Page 52 of Heir of Fire
And for some reason, her willingness to put any trust into him made his heart squeeze painfully. He had never had someone trust him in such an intimate way before, and although it seemed so mundane, it screamed volumes on how much she was willing to try for him. He had changed too because as soon as she uttered the words, he found himself locking in that trust, creating a plan in his head to ensure that nothing would go wrong for their date.
TWENTY-FIVE
GIANNA
“You never saidwho you were going on a date with,” Cecilia said, flicking through dresses on the rack in front of her. “You actually haven’t said anything.”
Gianna shrugged, pulling out a dress from one of the racks and holding it against her body. “Does this one look good on me?”
“Stop ignoring me.”
“I’m not ignoring you, I’m just choosing not to answer you.”
“Who is this person and why can’t you say a word about them to me?” Cecilia asked, standing in front of Gianna now. “You know I would never judge you. I mean, you’ve seen some of the dudes I’ve gone on dates with.”
Gianna should have gone shopping by herself, but to be honest, she never went shopping alone. Luna and Blair were busy, thank God, because seeing how much Cecilia was grilling her, she wouldn’t have survived it if all three of them were asking questions.
She hadn’t even mentioned any date to Cecilia, but her best friend knew her well enough to know that whenever she came shopping for a new dress or outfit like this, there had to be some kind of event involved. The bitch had to have narrowed down thepossibilities because once she got it, she hadn’t stopped asking questions.
“It’s not about you judging them or anything like that. It’s just not serious enough yet to tell anyone about it,” Gianna said. “The last time I got invested and told you all, it ended up in a shit show. I want to make sure this is going somewhere before I introduce you all to him.”
Lie. Lie. Lie.
She was getting good at it. First of all, she would never need to introduce any of them to Finn becauseduh. And it would never get to that point. Ever. Secondly, what happened with the asshole from the club was a disaster, but it wasn’t her fault. Still, there was truth there. She wouldn’t be introducing anyone to her best friends or her brother until it wasserious. Gianna was not risking it.
“At least tell me his name. Is he cute? How have you been seeing him? Howlonghave you been seeing him? I need some details,” Cecilia said, groaning.
“It’s a new thing, I see him at school, yes he’s cute, and no you cannot know his name because I know you share the same stalkerish tendencies as Mr. Augustus Larson.”
Her face fell. “Don’t ever compare me to him.”
“Wouldn’t have to if you two weren’t such soulmates,” Gianna said mockingly.
That did the trick of sending Cecilia down a tangent about how annoying her stalker was. If it stopped the questions for the time being, then Gianna would handle it.
They wandered around the store, trying on different dresses and shoes. Like always, the simple task of finding one dress turned into shopping for other things that she definitely did not need. It was her form of relaxation. She regularly subscribed to retail therapy as a way to get her mind off everything that wasgoing on in her life. It left her with an overflowing closet and unresolved issues, but it worked for the time being.
Gianna checked her phone, seeing that Finn had texted her.
Finn
I have an update on our date night.
What could it possibly be?
Pack an overnight bag and your outfit so you can get ready out of the house.
I’m taking you to the city for the night. I’ll pick you up after your dance practice Friday night.
Uh, yeah that’s not going to work.
I can’t spend the night anywhere.
Go ahead and change the plans.
Hello?
Finn!
