Page 37 of Grumpy Darling

I didn’t know the first thing about flirting. I wasn’t sure I’d ever even done it. At least, not intentionally. What if I made a fool of myself?

“But, Bon, what if I’m bad at flirting?”

“You won’t be,” she said firmly. “You know how to talk to guys. Your best friend is a guy.”

“That’s different.” Talking to boys you were friends with wasn’t the same as trying to get one to kiss you. I’d never worried about or second-guessed what I said to Gray. Right now, my thoughts were churning so fast I wasn’t sure I’d be able to say anything to Damien at all.

“It’s not that different,” Bonnie insisted. “Just be yourself, but a bit sexier. Be fun but a little coy. Make sure you smile and laugh at anything he says. But not too much. You need to leave him wanting more. Got it?”

No, I didn’t get it at all. How was I supposed to do all those things at once?

“I think I need more time to prepare for this. Maybe we should try a bit later...” Maybe later I’d have built up the courage to go through with this, or maybe I’d just abandon the endeavor entirely. Maybe I could just have my first kiss in college. Or not at all.

“Do you want to kiss someone, or not?” Bonnie demanded.

“I mean, yeah . . .”

“And is Damien the guy you want?”

“Uh . . .”

“You know the answer’s yes, Paige.” Someone was pouring shots on the counter just inside the door and Bonnie reached over and snatched two of them.

“Hey!”

She ignored the guy’s protests, smiling at me instead. “Now, down this and get in there before you chicken out.”

I hesitated as she handed me a glass.

“Bottoms up,” she ordered.

I scrunched up my nose and downed the drink, before she handed me hers as well. “You need this more than me,” she said, gesturing for me to drink that too.

I knew I was going to regret this in the morning, but I did as I was told and quickly drank the second shot.

“Much better,” Bonnie said. “Now, get in there and flirt your little butt off. I’ll text you with a pickup line to use in case your brain goes blank. And if all else fails, tell him you need the bathroom and bail.”

“That’s really not very help—”

“Stop stalling.” She gave me a shove and I stumbled through the doorway into the kitchen. A couple of people gave me strange looks, but thankfully Damien was still deep in conversation and hadn’t noticed. I shot Bonnie a glare over my shoulder, but she simply winked and walked away. I wasn’t sure whether I should be relieved she’d gone or feel totally abandoned.

“Okay, I can do this,” I muttered as I turned to face Damien once more. The kitchen was large, but he wasn’t that far from me. I wished the distance between us was greater, so I had more time to gather my thoughts. I couldn’t remember any of Bonnie’s advice. She’d encouraged me to laugh, maybe? And said something about leaving him wanting more? But more of what, exactly? God, this was a nightmare.

My phone buzzed, and the tightness in my chest eased a little when I saw Bonnie’s name pop up. She’d actually sent me a line to use. The moment I opened the message though, I regretted it.

Bonnie: I lost my teddy bear. Will you sleep with me instead?

I texted her back straightaway.

Me: I am not saying that.

Bonnie: Ugh. Fine. Be boring. Tell him your phone’s broken because it doesn’t have his number in it.

Me: That’s just as bad.

Bonnie: How about, I know we don’t have any classes together, but I think we have chemistry.

Me: I don’t take chemistry.

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