Page 25 of Actually Yours

“Jake?”

We both turned in unison to find a younger version of the man who’d just captured all of my attention. Wait, what?

“Robby?”

Robby! That’s it. That was the name of my match. Uh oh, this can’t be happening.

I watched, my heart sinking from its residence in my eyes, my mouth and my stomach right down to the soles of my feet. The handsome stranger wasn’t my match for the blindest of blind dates but instead seemed to know him. Somehow?

“What are you doing here?” This was from Jake, whose previously delicious bronze complexion had taken on a greenish tinge.

“I’m here on a date,” Robby said in a voice that wasn’t as deep or as smooth as Jake’s. “A blind date.”

“With Amelia?” I finally chimed in, wanting to put an end to this.

Robby swivels his head in my direction, wearing a cheerful grin. “You’reAmelia?” His tone signalled that this pleased him and this silent approval made my sinking spirits pick up. Just a bit.

“You two? Are on a date?” Jake frowned at both of us, his eyebrows ruffled, his jaw clenching.

“Do you two know each other?” This is from Robby, and my temples throbbed at the absurdity of it all. The three of us were standing there, looking like the very embodiment of the Spider Man pointing meme. It was so ridiculous that even other people standing nearby were laughing.

“Let’s start from the beginning.” I hopped down off my stool and Jake followed suit. The two men dwarfed me, even in my highest heels, and I leaned back to look them both in the face.“I’m Amelia.” I pointed to myself, clocking the way Jake’s eyes narrowed at this. “And I’m supposed to be on a blind date with someone named Robby.”

“That’s me!” Robby raised his hand for a high-five, his enthusiasm clear.

“Yes,” I agreed, watching closely the way Jake’s cheek muscle twitched at this piece of news.

“And you two know each other how?” I motioned between the two of them, though the answer was as clear as day. They had to be related, with Robby the younger, paler, less formidable version of Jake.

“He’s my older brother,” Robby clarified, emphasizing the wordold.

“Ah.”

Jake silently continued to watch this all unfold, his expression growing darker with each second.

“Do you two know each other?” Robby asked, perhaps finally picking up on the palpable vibe within our little threesome.

I stared at Jake, wondering what he was going to say. We’d only exchanged a handful of words, most of them nonsensical, so the chances were he would not say much of anything.

“We just met,” he finally conceded, looking pained.

“Yes,” I agreed. “Your brother was just keeping me company while I waited for you.”

I don’t know why I said this, though in reality, it was true, but it caused Jake to stare at me. And his expression was…wounded?

What?

“Well, I’d best leave you two to your date.” His words had a bite to them that should have baffled me but didn’t. Because I didn’t want him to leave me with his brother. I wantedhimto be my LIB perfect match.

“Thanks, bro.”

I watched as Robby took the seat vacated by Jake and attempted to rally. The people and the algorithm at LIB Proprietary Limited had matched me with Robby, so I needed to see this through with him.Right?

“Have a good night,” Jake said, looking like he was wishing us anything but. “It was nice to meet you, Amelia.”

The way Jake said my name was like a warm blanket being draped over me on a wintry day. It offered me inexplicable levels of comfort, and I wanted to hear it come out of his mouth again and again.

“Bye, Jake,” I said in place of what I wanted to say. Which was,Stay and talk to me. Be my date. The algorithm got this one wrong.

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