Page 38 of Love's a Glitch
Luke:The only part of the picture that’s NOT embarrassing.
I burst out laughing,and when I glanced up, both of my girlfriends were studying me with interest.
“It’s been a while since I’ve heard that laugh,” Penny said.
I reached for her drink and took a sip in an attempt to prevent my friends from reading my thoughts on my face—I’d never been good at hiding them. If anything, I broadcasted them for the world to see and for people to use against me. This was the first time I’d kept anything this big from them, and I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t told them about Luke and all the time we’d spent chatting and hanging out. “What laugh?”
“The flirty one that manages to exude a hair-flip, even if you don’t actually touch your hair.”
My mouth opened and closed, as though an explanation would miraculously spring to the tip of my tongue. The fact was, I wanted to tell them about Luke. But then Cat would go into lawyer interrogation mode, and Penny would get protective, and unlike the other times I asked for their help seeing red flags, I didn’t want them to find any. I wasn’t ready to let go of the idea that Luke was out there being all flawless and perfect for me, and eventually the stars would align, our paths would collide, and it’d be magic.
Cat swept her long dark hair over her shoulder in a move she wouldn’t classify as flipping yet managed to get the attention of half the guys in our vicinity. “What’s up with you? And don’t say nothing—you’ve been acting differently lately.”
Honestly, it was hard to stand out next to her and Penny’s beauty, and it was highly likely that Jared’s confession about being in love with Cat had stung more than I’d originally let on. Whenever guys approached, we pointed the finger at one another as the reason why. Nice, but I still believed I was right, and my history of sitting by while dudes chatted up my friends left me feeling like the wonky wheel that went its own way on the shopping cart.
“As you know, I’ve been exploring relationships with guys from my past…”
They all nodded. We’d skipped out on last Friday but had done the round table update the week before.
My elbow was jostled, and I automatically looked toward the guy who’d pushed into the tiny open space at my side. I figured he was attempting to order a drink, but then he leaned an elbow on the bar and faced me rather than the bartender. “Hello, beautiful. I saw you across the room and came to introduce myself.”
As I’d just been thinking about how Catalina always got hit on in the bar, and I rarely did, I glanced around, double checking he was, in fact, talking to me.
Was that the introduction then? Seemed to be missing a few pertinent details, but he also seemed a pinch drunk, so I gave him a pass. “Hi. I’m Ellie. These are my friends Cat and Penny.”
“Beau,” he provided, and then he offered to buy me a drink and mentioned there was plenty of room at the table he and his friends claimed near the stage if me and mine wanted to join him. With backrests, the chairs would be more comfortable than the bar stools, and yeah, the location was ideal. I just didn’t want him and his bros thinking we owed them anything for a better seat.
Hmm. I always accuse Cat of being the jaded one, and now I’m starting down that path, too.
There was also a part of me that worried if Luke texted me, it’d be harder for me to get a chance to read it and message him back.
Using our years of honed telepathy skills, Cat and I had a conversation that consisted of eyebrow twitches and head tilts. My pocket buzzed, and I wouldn’t say I was disappointed to see the text was from the “Dolls with Balls” chat Penny, Cat, and I had made, but my stomach dropped slightly over it not being Luke.
Don’t be that girl who isn’t fully anywhere because she’s waiting for a guy to text or call.
Cat:He’s hot & you’re single & ready to mingle, right? I’m in if you are. Penny, you can either come with or have Archer join you. Whatever you want.
I turned to Beau,who had to know there was a side discussion going on, regardless of us not opening our mouths to speak. Frankly, he was totally my type. Dark hair, clean-cut, and a nice mouth he’d inevitably use to lie to me with.
Yikes. Again with the pessimism.After weeks of being around a guy who’d shown up, you’d think I’d have more faith. It wasn’t just that I didn’t have faith in Beau or any of the other males in the bar tonight. My chances of screwing things up were just as high as his. I’d overanalyze the way he slurped his coffee too loud, or I’d be too loud or boisterous in a nice restaurant and embarrass him. Maybe it’d be the day I brought out my unicorn helmet and he wasn’t as amused by it as Luke.
There it was. The real reason.
For all his charm and dashing good looks, Beau was no Luke with the blond messy hair, golden whiskered face, firm pecs and abs. While I should give the newcomer’s personality a chance, I already knew he wouldn’t be as witty or charming. His voice didn’t create a full-body swoon, and my thoughts were still fixated on the phone in my pocket and when it’d buzz with another message from the guy I wanted to talk to.
You’re not giving him a chance. This falls in the self-sabotage category for sure.
The corner of Beau’s mouth twitched, his impatience starting to show.
“Sorry,” I said, and then I inwardly flinched. We’d worked so hard to get Penny to stop apologizing for everything and now here I was doing it. “I’ve been dealing with this pain-in-the-ass client, so I’m afraid I’m not very good company. My friend’s also waiting for her boyfriend, so we’re going to stay put for now.”
The guy’s plastic smile cracked at the edges, but he nodded and told me to come find him if I changed my mind.
As soon as he moved on, Cat spun on her stool to face me. Penny plopped her chin on Cat’s shoulder, turning them into a two-headed monster of curiosity.
Penny spoke first, her eyes narrowing in on me. “Counselor, can you remind me what our friend Ellie usually says about how she wishes a handsome, polite gentleman would come up to her in Paddy’s so they could fall madly in love already?”
“Yeah, that,” Cat said. “There was something about how that sort of boldness would be a turn on, and I believe there’s even been wishing on stars and the longest French fry—”
