Page 12 of Love or Leave

It annoyed her how smooth and comfortable he was. She was anything but those things. But that was probably because she was harbouring many unspoken fantasies about him, and he wasn’t harbouring any for her.

She forced her expression to be neutral.

"Thanks," she said.

"Willow's in the office," Jer said to Max. "She doesn’t want to be bothered, but she said she needs to see you when you get here."

"Thanks," Max said, standing. "I'll go see what she needs."

A second later, a waitress pulled Jer aside, leaving Cara and Antonio alone. An awkward silence settled over them as Cara’s mind went back to her problem with the concert.

Jer had been her only plan. She needed to find an alternative, or else she just wasn’t going to show up.

"So, I take it you're not a golfer?"

Cara turned toward Antonio’s smooth voice and took in his inquisitive light brown eyes. "I could be. I never really tried."

He absorbed her response. "Why now?"

"I'm in a rut," she said with a small shrug.

Antonio made a little “hmm” noise, as if he knew exactly what it felt like to be in a rut. "What's your rut like?"

She thought for a moment, wondering how much to tell him about her stalled existence. "I go to school, I go to work, and I rinse and repeat until I want to pull my hair out, then I play games."

Antonio leaned slightly forward with interest. "What games?"

Cara cringed. "I'm not saying."

He gave a low chuckle that buzzed between them. "Yes, you are."

She scrunched her eyes together. "Magic the Gathering, Blood on the Clocktower, D and D."

When she opened her eyes, he was staring at her with a heart-melting smile.

"You're a nerd."

She snickered. "You have no idea."

If he knew about her collection of Star Wars Funko Pop's or how many times she'd readLord of the Rings, he probably wouldn't be smiling. He'd be scooching his chair even further away.

Antonio looked around the pub, then back at her. "I played D and D in high school."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

He nodded. "I was never that into it, though. Now I play way too much online Scrabble."

She laughed at him and took a drink before they fell into silence again. But this time it was far less awkward than before. Still, it didn't stop her from fidgeting with the corner of her sweater and remembering her unresolved problem with the concert.

Cara glanced across the room at Jer, who was still in deep conversation with the waitress. It was too bad he wasn’t able to go. Jer would be perfect company.

Antonio would probably be fun to hang out with all night, too, but definitely a less perfect option than Jer. Antonio was too… smouldering.

Cara looked over at Antonio. Her options were extremely limited at the moment.

What the hell?He already shot me down once. What would it matter if he did it again?

"Antonio?"

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