Page 4 of It's Only Love

Dean flinched hearing Taylor talk about his best friend that way, it really wasn’t like her. He flicked his gaze over to Beau, whose ears had turned red, and he wouldn’t meet Deans eyes.

“Fine, Christy what about you?” Justine asked, “Let me guess, who could you like?”

“What about Dean? He’s cool and he’s single,” Taylor said quietly, Dean’s stomach flipped. He had a crush on Christy forever, but she intimidated him and whenever he tried to talk to her, he always said something stupid.

“Are you serious?” Christy spluttered, “he’s an idiot, I would like someone with some intelligence or at the very least someone able to hold a normal conversation. He clearly got brawn instead of brains. If I need someone to burp the alphabet, I’ll give him a call.” Disdain dripped from her words.

“Don’t be a bitch, that’s not like you. He’s really smart, you know, and has some great qualities,” Taylor defended. A spark of brotherly affection for her filled him, replacing the embarrassment he felt at Christy’s cold dismissal.

“I’m not being a bitch, how is that worse than what you said about Beau? I’m just saying Dean sort of reminds me of the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz,” Christy laughed.

“Christy, that’s harsh!” Justine said, but giggled.

“Let’s change the subject, shall we?” Taylor said, and they started talking about Ryan Reynolds, which was boring, he motioned to Beau to leave. They didn’t talk about what they heard on the way back to Dean’s room, maybe they should’ve never eavesdropped. Thanks to instant karma, he was pretty sure neither of them came away from that feeling good about themselves.

To be honest it wasn’t anything Dean hadn’t heard before. Being called stupid was something his old man used to say and was normally followed by a slap. He was actually happy when his dad had done a runner and left them. Taylor’s dad hadn’t been much better, they never bonded. He shouted and was a mean sonofabitch, but he never hit him.

After that night, every time he saw Christy, he was reminded of his humiliation. Reminded that she didn’t find him attractive, she just thought he was stupid. Which is why he said what he said later on, as a childish act of revenge for her insulting him. He instantly regretted that he tried to show off to the guys, behaving like someone he wasn’t, and she overheard him.

Since then, she never wanted to talk to him, even avoided eye contact. When they were involved in the same conversations, she spit barbs of venom at him, insulted him, and talked down to him. He knew she was hurt by what he said, like he had been before, but when he tried to apologize, she wouldn’t listen.

So, he started trying to purposefully wind her up. Like I did tonight, I guess I’ve not grown up much after all. The idea sobered him, pulling him out of the memories from all those years ago and back into the present. He turned off the still running faucet and dried his face on the soft towels hanging on the wall.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been in the bathroom. He went back out ready to face Darcy to see if she had the potential to become his future partner. He knew the town gossiped, most of the people thought he brought women back to the cabin for sex, but he actually just wanted to get to know them. He wanted to settle down and start a family soon. He had visions of the partnership he could have with someone, something he never witnessed before but was convinced was out there. His mission was to find his match, his soulmate, the mother of his children, and he wouldn't settle for anything less than forever.

He didn’t want to take these women back to his home, it was his sanctuary. He never felt like he had a home when he was growing up so he was very protective over his now. Only Taylor and Beau, the people closest to him, had ever seen it. He needed to know he was letting the right person in and so far, he didn’t think he met anyone who came close.

Darcy was perched on the end of the bed and smiled when she saw him, patting the spot next to her on the mattress.

“Want a drink?” he asked, avoiding her bedroom eyes and heading over to the minibar.

“Uh, sure.” she replied, sounding a little disappointed.

“Something to eat?” he asked over his shoulder.

“Something to eat?” she repeated back, confused.

“Yeah, some chips? Chocolate?”

“Got any nuts?” she asked, and he cringed at her tone. He didn’t think she meant cashews. He grabbed two beers and a bag of chips. He handed a beer to her. She tried to grab his hand as well as her beer, and she huffed in annoyance as he darted out of her reach.

“Wanna watch TV?” he asked, heading over to turn it on and sitting on the couch, dropping the bag of chips on the coffee table.

“Surprisingly, no, I don’t want to watch TV, Dean. I want to get back to what we were doing in the bar and see what happens next,” she pouted, and came around to stand in front of him.

He sighed, he was upfront with the women he dated, they knew he was looking for something serious and not to jump into bed. They knew when he brought them here it was to get to know each other, without the whole town watching them, butting in and spreading gossip.

“Darcy, this is what happens next. I want to get to know your mind first, not just your body because you’re not a piece of meat.”

“I’m honestly fine if you want to get to know my body, I definitely want to get to know yours.” She sat down next to him and placed her hand on his thigh and squeezed.

“Well, I’m not a piece of meat either. Don’t you want to see if this could really go somewhere?”

Darcy had a strong start, but she looked defeated. She sighed, reaching down and pulling off her heels. He grabbed the chips and opened them; he offered her the bag as he pulled her into his side.

“Now then, tell me about your family.”

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