Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 92070 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92070 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Chapter Forty-Two
VAL
The party lasts for way too long. Most parties last for too long—who wants to be stuck in the same room with a dozen acquaintances for three hours?—but this one really drags on. The friends I like, the ones with more curiosity than superiority, leave first. They are also not party people.
For two hours, the room is all Mom's friends and judgmental jerks.
I blast one of Brian's nu-metal playlists to clear the stragglers.
Finally. The last I'm so much smarter than you student leaves. Mom retires to her room with her usual air of I only want the best for you; we both know you'll come around.
It's just Dare and me.
Wait. Where is Dare? When did I last see him?
An hour ago. Maybe more.
I lost track of my boyfriend.
I check the backyard, the kitchen, my room upstairs.
Nothing.
I tap a text.
Val: Did you go home?
Dare: Next door.
Val: You okay?
Dare: Just hanging with Bri.
Val: Come over?
Dare: Meet you at the pool.
Val: To my room?
Dare: Your mom is home.
Val: I'm an adult.
Dare: You'll never have sex with your mom home.
Val: I didn't say sex.
Dare: You meant sex.
Maybe.
Dare: Five minutes.
Dare doesn't leave parties early. But then, this isn't his kind of party. This is a gathering of dweebs and jerks who drop five-dollar words like they're going out of style.
I wash my face, I down a glass of water, and I head to the backyard.
He's sitting on the concrete, jeans rolled to his knees, ankles in the pool, eyes on the water.
He's quiet.
Too quiet. There's something wrong. I can feel it.
"Hey." I slip off my shoes and sit next to him. "You okay?"
He nods. "Just thinking about what I have to do."
We don't need to do anything. We need to enjoy our time together.
He turns to me. "I'm sorry, Val. This isn't working."
"What about it?" I ask.
"The two of us," he says. "I can't do it. It's not you. It's me. I'm not built for a relationship." He digs the heels of his hands into the concrete.
"But—"
"I'm sorry." He pushes himself up. "I didn't want to do it here, but it's better to get it over with. So you can go to school and soar on your own."
Finally, he looks at me.
And I see it in his dark eyes—I see his heart breaking.
"Dare, please."
"This is the best thing for both of us."
He leaves.
And I crawl upstairs and cry myself to sleep alone.
Chapter Forty-Three
DARE
At home, Dad is in the living room, sitting on the leather couch, swiping right and left on his cell.
The asshole took to online dating like a fish to water. He's charming, at first, and he's handsome, and now that he's rocking the whole silver fox thing, he's even more appealing to women.
They see him and think I bet he can teach me a few things.
They're right, of course. He can teach them a few techniques. He can teach them not to trust what any man says. He can teach them how to get over heartbreak.
And look at me.
My father's son.
He looks up to me with a smile. "Were you at Valeria's house again?"
"Yeah."
"All this time, really?" he asks.
"All what time?" What the fuck is he going on about?
"You two have been sleeping together," he says.
Fuck him. "Do you need something?"
"Are you going to tell me about your trip?" he asks.
"Another time," I say.
"It was a romantic atmosphere. There must have been some interesting moments."
"Not the way you mean."
"No? You didn't sleep with your girlfriend?"
"She's not my girlfriend," I say.
"Really?" Surprise streaks his face. "Trying to be like your old man, huh?"
No. Never.
"You're not like me, Darren. You're like your mom. You think you want fun and excitement, but you want a nice girl who will put you first, always."
"That was the problem with Mom? That she didn't like excitement?"
"I know what you think of me," he says. "That it was all me. I broke my vows first, sure, but it's not that simple."
"You fucked someone else. Seems pretty simple to me."
"She knew what I needed when she married me. She knew she couldn't give it to me."
"Then you knew too."
He nods. "I should have been more honest with myself."
This is the closest he's ever come to admitting fault.
"You're like her. You want love and stability. You want what you know. Why else would you spend a decade with the same girl?"
"It's called friendship," I say.
"Is that really true, Darren? Is it friendship?" He stands and shakes his head this guy. "Or have you been in love with her all this time?"
Fuck. "Where was this wisdom five years ago?"
"I thought it was better if you let her go. I thought you'd get over it."
"Fuck you."
"She's found someone else?"
Close enough. "It's not gonna happen."
"I'm sorry, son. How about a drink?"
Yeah, that's a good idea. "Sure."
He leads me to the kitchen, pours two glasses of vodka, raises one to toast. "To the best way to get over heartbreak?"