Page 93 of The Fake Date Agreement

“What makes you think I love it?”

“You changed your whole life for it. You don’t see your sister enough and miss her badly. That makes me think it’s more than something you don’t just like to do. It’s something youneedto do.”

He bumps his shoulder against mine. “You’re perceptive.”

I shake my head. “Not really. I learned to listen from my dad.” I sip from my coffee. “After my mom died in eighth grade, my dad tried really hard to love me extra hard so I wouldn’t miss out on love.”

“That sounds tough,” he says.

“It was. It could have been harder, but I still had my dad.” Reid lost both his parents, and I couldn’t imagine how hard that would have been. I smile. “My dad still has a closet full of Beanie Babies from when I went through a phase.”

A smile creases his eyes. “A closet?”

I nod. “It was an obsession. Tell your parents. They’ll want you to be happy.”

“You really listen, don’t you?”

I glance at him. “What?”

He’s staring across the quad, brow furrowed. “All girls care about is hearing me say something sexy.” He looks at me. “Because of my accent.”

“Well, itisa nice accent,” I say. “I’m not exactly immune to it either, you know.”

He laughs. “Well, I appreciate the honesty.”

We sit together for the next several minutes, saying nothing. Neither of us moves, even after we’ve finished our drinks.

It’s nice.

Being with Javier isn’t the same as being with Caleb or Reid, but I still feel this connection with him, like he’s always been a part of my life. It is surreal.

“You ready for me to walk you to your dorm?” he finally asks.

“You don’t have to do that. Marc is probably back in his dorm now.”

Javier gets to his feet and holds his hand out for mine. “I’m not doing it for Marc. I’m doing it for you. And a little for me as well. I like talking with you, Tobie Myers.”

I place my hand in his large, strong one, and he pulls me to my feet with painful ease. “Me too.”

Chapter 23

Tobie

I’m backat the scene of the crime, and everyone is staring at me.

Okay, so maybe they’re not. I haven’t dared look around me since I slumped into my seat in the Fairfax Arena with an extra-large container of popcorn to use as a shield. It wasn’t all that long ago since my public humiliation, so everyone who saw it won’t have had time to forget all about it.

Thankfully, I did not have to pay the price of a family car for the popcorn. Javier said I had a credit to spend so I could get what I wanted from any of the concession stands. I have a feeling it’s more of a credit card tab coming out of his pocket, since I have never heard of anything like that before.

“Tobie!”

I duck.

Before I can hide behind my ginormous tub of popcorn, I spot Reid, who stopped warming up on the ice to wave at me. And because he’s paying me all that lovely attention, so is everyone else.

Fantastic.

I wave back.

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