Page 156 of Bitter Rival

I want Beckett Heyward. The infuriating, rude, arrogant, insufferable man who offered me unconditional love and respect without asking for anything in return.

But what if it was a trick designed to get exactly what he wants?

“Excuse me.” I look up at the strawberry blonde in a University of Miami sweatshirt. “Can I get past? I’m in the window seat.”

“Oh. Sure.” I pull my legs to my chest so my seatmate can slide in.

“Thanks!”

“No problem.” I lower my feet to the ground and lean back in my seat.

As soon as the flight takes off, my seatmate pulls her backpack into her lap and rummages through it, taking out all the things she’ll need for a short two-hour flight—headphones, a Stanley cup, a paperback, Post-its, gel pens and glitter pens, a small ruler.

“I like to annotate,” she says when she catches me watching her.

I smile, remembering all the books I annotated and left on Beckett’s desk. “So do I.”

“Have you read the ACOTAR series?”

I shake my head. “No. Should I?”

“Oh my god, you have to! I’m obsessed. It’s like my third time reading it. I’m annotating it for my boyfriend. He promised to read it. God. I’m so excited.” She lets out a little squeal and stamps her feet on the ground.

I give her a blank look and she laughs.

“A little context would help. I met my boyfriend online. This is the first time we’re meeting in real life.”

“Wow. So you’re flying all the way to New York to meet a virtual stranger? That’s brave.” It’s exactly something I would have done at her age so my first instinct is to caution her to be careful. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” she says. “We talk all the time and we video chat so I already know him. Do you have a boyfriend?”

I shake my head. “Nope. I kicked him to the curb.”

“Then he probably deserved it. I’ve dated a lot of losers so I took a hiatus from men, you know? I was like, none of the guys I meet live up to my book boyfriends and I refuse to settle for less. Then I met Jack…. he’s a Booktuber like me… and at first, it was totally casual. I was trying to keep him in the friend zone but before I knew it, we were messaging constantly and I’d go through my day thinking… oh, I need to tell Jack. He’ll love this story. And the next thing you know, I’m spilling my guts and he’s spilling his and I was like, this guy really gets me. He’s so much better than any book boyfriend because he’s real. Not perfect. I mean, who’s perfect, right? But we’re just perfect for each other, you know?”

I nod. “Yeah, I know.”

“Anyway, I hope you find a guy like that. Someone who reads the books you recommend just to get to know you better even though he’s strictly a literary fiction kind of guy.”

I smile. “That’s the benchmark, huh?”

She smiles. “Yep. We get into these really heated discussions and it’s just the best. Because even though we’re talking about books, we’re really not. We’re revealing all these new layers of ourselves and our views on life and love through our thoughts and opinions. Plus, he makes me laugh. Find someone who makes you laugh and that you can talk to for hours and that you’re attracted to and you’ll be like, where have you been all my life?”

“So you’re not nervous about seeing him in person? You’re not worried that he won’t live up to your expectations?”

She thinks about it for a moment. “Here’s how I look at it. There are no guarantees in love or in life. It could all end tomorrow. But I’m not going to give up something that makes me happy just because I’m scared it won’t work out. As my dad always says, You can’t soar with the eagles if you’re stuck on the ground with the chickens. Moral of the story. Don’t be a chicken, Daisy.”

I do a double-take. “How do you know my name?”

Her brow furrows. “I don’t. My name is Daisy.”

I smile. “So is mine.”

Her eyes widen and her hand goes to her heart. “Have we just become… best friends?”

I laugh. I feel like I’ve just met my younger, more optimistic self. The girl who wasn’t scared to take chances or put her heart on the line.

Maybe it’s time to resurrect that version of the girl in the mirror. “I think we have.”

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