Page 45 of Faking It with My Bossy Ex

“All right then, thank you for the advice.”

“Good talking to you, man. You should come by more often. I have lots of good advice if you’re here to listen. I have to get going, but you let me know how it goes. Emily and I will be at the auction in two nights.” He holds his hand out to shake mine.

“I’m counting on it.” Sighing, I give his hand a shake, then turn and head back toward the library.

There’s not a lot of time to come up with an amazing idea to steal Amy’s heart.

My mood darkens when I see Clara waiting in the lobby for me. She’s packing up some of her interview equipment, but her eyes brighten as soon as she sees me.

I’ve had the luck to avoid her for the whole day.

Thankfully, Amy isn’t around to see us talking. Not that it means anything, but I wouldn’t want her to think that it does.

“Dylan, I’m so glad I finally got a moment to speak to you. Seems like every time I look for you, you’ve disappeared,” Clara says with a giggle, as if I’d been avoiding her by accident.

“Clara, I’m kind of in a hurry to get back to the inn,” I say, hoping she’ll take the hint and move along.

“Perfect!” she purrs. “You know, I’m also heading that way. The other day, I didn’t get a chance to ask, as I didn’t want to be rude, but I was hoping that you’d have a few moments to catch up, just the two of us. Maybe over coffee or dinner?” She blinks twice, most likely an attempt at flirting. I find myself completely uninterested.

How can I turn her down and make it clear that I’m uninterested in a relationship with anyone but Amy?

Chapter 21

Amy

My heart freezes in my throat. When I realized I forgot my phone, Laura turned around and brought me back to the library. I figured that everyone would already be gone. I didn’t think I’d hear Dylan talking to Clara, of all people.

She’s just asked him on a date. I’m not surprised. Dylan is hot, and I don’t mean ‘he’s easy on the eyes hot.’ I mean, he’s the type of guy that has every girl watching as he walks by, wondering what they could do to get a chance with him.

I should back out, take the back entrance, and pretend I didn’t hear a word. But my feet aren’t listening. They’re planted firmly, eavesdropping in full “I’m-rude-but-I-need-to-know” mode. I mean, a little self-torture never hurt anyone, right?

It would make sense that he and Clara would reconnect. I haven’t exactly been warm and friendly to him.

“Clara …” he starts.

“If tonight’s not good, we can always do it tomorrow, or I could even come and see you in New York. I’ve always wanted to visit.” Her voice reminds me of honey, sticky and dripping, uncomfortably sweet in the worst way.

“Clara, I need to be honest with you, and I know it might hurt to hear this. Back in college, I used you to make someone think I’d moved on. It was selfish, and I should have told you the truth back then. I am sorry I didn’t consider how it would affect you. My feelings haven’t changed, and you deserved honesty from the start.”

“This is still about Amy, isn’t it?” Clara sounds wilted, and I can’t even bring myself to be happy about it because I’m holding my breath, waiting to hear what Dylan’s going to say.

“Yes, it’s about Amy. I’ve always been serious about her. Letting her go was the biggest mistake I made. She means everything to me, and that’s never going to change. I’m sorry if I hurt you.” His voice is steady, solid, like he’s told himself this a thousand times.

Clara pauses, her voice quieter now. “I guess I always knew. I just thought maybe, if I waited long enough, things would be different.” She lets out a shaky sigh. “But … I respect that, and I really do hope things work out for you.”

Wait. Are they serious? My chest tightens, my heart stammering as if it can’t decide whether to race toward hope or run from it. I should turn around, march right up to him, and demand, “Do you mean any of this? Or is it just some lie, another well-rehearsed line?”

But I don’t move. I just stand here, rooted to the spot, because I’m terrified. Terrified he might actually mean it. And if he does … What then? If Dylan’s really changed, if he’s actually that man I used to dream he could be, it means letting go of all the excuses I’ve been clinging to like armor.

It means opening up my heart again to the very person who broke it.

***

So, any update over there?

Your radio silence is starting to worry me …

Leo

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