Page 38 of Between Regrets and Promises

Weston

Yeah, thanks! Random, maybe, but…do you like to eat?

I chuckle, hoping this conversation isn’t about to turn weird by him having some strange fetish with food or something.

Sophie

Who doesn’t love to eat? My favorite is breakfast food!

Weston

Great! I know a great place that serves the best breakfast I’ve ever eaten. We should do brunch. I’d love to chat with you in person. See your smile. Hear your laughter. Get to know you better.

I’m genuinely grinning at how candid he’s being right now. My past few dates have sucked, but so far he seems different—I don’t get the urge to block him like the others. Also, he hasn’t asked to see my nipples yet, so that’s always a good sign.

I think about meeting him before replying, and at this point, I have nothing to lose. I grin and send him a message back.

Sophie

That sounds awesome When?

Weston

Are you available next weekend?

A smile touches my lips, a real one, and I look forward to meeting him. I know I told Liam we could possibly hang out, but he’d choose a date over me any day, so I don’t feel too bad about it.

Sophie

Yeah, let’s do it.

I’m taking a risk. This could go one of two ways—good or bad—and if he’s weird, like all the other men I’ve met from this app, I swear, I’m deleting my account and becoming a nun.

“I’m nervous as hell,” I tell Maddie, brushing my fingers through my hair. She called me on her way to practice as I was getting ready for my brunch date with Weston.

“He’s cute. Just be yourself. You’re a catch. Any man would be lucky to have you, sis.” I can hear the smile in her voice.

“And that’s why you’re my favorite sister,” I taunt, deciding to pull my hair half-up. I want to look put together but not like I’m trying too hard. We’ve been chatting over the last week, getting to know more about each other and finding out what we have in common. He’s been normal and still hasn’t asked for any nudes, so I’m hopeful at this point.

“Just don’t do him on the first date. You gotta make guys work for it,” Maddie coaches me, then snickers. The irony isn’tlost on me, considering her sacred virgin status, though I have a feeling she’d toss it for a hot guy.

As I grab my keys, she continues talking about dance and her instructor, and my mind reluctantly goes to thoughts of Mason. Maybe I’m an idiot for sleeping with him so quickly, but I don’t regret it. I’m just disappointed it never led to anything more.

When I climb into the car, I end the call and try to push my thoughts of Mason away. The man is more infuriating than rush hour traffic on a Friday afternoon. Over the past year, he’s continued to frustrate me by consistently pulling me in, then pushing me away, usually within the same conversation. It’s as if he’s afraid to get too close, and the moment he feels that shift, he pulls back. I hate when he does that and wish he’d let me in, even as just friends.

I have to remind myself why I’m dating in the first place—to move on. I’m tempted to call Lennon, but she’s so focused on the baby coming that I don’t want to bother her with my lame drama. Instead, I turn on the radio and blast the music until I’m at the restaurant.

Glancing down at the clock, I realize I’m nearly twenty minutes early. I take the extra time to try to get a hold of my nerves. I wait ten minutes and see a message from Weston. If he’s not a creep, I plan to exchange numbers with him so we don’t have to go back and forth on the app. I’ve learned to never give my number until after we meet. At this point, I should give up violin and write a book on hownotto online date.The Unsuccessful Adventures of Online Datingby #1 Single Girl Forever, undoubtedly bound to be a bestseller.

Cracking up at my own pathetic joke, I walk toward the front of the restaurant when I see him heading toward me. Tall with dark hair and a sharp jaw. Damn, his picture didn’t do him justice. He smiles when his eyes meet mine and my cheeks heat.Weston is as sexy as sin in a dark blue polo shirt and jeans, and I worry I didn’t dress up enough.

“Hi,” he rasps.

“Hello,” I reply shyly.

He opens the door for me and gestures for me to walk through ahead of him. A gentleman from the start. I already like where this is going, considering the last guy I agreed to meet up with barely peeled his eyes off my chest long enough to hold a conversation.

“You look great, Sophie.” He shoots me a wink, which causes me to blush.

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