Page 24 of The Love Interest
“I was planning my big entrance. It’s going to be epic. You could be standing naked right in front of her and she wouldn’t even notice.”
His eyes go wide.
“Uh-oh,” I say with a grin. Maybe it’s the alcohol, or the fact that he looks so mortified, but I find his mistake kind of funny. “You screwed up, Dyl. I never told you she asked me to model for her.”
He nods. “Yep, that was a pretty major fuckup. I’m not cut out for this whole lying thing, in case that wasn’t screamingly obvious.” He takes a swig of his beer. “The beer is definitely not helping.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I say. “Because she definitely would notice me if I was naked in front of her. I’m kind of spectacular.”
“Well, look at you, you smug bastard. Fine, I’ll tell you the truth, I’m pretty excited about meeting her. What do you think of her? Do you like her?”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you listen at all at the LIC? Who someone likes isn’t always easy to explain. There are some factors for attraction, like symmetry of faces and muscle definition, but most of the time the reason someone likes someone is a big fat mystery. Just because you’ve been assigned to her doesn’t mean you automatically like her. Love is more complicated than that.”
I grip my bottle tight. “I get that, but you asked me if I liked her like it matters. But it doesn’t. Our Chosen has to fall for us but we don’t have to fall for them. How we feel will never matter.”
“Well, that’s a load of crap.”
I blink, startled. No one talks like that, especially not a Love Interest. I almost expect a Stalker to appear out of the darkness and rip Dyl apart. I shiver and hug my arms to my chest.
He glances at me. “Have you seriously not thought about whether you might like her? Don’t you want to fall in love?”
“It’s nice if we happen to fall for our Chosen, but it’s not like it changes anything.”
Our eyes meet, and he doesn’t look away.
For the first time, I start to wonder if love is, in fact, necessary.
CHAPTER
NINE
It’s a free period, so I should be studying, but I’m not. I’m staring at the door. At any moment, Dyl will make his move to pull Juliet away from me. She’s sitting to my left with her head down, staring at a textbook. Everyone around her is chatting, yet she’s actually reading. My lips curl up into a small smile.Any moment now.The smile fades. My entire body is shaking and my knees are bouncing up and down. I grip my thighs, bunching up the silky material of my slacks.
What’s he going to do?
Juliet starts writing something in her notebook. With her head turned to one side, her hair falls on the other side of her face in a straight brown line. She looks pretty, sure, but looking at her doesn’t stir anything in me. It’s an observation, cold and clinical. Why isn’tanythingstirring in me? What’s wrong with me?
She looks up at me. “What’s going on?” she whispers. “You look freaked.”
I muster up a grin and glance down at my history textbook. On it is a photo of some old white guy who is apparently super important. According to the book he fought for people’s rights. Just not mine, apparently. I place my hand over the caption and try as hard as I can to recall his name.
I push the book away. “I’m realizing how much I’m screwed. I have no idea who half these people are.”
“I know it seems scary, but it’s not so bad if you break it apart and tackle each area on its own. I actually kind of love it. If you want, you could come over after school and I could bring you up to speed? I told Mom and Dad you showed up at school yesterday, and they’d love to have you over for dinner. That’s only if you want to, obviously, and I know you’re really smart because you’re on a scholarship and I didn’t mean to imply that—”
“Juliet,” I say with a grin. “I’m really flattered, and I could use the help. But you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’m sure you’re swamped with your own stuff.”
“I want to. Seriously, it would be my pleasure. And besides, I wasn’t asking. Mom is expecting you to come over tonight. So, can you make it?”
“No, I can’t. My calendar is absolutely full.”
Her face falls. “Oh. Right. Cool. Maybe another time.”
I laugh. “Juliet, I’m joking! I wouldn’t care if Beyoncéherself wanted to hang with me. I wouldn’t miss dinner with you and your family for anything.”
“Now I know you’re lying. Anyone would pick Beyoncéover a boring dinner with me and my family.”
