Page 72 of The Jerk in Apartment 1B

“I have to.” I throw my hands up. “I’m not even close to being ready to date. I wouldn’t even know what to say on a date.”

“So this is more about your fear of dating than not wanting to date.”

“It’s that, and the fact that I still think all guys are jerks.”

“You gotta stop thinking that way. I know it’s because of your ex, but not all guys are like him.”

“Most of them are.”

“What about me? You still think I’m a jerk?”

“I’d like to say no, but I don’t really know you.”

“You’ve been going through my stuff for almost a week now. You’ve seen pictures of my family. I’ve told you stories from my childhood. You know me better than most people do.”

“But that stuff isn’t you. I mean, it’s part of you, but I think there’s a lot you hold back.”

He laughs a little. “What does that mean? What am I holding back?”

“I’m not sure. I just get the feeling I don’t know the real Scott.”

“You do. Trust me, the guy you know is the real me. I’m not holding anything back.”

I shrug. “If you say so.”

But I still feel like he’s not telling me everything.

“We should do something tonight,” he says.

“You andme?”

He smiles. “That would be the definition of ‘we’.”

I roll my eyes. “I know what ‘we’ means. My question was more about why you and I would go out.”

“Because I don’t want you sitting at home all night.”

“I have to work.”

“You get off at eight.”

“How do you know that?”

“I heard Frank telling you he’s letting you off early on Friday nights so you can go out and have a social life.”

I turn to Scott. “You were at the store last night? Why didn’t I see you?”

“I got what I needed and left.”

“And eavesdropped on Frank and me?”

“Hey, I can’t help it that Frank has a loud voice. I could hear him all the way across the store. You know why he’s doing this, right?”

“Because he thinks I need a social life.”

Scott shakes his head. “He’s going to set you up. He’s letting you leave early so you can go out with one of his grandsons. He’s got like four of them that are single and around your age.”

“I’m not going out with his grandsons. If he brings it up, I’ll tell him no.”

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