Page 12 of Forecheck
I only grunted in response. I wasn’t going to give the twenty-year-old the satisfaction of knowing he’d been right about making a cyberspace move.
“Anyway…” I said pointedly, moving the conversation along. “No, Mitch, I haven’t messaged her since then.”
“Why not?”
I raised a brow. “Seriously? Her last message was a brush-off if I’ve ever seen one.”
Over the last week, I’d endlessly racked my brain, trying to figure out where I’d gone wrong. Had I been too forward? Not been forward enough? Had I completely misread our interaction at the bar?
No. Berkley had been interested. Why else would she have so brazenly told me she thought I was hot?
Then again, objectively speaking, Iwasattractive. Dark brown hair that was perpetually in need of a haircut, once stubborn piece constantly curling over my forehead. Six-three and muscular from years of competitive hockey. Bright blue eyes, straight teeth, and a nose I’d never broken. The sleeve of tattoos that engulfed my left arm.
She could’ve just been stating the obvious.
I shook my head.No, I told myself firmly. Shewasinterested. I simply had to prove to her that I was, too.
“Maybe she’s just hedging her bets,” Mitch said with a shrug. “We don’t exactly live a suburban, white-picket-fence lifestyle here, Jean. Taking that on would be intimidating to anyone who doesn’t live like us.”
“I’m not asking her to marry me,” I groused. “I only want to get a drink.”
What I didn’t say was that I fervently hoped a drink would lead to more.
“So find a way to take the pressure off.”
Mitch had a point, and an idea began to form.
But I needed to call in reinforcements.
@Brent22Jean: Hey Lexie! Brent Jean here. I have a weird proposition for you/favor to ask.
@LexieMonroe: Lol, hey Brent Jean. What can I do for you?
@Brent22Jean: What can you tell me about Berkley?
@LexieMonroe: Let me preface this by saying that if you hurt her or fuck her over in any way, I will ruin you.
@LexieMonroe: But on that note, she’s the best friend in the world. Loyal, would take a bullet for me. Stubborn. Doesn’t get out much because law school is her life.
Stubborn, huh? That explained a lot.
@Brent22Jean: I want to spend some time with her. Get to know her better. You didn’t seem all that impressed with me at TheBackdoor, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her. I asked her out for drinks and she kinda blew me off.
@LexieMonroe: Look…it’s not my story to tell, but her dating history is a disaster. I can’t say I’m surprised.
@Brent22Jean: So what should I do?
@LexieMonroe: Take the pressure off. Maybe do a group hang or something. I know you guys are in season but…Idk, maybe we could work together and figure something out.
@Brent22Jean: You’d do that for me?
@LexieMonroe: Hahaha…no. I’d do that for BERK.
@Brent22Jean: Why?
@LexieMonroe: Call it woman’s intuition, but I’ve got a good feeling about this.
I could help smirking down at my phone. If the best friend was giving me the green light, I was halfway there.
