Page 37 of Love Me Like It's Real
If I want to hook up, I need to do it far, far away from here where anything or anyone I do won’t affect our life here. Or the sanctity of our home.
Hayworth is a good bad boy and he’s the last thing I need.
ELEVEN
HAYWORTH
“So…nothing happened?”
I turn to Jason and shake my head. Last night was well and truly a bust. Just when I started thinking I could read the guy, he went and did or said something that completely derailed both my plans and my understanding of him.
“Well, we had dinner,” I offer, which makes Jason chuckle.
I’m not sure what part of that is funny but he gets a little slap on the shoulder anyway.
“You’re in an awfully good mood for someone who didn’t get laid.”
I purse my lips from side to side and think back to last night. Not that I’ve been able to get it out of my head anyway. No matter what I tried or said, Felix didn’t let me have it. He called me out on everything. You’d think I’d be annoyed by that, but I actually had a good time. Even when he didn’t seem to take me too seriously.
“Shut up. You know me. I’m not a grump.”
“You are when it comes to love.”
I look at my friend and huff. “Who said anything about love?”
Jason rolls his eyes with a scoff.
Even though last night was a complete fiasco, there were moments, small, fleeting moments, where I felt him slipping away from his dad role. There were times when he looked up at me as if he wanted to eat me up. And not in the Armie Hammer way.
But then, he’d shake his head, bite his lip and go back to raised eyebrows and discreet facepalms he thought I didn’t catch.
He’s an enigma. An enigma I want to solve, but can’t or won’t.
It’s pretty clear last night was the only date we’ll ever be on, which is fine by me. I’d hate to do more dates with a guy who doesn’t like me. I’d hate to do more dates, full stop. The only reason I accepted in the first place was so I didn’t disappoint his girls and because I really thought it would have a happy ending. But he’s made it abundantly clear he’s not interested in that, no matter how he looked at me when he thought I wasn’t paying attention.
I park the car several feet away from the bus as usual. The last thing I need is any customers to confuse my car as part of the attraction and smash it to pieces. There’s a cluster of people in front of the bus, waiting, chatting and some, looking our way as we get out.
“Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a line,” Jason comments and I have to agree.
I’ve been running the Smash Bus for as long as I can remember and while I’ve had teams come together as a team-bonding experience, I’ve never had so many people all in one go. Heck, not even all in one day.
“I guess people are catching up,” I say.
“With what?” Jason raises an eyebrow.
“With love being a dickhead.”
He groans and I shove him away as I walk up to the front and greet everyone.
“There’s only so much space inside, so if you’re a big group you may have to be split up in smaller ones,” I tell them and it’s not long before I’ve taken their money and the first group goes in the abandoned bus at the edge of the forest and goes to town.
The bus has always been here. Or at least it feels that way. The town didn’t seem to want anything to do with it, or to get rid of it. It has been a place for rebellious teens to gather round and party, drink, smoke, or do all three for longer than I’ve been alive. And when I offered to turn it into a rage room the town was more than happy to let me if it meant less 9-1-1 calls and less worried parents.
“Have you put up the Valentine stuff already?” Jason asks, glancing at the bus, where groans, grunts and absolute mayhem are coming from.
“I was gonna do it before I opened up, but I guess it’s a job for tonight.”
I have a whole lot of sickening love paraphernalia to dress the bus for the season. There’s nothing more cathartic than tearing all those red hearts and chubby winged boys into pieces.
