Page 41 of Fall Hard

By the time the class finished, I felt more wound up than when it had started. Bryn wouldn’t tell me anything about this date other than where I was meeting her, another thing I was less than happy about—and Bryn seemed to know it, because she steered clear of me for the rest of the day.

I’d got dressed up for the date in the evening, mostly because I wanted to feel good rather than to impress some rando. I wasn’t sure what was going on between me and Bryn but I was pretty sure I wanted to be more than friends. I just didn’t know where that left me with Jamie. Could I still love her and want someone else? Or had I never really loved her in the first place?

I wasn’t sure that they were questions I could answer right then. Instead, I put on the sheer green bodysuit I’d bought at the mall not so long ago with some black skinny jeans and chunky heels, did my make-up to smokey perfection, and felt a smug sort of irritation as Bryn watched me all the way out of the door.

She wanted to set me up on a date? Fine. Then she could see what she was missing as I walked my ass out the door.

I got to the restaurant a little earlier than my date and couldn’t help my surprise when the redhead fromLuscioussat down opposite me. She was stunning, for sure, but… her eyes had a little too much green mixed in with the blue and I couldn’t help wondering what she might have looked like as a blonde.

“So Leah, what do you like to do for fun? Besides party atLuscious?”

She smiled and it was dainty and pretty as she dabbed at her mouth with a napkin to clean up non-existent pizza sauce. “Oh, I love to swim.”

“I went swimming recently actually, at this little private lake just outside of town…” I cleared my throat as I pictured Bryn, standing in the sun in her baby blue bra and her long hair blowing in the wind.

Leah nodded, eyes bright as she waited for me to continue but instead I bit into my pizza. “That’s nice.”

Awkward silence descended and it felt like I swallowed too loudly as I reached for my water. “Um, but I actually tried basketball recently.”

“I’ve never played! Did you like it?”

“Yeah, it was great until… Well I actually got a concussion from being hit with the ball.”

“Oh.”

Crap. Bryn had been right—I had no game.

“But anyway,” I said with a smile. “You were telling me about yourself?”

“Right! I love to swim, shop, and I like to take photographs sometimes too. All normal stuff.” Her laugh was tinkling and sweet but I found myself craving something huskier, warmer.

“Oh yeah, I mean, I personally like to hang out in cemeteries writing in my diary.” I laughed but it faded awkwardly when she didn’t join in. “You know,The Vampire Diaries?”

“Sorry, I’ve never seen it. I only really like non-fiction.”

I forced a smile as I nodded. Only liked non-fiction? This was not the vibe for me. Not having seen TVD I could excuse, but the combination of that and the way she’d saidnon-fiction,like it somehow made her better than me, gave me the ick and I was glad when we finished eating and parted ways outside of the restaurant.

She was perfectly nice, polite, and enjoyed a veggie pizza just as much as me, and yet I didn’t feel a single tingle when she kissed me goodnight. I didn’t discreetly look at her ass when she walked away except to admire the material of the dress she was wearing. Girl had good taste, I had to give her that.

I stepped in through the door to the apartment feeling slightly deflated. Yes, I’d gone on a date and hadn’t thought about Jamie once. The only problem was the blonde currently living with us that had taken up residence in my head space instead.

I walked into the living room, intent on giving her one more glimpse of my outfit before I took my heels off, and froze.

“Dad?”

There was no way that my father, who hadn’t spoken to me inmonths,was now standing in my living room with Bryn and Jamie. My eyes were so wide with disbelief that I wasn’t sure they’d ever go back to their normal size as my dad took in my outfit with a twitch of his eyebrow. It was probably the most daring thing he’d ever seen me wear and I instinctively wanted to cover up even as I straightened my shoulders and met his stare.

“Olivia,” he said evenly, hands in the pockets of his blue jeans as he watched me. I took in the vibe of the rest of the room, surprised to see Jamie there but unsurprised to see the defensive stance she’d taken up when I’d walked into the room.

“I told him to leave,” she said, half-apology and half-question. I nodded slightly, appreciating the fact that she’d tried to look out for me. “If you don’t want him here, I’ll make him go.”

My dad looked at her thoughtfully, nodding slightly as he turned back to me. “You have good friends.”

“I do.” I was proud of how steady my voice managed to be in that moment. “What are you doing here?”

“You didn’t return my calls.”

I fought to keep the surprise off of my face as I thought back to the first notification that had sent me into a meltdown a few weeks ago. “I assumed it was a misdial.”

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