Page 27 of Certified Heartthrob

“I thought we would meet there. That seems like what friends would do.”

“We are still friends with...an intimate history,” he said, making my heart flinch.

“Don’t remind me. All right. You’re here now, so it’s too late. Let’s go.”

Against my better judgment, one drink turned into two, then three. The warm buzz made Mark’s company more tolerable, even though I was still harboring my secret grudge against him. It also made it harder for me not to call out the elephant in the room.

“So, you haven’t told me who the lucky woman is,” I said finally, waving to the bartender to bring over another round.

“I guess I haven’t.” He looked down at the table, using a napkin to blot up the water rings from his glass while I waited pensively.

“Are you going to?” I pressed.

He leaned back in the booth with a sly smile. “She’s drop-dead gorgeous. Very smart and a bit on the stubborn side.”

Every word he said sent me spiraling deeper into my jealousy. I wished I could smack that smile right off his face.

“Go on,” I blurted, hating myself for it. I really didn’t want to hear another word about it, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. “Did you meet her online? On Heartstring?”

“Not exactly. I disabled my accounts, as promised.”

“Oh, so you met her the old-fashioned way.” Somehow that made it even worse, and it ruined my marketing scheme idea, which made our little outing even more pointless.

“I guess you could say...she just kind of showed up one day. And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her since.”

I hated that dreamy tone in his voice.

“I have to hand it to you. You move fast. It’s barely been two weeks since I last saw you.” My cheeks turned red-hot, remembering exactly what that last meeting had entailed. “And you’ve already found someone worth your while. It’s an awfully quick turnaround for someone as stubborn as you.”

“Well, like I said, she’s pretty stubborn herself. I guess we complement each other in that way.”

“Got it.” I fidgeted with my hands in my lap until I couldn’t stand it anymore. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment...I need to go to the ladies’ room.”

I shot up from the table and bolted towards the bathroom, hating the quiver coming on in my bottom lip. I was not about to cry over this guy, especially while he was pining over someone else. But one thing was certain...There was no way we could be friends, which only made me all the more anxious to wrap up this evening and get the hell away from him. Hopefully for good this time.

14

Mark

Camille looked flustered and angry when she came back from the bathroom. Maybe it was cruel to keep playing with her, but it wasn’t exactly easy for me to come out with what I had to say.

“This has been...great, Mark,” she announced, grabbing her purse from the booth instead of sitting back down. “I’m going to go now.”

“I’ll take you home,” I offered.

“No, you really don’t have to…”

“Come on. I picked you up. Seems only right I should take you back.”

“But I really don’t need you to…”

Ignoring her protests, I paid our tab and walked outside with her following behind me. She seemed so desperate to get away, I half-expected her to bolt the minute I had my back turned. But reluctantly, she endured me hailing a cab and then climbed in after me.

There was an awkward silence as I walked slowly down the hallway to her front door with my hands in my pockets. Every so often, I’d glance up and smile at her, and she’d smile tightly in return.

“Well, here we are…” she said prematurely. Her door was still several feet away.

“Listen, before you go...there’s something I think you should know,” I said slowly.

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