Page 4 of The Fallacy of True Love
“If you’re gonna surf, get an instructor,” she said before I could recalibrate. “We don’t need any accidents here.”
“Damn.” I chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Don’t you want to ask my name before you roast me?”
“Z, right?”
My eyes widened.
“The entire café heard you and your friends. You weren’t exactly quiet.”
“Wow. Are you always this nice, or did I luck out?” I drawled. “And it’s Alonzo. Only my girlfriend calls me Z.”
“Creative.” She managed to pack that single word with more disdain than most people did with a bunch of sentences.
My back straightened as annoyance scratched beneath my skin. Still, I tried to keep my tone friendly. “Look, can we start over?”
Her lips pinched together. “Why? So you don’t have to feel bad about being rejected?”
I froze. Lead settled in the pit of my stomach. This girl didn’t even know me, yet she’d judged me—and found me lacking—based on one encounter. “I wasn’t hitting on you,” I said, biting the words out.
“Didn’t say you were.” She lifted her board, somehow tossing sand my way. “Instead of asking random people questions, do yourself a favor and hire that instructor.”
With that, she turned and walked away, giving me the perfect view of her tatt…
And a full ass barely contained by her one-piece swimsuit.
I tore my gaze away and swallowed hard, focusing on a boat moving in the distance. I hadn’t done anything but look—unintentionally—but a slimy sensation settled in the pit of my stomach.
I had a gorgeous, smart, fun girlfriend who still had me wondering why she’d chosen me when she could have had anyone she wanted. Sure, I’d gotten my dad’s height and my mom’s bone structure, and I’d put in plenty of hours to get my body into shape. More than that, I had my brain and the drive to achieve my goals.
Yet I didn’t have the kind of class, connections, and cash that Dani and her family had. She never rubbed it in my face, but the imposter in my head drove me to work twice as hard to be the best damn boyfriend she could ever want.
And that included not looking at other women—especially not women who couldn’t even be bothered to act nice.
Why was I letting her get to me? She was a stranger, one I would never see again after this trip. I was better off saving my energy for things that actually mattered.
Namely, enjoying my vacation and getting ready for another four years of studying.
Chapter Three
December
Alonzo
For the first time in my life, I swore I’d flunked an exam.
The realization clung to my thoughts throughout my shift at Kada Kape. The metallic tang of failure coated my tongue, its bitterness beating out the worst espresso shot I’d ever pulled in my four years of working at the coffee shop. My smiles felt heavier than usual, my motions mechanical as I served coffee and snacks to students who were powering through the last of finals week.
I’d already completed my requirements for the semester, but instead of relief, all I felt was frustration. Everyone had warned me that law school was hard. I just didn’t expect it would be that hard for me. Studying had always come naturally to me, and I’d been accelerated in elementary so that I was in the same level as my middle sister Luna. I had even been invited to the debate team in college.
Now here I was, one semester in and already flailing.
After finishing my shift, I gathered my things from my locker and tried to psych myself up for my date with Dani. Between my classes and part-time job and her work and family duties, we were lucky to see each other once a week—a stark change after four years of being together practically every day. I wasn’t going to let my inadequacy ruin what time we did have.
Dani’s car was waiting outside as I walked out of the coffee shop. Blowing out a deep breath, I fixed my smile and reached for the back door.
Dani looked up from her phone, a tight frown on her face.
“Hey,” I said as I slid in. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
