Page 36 of The Jerk in Apartment 1B

“So I’m a jerk because I’m a guy?”

“Well, it was more about you leaving a mess in the hall and playing your music so loud I couldn’t sleep.”

“And that’s why you couldn’t remember my name. Because in your mind, I was the jerk in apartment 1B.”

That’s not the reason, but I’m not going to tell him what really caused me to forget his name.

“Yes,” I say. “That’s why I couldn’t remember.”

“And are you still calling me that?”

“No. I’m calling you Scott now.”

“What did I do to get rid of the jerk name?”

“You gave me something to sleep on.”

“That’s all it took?” His brows rise. “You might want to raise your standards.”

“And you fed me,” I say, pointing to my plate.

“Again, you might want to raise your standards.”

“Are you saying I should go back to calling you a jerk?”

“I’m talking about other guys, ones you’re thinking of dating. Buying you a meal doesn’t mean they aren’t a jerk. You gotta have higher standards than that.”

“I do. But I’m not even close to wanting to date again so it’s really not an issue.”

“How long are you going to go without dating?”

“At least a year. Maybe two.”

He laughs. “Two years? I could see not dating for one or two months, but two years? Are you serious?”

“After what I’ve been through? Yes. I have no desire to go through that again.”

“Going on a date isn’t the same as dating someone for years and getting engaged.”

“I still don’t want to date. I’m too angry. And too distrustful of men.”

“So you’re going to let your ex keep you from meeting a guy who might be perfect for you.”

“This isn’t about him. It’s about me.”

“And what he did to you. You’re letting that decide what you do going forward. Is that really what you want? You thinkhe’sgoing to do that?”

“Do what?”

“Stop dating.”

“He doesn’t have time to date. He’s too busy building his career. That’s the whole reason we broke up.”

“You broke up because he didn’t want to get married. That doesn’t mean he’s going to stop dating.”

“But why would he—” I stop as I realize what Scott is saying. Asher will date to get sex, or to give his ego a boost, or because he doesn’t want to go to dinner alone. “Now I feel even worse.”

“Why?”

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