Page 98 of The Rules of Dating a Younger Man
Alex looked beautiful. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a big messy bun, and her blue eyes seemed somehow bluer than I’d remembered. And that…only pissed me off. The new guy from the photo on Instagram probably liked gazing into those eyes as much as I did. I looked away, clenching my teeth so hard it gave me an immediate headache. I needed to put some distance between us.
“It’s fine,” I said. “But I’ve got shit to do so…whatever.”
I left Alex standing in the kitchen and went for the stairs. I would’ve preferred to put a few states between us, but at the moment, a floor was going to have to do. I needed to get my head on straight and get things going here. That wasn’t going to happen while I was smelling her perfume—the same perfume I’d inhaled from her neck while I was buried inside of her.
Upstairs, a few volunteers were getting ready to cut moldings—using the wrong saw. I helped them out, and then a delivery came. I had to run out to get new bolts to install the bathroom fixtures, and one of the volunteers cut her finger. Luckily, she didn’t need stitches, but that definitely got my mind back in the game. When lunchtime rolled around, I ordered a few pizza pies, and everyone took a break. I went outside and sat on the front stoop with my slice, trying to keep to myself, but Alex came out to find me.
“Do you mind if I sit for a minute?”
“To be honest, I would prefer you didn’t.”
She blinked a few times. “Oh, okay.” She turned away but then turned back. “Are you mad at me because I didn’t respond to the email or just mad at me in general because of what happened between us?”
“I’m not mad.”
“It sure looks like you are.”
“Well, I can’t help the way I look.”
“Do you want me to not come anymore?”
“You should do whatever you want, Alex.”
“Well, I would like to be here. But I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
I stood and crumpled the paper plate in my hand, brushing past her to go back into the house. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a big boy.”
The rest of the day, I managed to keep busy. We had a lot to do at the house. At one point, I went into the second-floor bedroom and found Alex huddled in the corner on her phone. She had an ear-to-ear smile on her face. “Alright. Maybe we can do that next weekend. But I gotta go.” A pause, and then she said, “I love you too.”
It felt like a hot knife sliced through my heart. I stood there, practically foaming at the mouth. I couldn’t keep my anger inside anymore. “Seriously?”
Alex’s head snapped up. She lifted her hand and covered her heart. “You scared the crap out of me. I didn’t realize anyone had walked in.”
“Obviously.” I shook my head. “I can’t believe you’re in love with him already. What did it take you, two days to get over me?”
Alex squinted. “What are you talking about?”
“I heard you on the phone, making plans for next weekend. Telling him you love him. Flirting.”
“Flirting?”
I held a hand up. “Whatever. I don’t care.”
“Brayden, who do you think I was on the phone with just now?”
“The guy from Instagram, I assume. Or maybe you dumped him and found another boyfriend already.”
“Instagram?”
“I used to follow Wells, Alex. I saw the picture of your double date.”
Her face fell. “Oh.”
“Yeah…oh.”
“It’s not what it looks like. He and I—”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to hear about it.”