Page 69 of Axe-identally Married
I threw my head back and barked out a laugh. “Not even close. The whole thing was a disaster.”
Picking up speed, I pretended to be really focused on skating, head down and locked on the ice ahead of me.
But he wasn’t letting me off the hook. “Tell me what happened.” A moment ago, his voice had been laced with amusement. Now it was filled with pure concern.
“It’s stupid.”
He grasped my arm and steered me toward the home team’s bench. When we approached, he opened the door and gestured for me to go in.
As I sat, he dropped to the bench beside me, his shoulder pressed to mine.
“Did he hurt you?” he asked, his dark eyes full of fury.
“The next day, I woke up extra early, did my hair and makeup, and walked into school, ready for our debut as a couple,anxious for the entire population of the Penobscot Regional High School to know.”
Closing my eyes, I exhaled. In my mind, I could see my outfit and even smell the dab of my mother’s perfume I’d applied for the occasion.
“And he ignored me.”
Cole went rigid, gripping the edge of the bench on either side of his thighs. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope. He walked away. I was so confused. I figured we’d be eating lunch together and he’d walk me to class and all of that. You know, boyfriend behavior.”
He nodded, his head lowered.
“So I caught up to him in the parking lot after school. We sat in his Honda Civic, and you know what he said? The asshole actually said, ‘Do you expect me to be your boyfriend now?’”
“He didn’t.”
“And me, the total dumbass, said yes.”
My face was hot and probably the color of a tomato. It had been fifteen years, and I was still humiliated.
“Then he laughed at me. Actually laughed. Before going on to explain that he could not date me. That he thought we could hook up privately, but he wouldn’t be my boyfriend.”
Cole hissed. “That asshole.”
“He said he couldn’t date a chubby girl.”
“I will fucking end him.”
I put my gloved hand on his thigh. “Stop. It was a long time ago. And trust me, I should have slapped him and taken off. Instead, I sat there and listened to him explain why I wasn’t good enough to be his girlfriend.” Tears stung at the backs of my eyes. God, this was embarrassing. But it had hurt so much. As he droned on, I had stared out at the parked cars, wondering how I’d gotten it so wrong. How I’d misread all the signals.
With his hand covering mine, Cole rasped, “I am so sorry.”
“He was not the last. Over the years, I’ve discovered that men I’m interested in are very happy to hook up with me, but no one wants to date me.”
Head lifted, Cole glowered. “Not true.”
“It’s fine. I’ve made my peace with it. I haven’t even told you the best part yet.”
His eyes widened. “There’s more?”
Heart sinking, I nodded. “Oh yes. He then told me he had a crush on Molly Johnson. And asked if I could set him up with her.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Cole growled. “The guy hooked up with you, then told you that you were delusional for thinking he would date you,thenasked you to set him up with one of your friends?”
I nodded.
