Page 70 of The Thorne at My Side
"Were you talking to him while fucking me?"
"Yes, and I felt bad about it, okay. Are you happy? But we were just sex and you clearly had options with a socialite or ayoga instructor this whole time so, pot meet kettle."
"Okay, okay, fair enough," I say as the waiter approaches.
"Can I get you something to drink?" He asks.
"No, he's leaving," Maggie says while I say "The Lapis Negroni please."
The waiter nods and walks away.
"Have you been here before?" I ask as I pick up the menu that's in front of her.
"What, no, you're not staying. You can't stay. You have to go." I can hear the desperation in her voice. If she feels half as attached to the SMS person as I am, she must be panicking right now.
"You're right. Sorry Maggie," I say as I stand up. I smile at her and see relief wash over her face. And then see it replaced with confusion when I pull back the empty seat right next to her table and sit down.
"Are you kidding me? That is not what I meant Austin."
"Maybe you should be more clear next time."
"Maybe you should take a hint and actually leave!"
"Is that what you want Maggie?"
"Yes!" She almost yells. I study her as she collects herself. "Yes, I want you to leave."
I stand, push the chair in, and step up next to her. I lean down and plant a feather light kiss on her temple as I brush her hair behind her shoulder.
"You look incredible tonight Maggie," I whisper and then I stand to my full height and look down into her face that is tilted up to see me. "And, that yoga instructor is my sister."
I force a weak smile and pivot for the door. Once I'm out on the sidewalk I glance back in at Maggie and feel a wild pang of jealousy that she doesn't know what I know.
She thinks her SMS Connect date is ano-show. That he stood her up. All she knows is I randomly showed up which in a city like D.C. isn't impossible.
I stick my hands in my pockets after turning the collar of my coat up. The late October chill has settled in tonight but I need to walk this jumble of feelings off and figure out what to do next.
Usually I send my SMS Connect messages at night. But since I'm supposed to be meeting her tonight I probably shouldn't send one. I don't want to cancel while she's still out. But how will I know when she is home?
My cell phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out.
FELIX:So was she happy to see you?
I huff out a sarcastic laugh and shake my head. No, I don’t think she was. This is almost too much for me to handle. How on earth did Maggie and I get matched just a few months before our worlds collided?
I cannot believe how many times we’ve been thrown together lately. Only for this to happen. How am I going to talk to her again?
How am I going to fix this?
What if I send a SMS Connect message saying that I got caught up at the office and couldn't make it?
That’s no good. The natural thing to do is reschedule. Or she'd expect me to. And what do I do then?
"You're home early," Elle says when I let myself in. "She stood you up?"
"No," I insist, "it just didn't go as planned."
"What was wrong with her?" Elle asks, knowing how I've dismissed possible dates for seemingly small offenses. She knows I don’t even consider a woman unless appears to be able tohandle dating me. In the past that has mostly been focused on “can she handle the media attention?” but that has left me with a bunch of girls who only want meforthe media attention.
