you don’t want to. I can always cook. I don’t mind.”
He shook his head with a smile, seemingly satisfied with my answer. “You don’t have to do that, babe. I’m in the mood for a good steak. Plus, we need to do some grocery shopping. The refrigerator and cabinets are pretty bare.”
“Okay,” I agreed, although silently I didn’t feel like going out to eat. I wanted to start on that paper for English Literature, even though it wasn’t due for another week. I didn’t want to continue playing this game of pretend.
“What route did you run?” he asked with interest. Again, I found it odd that he kept probing me.
I continued up the stairs, opting out of taking the elevator. “I took a left out of the complex and ran towards the country,” I stated.
He nodded, seeming content once more with my answer. “How long do you think it’ll take you to get ready?”
“Not long, if you’re hungry,” I answered. The sooner we left, the sooner we could get back. “I can quickly get showered and changed.”
He smiled. “The place we’re going is fairly nice. Can you dress up a little?”
Normally I would have been annoyed by the request. If he was really my boyfriend, I would have put him in his place, but I had to play the game…for now. “Okey dokey,” I said flippantly.
He suddenly grabbed my arm, “What’s wrong with you? I’m trying to be a good boyfriend, and it feels like you keep pushing me away; then I find you flirting with Gavin and now Noah.”
It really was the wrong time for Noah and Stacey to come out of her apartment.
Chapter 3
I gaped at Stacey and Noah. Noah looked embarrassed, and Stacey was looking at me with narrowed eyes. I turned on Collin. “Jealousy is so unattractive,” I seethed. “Gavin is new to this school, I’m new to this school. We’re friends—just friends and,” I looked at Stacey beseechingly. “I wasn’t flirting with Noah. He was walking up as I was finishing my run. He introduced himself. He was just being a friendly neighbor.”
I saw relief enter Noah’s expression as he gave Collin an arrogant smile. “Hey man, we’ve known each other for a couple of years. You know I’m friendly to everyone. I wasn’t trying to hit on your girl, and she wasn’t flirting with me.”
Collin looked slightly embarrassed before he pulled me into his arms. “I’m sorry, Blake. I can’t help but feel a little jealous. You’re a cute girl and I’m sure everyone notices.”
Stacey cut a suspicious glance at Noah, whose expression was carefully blank. She let out a little laugh. “Collin,” she gently chided. “No girl likes a possessive boyfriend. Noah’s a friendly guy,” she reached up and caressed his cheek. “He’s always wanting to make people feel comfortable. It’s a good trait to have, especially since he’ll be a doctor one day.”
“Sorry, man,” Collin stuck his hand out to Noah, begrudgingly.
Noah shook it and waved a hand. “No biggie. It’s hard when you have such a beautiful girl on your arm and not feel like every man wants them.” He put an arm around Stacey and smiled at her.
I felt a sharp stab in my chest. Maybe Operation Make A Connection would be a bust.
I had quickly showered and slid on a grey sweater dress. I put on some black tights and matching boots to go with it. I couldn’t find any hair care products or hair straightener to tame my long wild dark curls. I chose to put it in a loose bun at the nape of my neck, so it wasn’t bothering me for the rest of the night.
“Tomorrow after school, I’m going to check the bus schedule and see if any local places are hiring,” I stated to Collin as I came into the living room.
He looked at me with concern as he looked at my outfit in appreciation. “That’s not necessary, if you need anything, I can get it for you. You know I have plenty of money. We agreed that I would be taking care of you. You’ve been taking care of your step mom and Ella for far too long. Do you need anything in particular?”
I picked up my jacket just in case the weather got chillier. “I can’t be indebted to you,” I demurred.
“I’m your boyfriend,” he stated emphatically. “It’s my job. Now, what did you need?”
I knew he wasn’t going to give in, so I had to think of a way to broach the subject later. “I don’t have a hair straightener, blow drier, or any hair care products to take care of this mop,” I stated as I blew a curl out of my face, that had already escaped.
He smiled easily as he caressed the curl in question. “On the way home, we can stop at the store and get everything you need. Walmart okay?”
I snorted. “I shopped at a thrift store for everything I needed for Ella and me. Walmart’s a step up.”
He seemed momentarily taken aback. “Was life with your step mother that bad?”
I wanted to make him realize he had slipped up once more. It was obvious he knew next to nothing about me. Instead I shrugged. “You know Heidi is a drug addict and alcoholic. All the money I earned went to supporting her and Ella. She was too busy spending my inheritance and Ella’s state assistant checks on her next high. Someone had to make sure Ella and I had food and clothes.”
He seemed troubled for a moment as he frowned at me. He took me into an embrace. “I’m sorry you had to live like that.” And for once, he sounded sincere.
He took me to a steak house located twenty minutes away from the apartment. It was literally next door to Remy’s original restaurant, We η Seven. I longed to walk over there and see if he was there. I knew he was doing the final push on the other one, but he had still divided his attention to his other restaurants.
Collin really seemed to be attentive to me as we sat and ordered our food. I found myself suddenly famished. The salad I had at lunch did little to fuel me after skipping breakfast and doing roughly a four-mile run. I ordered a large steak with a loaded bake potato and green beans.
Collin seemed amused by my choice of food. “Are you sure you can eat all that?” he joked good naturedly.
I grinned, but it quickly faded when I realized the guys in the band had always ribbed me about my appetite. I was small, but I could put food away. They always joked that I had a teenage boy trapped in my body. “Running makes me hungry,” I finally explained.
Our food came, and Collin was trying hard to continue a conversation with me. I was too tired of pretending, so I answered his questions, and with a little censor, he answered mine. If I didn’t know he had a hand in the predicament I found myself in, I could have easily dropped my guard and been flattered by his feigned interest. He had a disarming, pleasant, entertaining way about him. I could see why all the girls pursued him in high school.