When peer pressure pushes Lenny to try out a new dating app, she starts to realize that the past may not always define the future.
*****
Lenny Harlow wants a lot of things, but a boyfriend isn't...
I COULDN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT August. About what had happened. Why he looked so different; why he sounded so different; why he felt so different. Why he didn't remember me.
CJ tried to get in my head, a typical CJ move, but even I didn't know what was going on up in there, and I wasn't willing to talk about it.
How was I supposed to explain that to anyone?
My thoughts were interrupted by my hot-engineering-major-barista-stranger-friend. He plopped down in the chair opposite me, eyebrows set in a small frown. A cup I hadn't earlier seen was pushed towards me.
"That's for you," he said, voice gruff. "How are you?"
How was I? Perplexed. Lost. Confused. Lovesick. That's what I was. And why did he care? How could he tell? How did he know I'd be here?
"Are you stalking me?"
He shook his head. "No. I've come here every Wednesday since that day hoping to find you," he explained.
My attention turned to the cup he brought along. "And that?"
"Is an iced green lemonade. I used to carry two beverages, one for you and one for me, but I got tired of waiting around like a lost puppy and having to down both drinks myself."
Mostly, I was glad for a distraction from my thoughts. I was also glad for a free lemonade.
"So this is your way of getting me to try out your favorite?" I teased, reaching forward to grab the cup. The liquid sloshed around when I less-than-gracefully picked it up.
He sighed. "Lenore-"
My attention immediately shifted. "Lenny."
His eyes went momentarily wide. "Right. Lenny."
But I couldn't focus on what he was saying. How did he know my name? How did he know my actual name? No one on campus called me Lenore; not even my student ID card said Lenore, so, how. Did. He. Know?
"I ran into you at the pool last Friday." He met my eyes. "Do you remember that?"
It was him?
"That was you?" I blurted. "I thought ..." That my ex had come to me in a jarring fever dream? That he'd suddenly transformed into the man of my dreams? "I thought it was someone else. You said ... You asked what it was you used to call me."
Confused brown eyes met his. This time, he didn't look away.
"Because I didn't know your name yet. I thought ... I thought something was up-different-and, I guess I played on that. I shouldn't have-"
"You think?"
"I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't ... I didn't head there with a plan. Didn't think I'd run into you. I didn't know what was happening. I thought ... I don't know what I thought."
While he continued on about how sorry he was, my thoughts drifted elsewhere. I'd almost kissed him, almost let my urges take over, and he wasn't even who I thought he was.
"Cut it out," I said, interrupting whatever he'd been rambling about. I'd almost kissed him, but I didn't. I had enough self-control to resist August, and I only knew that thanks to him. "What's your name?"
His brows knitted together. "My name?"
I shrugged. "You know mine. It's only fair."
"Don't you think that's a weird approach?" he asked. "I didn't exactly take the generic route." His lips tugged up so slightly I could easily have missed it if I wasn't so focused on glaring at him.
"You weren't wearing a name tag," I pointed out.
"I wasn't wearing a name tag." The corners of his lips twitched.
"Okay." I sat up straighter. "Boy Person, you are going to tell me what to address you by, or I'm going to file a restraining order against you for stalking."
He leaned forward as if to challenge me. "That seems like a lot of work for someone who can't figure a less-than-generic way to ask for a name." He propped his head up on his hand. "Give it a shot, Lenny."
With a defiant shake of my head, I got to my feet. "Thank you for, well, the unusual experience and the lemonade." I cast a glance at it, slung my bag over my shoulder, then picked it up. "See you some other time." And then for good measure, I added, "Stalker."
Ops! Esta imagem não segue nossas diretrizes de conteúdo. Para continuar a publicação, tente removê-la ou carregar outra.
This could've been a double update, but it's not. Also, I've done a bit of "modification" if anyone can't tell. (I'm just deferring from the original plot, but this a fancy name for it that doesn't make me feel guilty!)
So, hi guys. Did you enjoy the chapter? (I sure hope you did ... That's kind of the point.)
I guess the pacing can be considered slow, but that could be because I'm still figuring things out (and trying to stop myself from giving every side character a back story). Initially, this was supposed to be a gay enemies to lovers fic, but nothing happened and this happened. Oop-
