Page 46 of Hunt for the Roses
Dane turns his body on an angle to face me while his forearm drapes over the back of the barstool. “So you’re gonna punch a girl in the face if they start hitting on me?”
“No,” I say like it’s the most ridiculous thing, but then I think about the idea and shrug as I look off to the side. “I mean…maybe.”
Dane raises his eyebrows. “Aria, I never knew you were such a fighter.”
I give Dane a deadpan stare. “I’m not. But if she was a high maintenance brat who gave me an attitude, I might have to throw some hands.”
“Could I throw some Jell-O on the two of you and watch from afar?” Dane asks as he wiggles his eyebrows.
I playfully shove Dane. Dane chuckles as he turns so his elbows are over the bar again. “Alright, all joking aside, I wouldn’t take home a girl who gave you an attitude or was nasty to you.”
I look at Dane with bored eyes. “Yeah, okay.”
Dane holds his hand to his chest. “You think I’d choose sex over friendship?”
I continue with my bored expression. “Dane, I know you.”
“I think you’re underestimating our friendship.”
I stretch a smile as I say, “No. I just think you’re a typical guy who enjoys sex.”
“Doesn’t everyone enjoy sex?” Dane asks.
“Yes, but you’re kind of a womanizer.”
Dane stares at me for a few silent moments, letting my last comment sink in. “Does that bother you?”
I furrow my brows and shake my head. “Of course not. I wasn’t judging you, Dane.”
Dane turns to lean over the bar as he runs a hand through his hair. “No, I didn’t think you were judging me.”
“Sometimes it intimidates me a little. How effortless it is for you.”
Dane lets out a small laugh, but doesn’t look my way.
“Can I ask a question? But you have to answer honestly,” I ask.
“Shoot,” Dane says.
I hesitate for a few seconds as I look at his side profile. “Is it fulfilling?”
Dane’s lips tip up ever so slightly. “Temporarily.”
“Well I knowthat. I’m asking if it satisfies your heart.”
Dane finally turns his head to look at me with a tight-lipped smile. “No. It doesn’t.”
I smile at his honesty, finding Dane’s vulnerability charming. I’ve always known Dane to be this confident Casanova, and the fact that he’s able to be so transparent with me allows me to see a new part of him. It makes me feel closer to Dane, like I know something no one else knows.
In a way, I feelspecial.
I hold Dane’s eyes as I say, “I think if you allow yourself to open your heart up, you’ll find what you’re looking for.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because I see who you are. You’re confident, funny, intelligent, and you’re a great friend. Your heart can’t be wasted,” I say with a friendly smile.
Dane eyes me curiously as his elbow rests on the bar counter and he rubs his thumb lazily back and forth across his chin. I guess I’ve struck some kind of chord that he’s left with nothing to say, so I just shrug at him and avert my gaze as I lean over the bar counter.
