Page 23 of Embrace

Kiyomi’s the same way, but she’s always pushed away my attempts. Always made me feel so young and naive.

“I think I’ve managed to do that with just about everyone in mylife. But with Ki, it’s different. She’s my older sister, and she takes that title seriously.” It’s like touching an electrical fence.

“Still,” she says, giving my hand a small squeeze, “you got me to tutor you somehow. Sometimes a little push is worth it, if you know they are.”

I squeeze back.

Eight

Scarlett

Letting a hockeyplayer choose my date has got to be a new low for me.

But even today I had to commemorate my first real date by stopping by Porter’s first. The strip of photos in my pocket reflects the same fake smile I’m wearing now as I count the minutes he’s late in a booth at Lola’s Diner.

When Kian found this guy from all the swiping he was doing at our last tutoring session, he was sure this was the perfect one.

If the guy actually shows up.

When the server comes over for the second time, she gives me a sympathetic smile. “You sure you don’t want to order?”

“Yup, just waiting for someone,” I say once again, starting to sweat in my thick sweater.

The server doesn’t seem to believe that, but she roller-skates away. I look around the diner, still wondering why this was the ideal first date location, according to the dating wiz Kian. When I think of him, I pull out my phone.

Scarlett:If I get stood up, you should sleep with one eye open tonight.

Kian:Bold of you to assume I don’t already sleep that way. I have a lot of enemies.

Kian:And he won’t stand you up, Scarlett.

Scarlett:You sound so sure, yet it’s been ten minutes and nada.

Kian doesn’t answer straightaway, and before I can text him again, I hear my name. “Scarlett?”

“Jake? Hi!” I awkwardly slip out of the booth to give him a one-armed hug, completely missing the hand he has outstretched for me to shake.

Jake has curly brown hair, brown eyes, and a decent jawline. No tattoos. He wouldn’t fit the bill for Kian’s type.

I regret wearing this outfit the moment I stand to greet Jake. My jeans cling to my ass, wrapping around my thick thighs and flaring out at the bottom, and I’d prefer to hide in baggy sweats. But I couldn’t show up to this date in a sweat suit or Kian would accuse me of trying to sabotage it. On top of that, the only clean top left in my closet was a red tank top, and wearing it alone would’ve been too much for anyone, not just me and my uncooperative boobs. So I buttoned up a thick gray sweater that Sierra knit me, hoping its plainness would swallow me whole.

Sometimes I miss being that bright-eyed freshman who stumbled into frat parties, dressing however I wanted because everything was new and unshaped.

We’re barely ten minutes into the date when Jake tells me he’s dating to marry. A reasonable need I suppose, but that’s not something I’d be thinking about in college.

The server takes our order and skates away. “Do you have any pets?” I ask him, hoping I’m steering away from making any life plans with the guy.

“Two dogs,” he says. “Do you want kids?”

Smooth segue, Jake. I’m twenty-one, and kids haven’t crossed my mind, unless we’re talking about a Plan B. The thought makes me itch, and I feel the lie concocting.

But before I can speak, my gaze catches on a guy walking past our table, tall, big broad shoulders, hoodie pulled low over his head, and dark jeans.

“Scarlett?” Jake says.

I turn to my date again. I nearly tell him to shut up so I can scrutinize the guy at the register. He looks oddly familiar, and if he’s someone I hooked up with, I might need to duck underneath this table.

“Did my question make you uncomfortable?”