Cupid's Incorporated {Completed}

Cupid's Incorporated - Chapter Seven

         “No, thanks,” Ashton told her, throwing her a charming smile.

         She nodded and left us. I took a sip of my latte and raised my eyebrows. “Well?” I prompted.

         He leant back in his chair casually and crossed his arms over his chest. “A double date.”

         I frowned at him. “A double date? With who?”

         “Us, of course,” he answered in a duh tone.

         “Wait, are you suggesting that you and I go on a date with our parents?” I reiterated, making sure I’d heard him correctly.

         “Well, yeah.”

         “No way, Ashton.”

         “Oh, so it’s Ashton now, is it?” he asked, the corner of his mouth lifting into a heart stopping half-smile.

         My cheeks immediately flamed. “Yes. Ashton.”

         “I thought I was Ash. Oh, wait, no, isn’t that your imaginary dog?”

         I resisted the temptation to pour my coffee over him. “Can we get back to the topic at hand?”

         “And what exactly was that?”

         I rolled my eyes. “I was just telling you that there is no way in hell I’m going on a date with you.”

         “Think of it this way: if we’re on the date with them, we can screw things up. Pay out the waiters to mess things up, ruining things, tell embarrassing stories. It’s perfect.”

         “Still. Going on a date with you? I don’t know if it’s worth it.”

         He chose to ignore my jibe. “Technically it’s not a date,” he corrected. “We’re just pretending it’s a date.”

         “I still don’t like the idea,” I said.

         He sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair, adorably tousling it. “Fine. Would you prefer it if we just asked our parents if we could tag along so we could meet the other?”

         I chewed on my bottom lip. “I don’t know…”

         He threw his hands up, incredulous. “Do you have any other ideas, Mia?”

         “Well, no…”

         “Is the idea of going out on a date with me really that horrifying?” he asked, sounding offended. Was it just my imagination, or did he look a little… hurt?

         The truth was, no, it didn’t sound horrifying at all. It actually sounded like a very tempting offer. But when it came down to it, we were just business partners. And by the looks of him, he was the player, bad-boy type. And everyone knew that Mia Starr was not a fan of bad-boys.

         “Fine, I’ll do this,” I said finally. “But this is strictly business, OK? Remember that, Williams.”

         He scoffed. “Like I’d be interested in someone like you. Please.”

         I quickly schooled the hurt that threatened to cross my features. Sure, I didn’t consider myself to be beautiful, but it still hurt for someone like him to say it. It’s not exactly a confidence booster.

         “Oh, please,” I said defensively. “Like you could do better.”

         He totally could, but I wasn’t about to mention that.

         It seemed I didn’t have to anyway, since he had no problem in bringing it up himself. “Have you seen me?” he asked, gesturing to his body. “I could have my pick of any girl.”

         “You wish, Ashton,” I said, rolling my eyes.

         “I don’t need to wish,” he told me confidently, standing up and grabbing his jacket off the top of his chair. “I’ll see you Friday night, Mia.”

~       *       ~

         “Wait, so you’re going on a date with him?” Charlie asked in disbelief, eyes wide as saucers.

         Somehow I knew that was the only thing that was going to stick out for her.

         “No,” I said slowly. “We’re going on a date with our parents to try and mess things up.”

         “Mess things up how, exactly?”

         “That is an excellent question,” I said, folding the last of the laundry in my room and taking a seat on my bed, sitting Indian-style. “We’re going to do everything in our power to mess things up.”

         She peered at me doubtfully. “And you honestly can’t see how much this could backfire for you?”

         “Oh, I can see it,” I told her matter-of-factly. “But what other choices do I have?”

         “Maybe just let them have their date?” she suggested. “I mean, I get it, you don’t want your mother getting hurt—and I think that’s really cool and sweet of you—but who says they won’t ruin it for themselves.”

         “Charlie, my mother is head-over-heels for this man. Maybe they could screw it up, but what if they don’t? I just think they need an extra push.”

         “What if he makes your mom happy? What if he’s different now?”

         “Charles, I wanna believe that—more than you’ll ever know—but I doubt it.”

         “You’re taking Ashton’s word on this,” she reminded me gently. “How do you know he’s telling the truth? He could be just a spoilt, rich brat who doesn’t want to share his daddy’s affections. So he made up an elaborate lie.”

         I paused, chewing my bottom lip thoughtfully as I thought her proposition through. I guess it was a very big possibility—Ashton seemed like that kind of guy—but I could still see the hurt in his eyes when he mentioned it.

         I shook my head, letting out a deep breath. “No, I don’t think so. He doesn’t get his dad’s attention now, and he doesn’t seem to really want it. Plus, I could see it in his eyes when he told me, he’s telling the truth.”

         “Alright,” Charlie said after a moment. “I trust your judgment, M. All I’m saying is be careful, alright?”

         I hugged her, happy that she was worried for my wellbeing. “Thanks, Charles. I’ll be careful. Promise.”

~       *       ~

Eh so this chapter was short and not so great, but please stick with me, because I promise the book gets better! I have lots of good stuff planned, so please stick with it!

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Holly xXx