Page 22 of Guys Can't Write Romance
“Most people don’t live in a petri dish,” she said, giving the cushion one final, thorough wipe before gingerly settling her weight on it.
“So, whatcha think of the place?” Chad said, gesturing around like he was showing off a palace rather than the aftermath of a particularly rowdy party.
“I think it’s exactly how I pictured it would look.” Daisy’s gaze drifted to a lamp in the corner that appeared to be held together with duct tape.
“Really?” Chad grinned, apparently taking her comment as a compliment rather than the criticism she had intended. “I was going for the sophisticated bachelor, surfer chic look. How’d I do?”
“You missed by a mile.”
He laughed, and there was something about his easy acceptance of her criticism that she found almost endearing, while at the same time irritating.
“At least tell me you have a desk somewhere,” she said.
“Yup. Right over there.” He pointed to a card table in the corner, with what appeared to be a beer pong tournament trophy and several empty energy drink cans on top of it.
“That’s not a desk, Chad,” she said, shaking her head. She thought about her own desk at home, meticulously organized,with color-coded folders, a proper ergonomic chair, and a corkboard for mapping out her plot structures. “It’s a safety hazard. How do you get any work done in this…?” She looked around the room, at a complete loss for words.
“Coastal paradise?” Chad offered helpfully.
“I was going to say disaster zone.”
He grinned. “That works too.”
Daisy just shook her head at the way he seemed so immune to judgment. “But the shocking thing is,” she added, “Mags is right that your dialog doesn’t totally suck.”
“Was that a compliment from Daisy Fields?” Chad said with mock astonishment. “Should I check if hell has frozen over?”
“Don’t let it go to your head.”
“Too late. I’m getting that printed on a t-shirt. ‘Daisy Fields thinks my dialog doesn’t totally suck.’” He mimed the text with his hands, grinning with the delight of someone who had just received high praise rather than the most begrudging of compliments.
Daisy grinned, despite herself, and shook her head. There was something almost infectious about his enthusiasm, though she’d rather drink from the suspicious-looking cup on the windowsill than admit it. “Ready to get some writing done before I start organizing your furniture?”
“Let’s do it.” He sat up straighter, adjusting his laptop on his knees.
“And don’t think I’ve forgotten about what you did to my Post-Its,” she said. “There will be payback.”
“Make it good and creative.” Chad’s eyes sparkled with the anticipation of their ongoing prank war, as if he genuinely enjoyed their antagonism.
“Oh, I will,” Daisy said with a big nod. “So what I was thinking we could do is exchange pages and give each other notes.”
Chad rolled his eyes. “I already know what your notes will look like. You’ll highlight everything in blue and write in the margin ‘De-Chad this’.”
His description of her critiquing style was surprisingly accurate, which only annoyed her further.
“I promise to give constructive feedback this time, if you promise to not just write a string of ‘ZZZZZ’s’ beside my male lead.” She pulled her laptop from her bag, carefully setting it on her disinfected portion of the couch.
“You’re asking a lot, Fields.” Chad’s expression was serious, though his eyes still danced with amusement.
“I know. But let’s try, because I’ve got a lot riding on this book. And so do you.” The admission came out more vulnerable than she’d intended, revealing just how much this contest meant to her. This wasn’t just about winning, it was about finally breaking through, getting published, and proving to herself and everyone in her life that her writing dreams weren’t just wishful thinking.
Something in Chad’s expression shifted, a brief glimpse of understanding that suggested he might take this as seriously as she did. “Okay. So we’re calling a truce?”
“Yeah. Truce.”
“Deal.” And with that, they shook on it.
For the next hour, they actually managed to get some work done, with Chad showing her his latest chapters and Daisy providing feedback that didn’t involve the words ‘juvenile’ or ‘gratuitous’ for once. She even found herself laughing at some of his character descriptions and dialog, though she’d deny it if asked.
