Page 10 of Sheltered

I loved teasing her like this, because it was only going to make her reaction that much more special when I finally shared the truth about Blaze.

“Where should I start?” I countered. “Let’s see. I mean, he showed up late, and I don’t mean five minutes late, either. Once he finally arrived, he never even apologized for his delayed arrival. I brushed it off, thinking he could have been feeling some nerves or something, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that wasn’t even close to being the case with this guy.”

“What did he do?”

I took a sip of my water before I revealed, “He essentially told me that if I wasn’t interested in sleeping with him on the first date, there wouldn’t be any others.”

Olive gasped. “Are you joking?”

“Nope. He was content to have a drink or two with me that night, claimed there wouldn’t be any hard feelings if I chose not to, but explained he wouldn’t be putting in the time or money associated with dating me if he didn’t have the opportunity to make sure there was physical chemistry,” I shared.

There was a long pause as Olive took that information in. “That’s awful. Why wouldn’t he have said something to you before you even showed up there?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” I murmured, lifting my fork to my mouth.

“This is such a bummer, Harlow. I was so excited for you, praying it went well,” she said. “What did you even say to him?”

The smile was back on my face. Olive was going to love this. “I didn’t really get the chance to say anything.”

“What? Why not?” she pressed. Even through the phone, there was no missing just how eager she was for answers.

“Well, a guy who I hadn’t realized at the time saw me walk in and had been nearby throughout the entire conversation I’d had with Rob decided to step in and pretend to be a friend of mine,” I shared.

“I’m sorry. What?”

At that point, I’d taken another bite of my dinner, chewed, and swallowed before I launched in and told her everything that had happened from the moment Blaze walked up and interrupted to rescue me from the so-called date I had with Rob. I gave her nearly every last detail from the instant I realized what Blaze was attempting to do for me to the second he walked me to my car after we’d had coffee together for hours in the diner across the street from the bar. By the time I finished, I was prepared for her to go crazy, and Olive did not disappoint.

“This is the greatest news I’ve ever heard,” she squealed. “A week ago, I honestly thought it was going to be the fact that you’d joined the dating app, but this is better. So much better. I love that this guy just walked up and rescued you from that awful date.”

I closed my eyes and felt something warm move through me at the mere thought of Blaze and the way he’d stepped up for me. “I wish I would have known that guys like Blaze existed. I might have put myself out there sooner.”

She audibly sighed with relief. “I love this for you. So, when are the two of you getting together again?”

Of all the things I’d told her, I’d kept this bit a secret. I had a feeling if I’d mentioned it from the beginning, Olive wouldn’t have had the opportunity to enjoy and celebrate the news as much as she had.

“We didn’t exactly plan another date,” I told her.

“What? Why not?”

“Blaze wanted to exchange numbers, and I spent far too much time in my head thinking about how wonderful he was and how I didn’t want that night to be the last time I saw him that he assumed I was struggling with wanting to share my number,” I explained. “He wound up giving me his card and told me to call if I wanted to give him the opportunity to take me out on a real date and explore something between us.”

“And you called him by the time you made it home, right?”

“No.”

“First thing the next morning?”

I pressed my lips together, feeling the guilt move through me. After what Blaze had done for me, the least I could have done was reach out to him. I didn’t know what was stopping me, but it had been days since I saw him, and I hadn’t made any effort to contact him.

“I haven’t reached out to him at all,” I confessed.

“Why the heck not?”

I stood from my chair, picked up my phone and plate, and moved toward the kitchen. After dumping my plate in the sink, I moved to the living room and flopped down on the couch. Only then did I speak. “I think I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

It didn’t make any sense. I’d had the best night of my life with Blaze, and for some reason I couldn’t even articulate, I was terrified of calling him. “I don’t know. I want to see him again. I do. But?—”

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