Page 8 of Fake Dates and Home Plates
“You ran here? In those shoes?” he asks.
I look at the tattered material. “They used to be shoes, at least. I’m mad they’re destroyed. Those are my favorite pink heels.”
I only have three more pairs back home, and I’m sure my mom would be willing to drive them out to me just so we could have a girls' day together.
“So, what now?” he asks.
I repeat the question in my mind a few times.
What now?
The most reasonable option is to use my phone to request a car ride home, shower, and go to bed. I can wake up tomorrow and start to move on.
It’s not like we were together that long, right? Six months in the grand scheme of a lifetime isn’t much. Sure, Dakota occasionally mentioned how lucky we were that I could train anywhere should he get drafted next year. Those comments were usually made with a hint of condescension, as if my training were a hobby.
I could head home right now and be grateful for another life lesson in trusting my gut when something feels off. Maybe I could drive home next weekend and spend the day shopping with my mom while we talk about how boys suck and my dad threatens to cut off his balls before cooking my favorite dinner.
That’s the mature, responsible thing to do.
But fuck that.
My shoulders straighten as rage fills me.
Theo must notice my change in demeanor, since he says, “I’m guessing you’ve made a decision?”
“Revenge. I want revenge.”
Chapter Four
Henley
“Go home with me.”
Theo’s words shock me. Go home with him? Is he insane? I just broke up with my boyfriend, and I smell like I’ve rolled around in a bucket of onions and body odor. He wants me to go to bed with him?
“What?” I ask in shock.
He laughs at the expression on my face. “Not like that.”
Well, now I’m a little offended. Sure, Iama disgusting mess filled with an unlimited supply of rage, but he doesn’t have to laugh at the idea of fucking me.
“What I mean is, go home with me tonight. You can shower there and borrow some clothes. I have a guest room, so you don’t have to worry about that idiot showing up to your place.”
His offer sounds perfect, but I’m a little hesitant. If anyone found out I went home with my ex’s rival the same night we broke up, I can’t imagine the fuel it would add to the rumor fires.
Then again…Dakota cheated on me. Who gives a fuck if people want to judge me for whatever I choose to do now?
“And after tonight?” I ask.
I don’t know why I’m asking Theo or what I’m even really asking. He’s not responsible for me.
“Let's get through tonight. I think I have an idea, but I need you to be clear-headed when I tell you.”
My right eyebrow lifts in question.
Theo reaches across the table to grab my hand. “Your feelings tonight are valid, and you deserve to go through them however you want. I just meant if you wake up tomorrow and still want your revenge, I’ll help you get it.”
He has a good point. Tomorrow, I might just wake up and want nothing to do with this situation. I could go home and put on my running shoes, pick a ten-mile trail, and run it as hard as I can until my lungs feel like they might burst.
