Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 129986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
“What’s boring?”
“The whole act, the ‘above it all, nothing can touch me’ bullshit.” He rolls his eyes. “Pain makes people interesting. Being unaffected isn’t half as great as people seem to think it is.”
“I don’t know. She seemed pretty upset last night. I mean, it came out as anger, but it was fear. That’s what jealousy is—fear of losing someone.”
A frown flickers across his face, so briefly I almost think I’m imagining it. I can’t read his expression after that, and he falls silent.
I didn’t mean to make him stop talking. The topics weren’t fun, but I don’t have anyone to open up to anymore, and I was enjoying talking to him.
It’s probably better that it stopped, though. He’s someone else’s boyfriend. There’s no reason for us to share our deep, dark secrets with one another.
I look out the window until we get to the grocery store, but when he pulls in, I realize he brought me to the wrong one.
“Um… I hate to be a complainer when you’re doing me the favor, but this isn’t the grocery store I meant.”
Confusion flickers across his face. “Does it make a difference? This is the one we usually get stuff from.”
“Yeah. Everything costs more here.”
“Oh. Well, it’s probably better quality.”
“Probably. Unfortunately, I can’t afford better quality. Bargain basement groceries fit my budget better.”
Apparently unconvinced by my argument, he pulls into a parking space and turns off the engine.
Okay, then.
I guess I’m paying a million dollars for groceries today.
At least I only have to grab a few things.
Actually, since I won’t have my car until tomorrow after school, maybe I should grab a few extra things—just in case there’s some other delay, so I don’t have to ask him to bring me again.
He grabs a basket when we walk in, then slows down and looks over at me. “All right, where do we go first?”
I gesture ahead. “We’ll stop at produce. I need to get a couple of bananas.”
He cocks an eyebrow. “For dinner?”
“For breakfast. I’m making chicken parmesan for dinner. Banana-free.”
“Sounds good. Am I invited?”
I crack a smile. “No.”
“Aw, come on. I need to sample the goods, remember?” he says, playfully nudging me. “You’ll never land your dream job as my maid at this rate.”
“How will I go on?” I stop and eye up the price written in cheerful blue chalk—twice what they cost at my grocery store. I hope everything here doesn’t cost double.
I grab two bananas and place them in the basket. Next, I grab some grape tomatoes for tomorrow night’s dinner. We make our way to the cheese, then grab some boxed pasta. I’m trying to calculate all of it in my head on the way to the register just so I’m prepared when Dare grabs a bag of chips and tosses them on top by the register.
“You want any?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I’m okay.”
He nods, then steps forward as the person in front of us moves. “What a novel experience. I like grocery shopping.”
I snort. “This was hardly a shopping trip.”
“You’ll have to take me on a proper grocery shopping trip sometime. You can make me dinner afterward.”
“Wow. How could I possibly pass up an offer like that?” I ask sarcastically.
“Maybe you can teach me,” he suggests.
That surprises me and wipes the smile off my face since it’s a real suggestion. “You want me to teach you to cook?”
He nods, glancing back at me. “And I’ll teach you to swim. Just in case I’m not around to save your ass next time.”
I crack a smile as the cashier starts ringing up our stuff. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re trying to spend more time with me.”
“Do you?”
I glance up at him. “Do I what?”
There’s something unsettling in his gaze, something… almost accessible. Despite how popular he is and how many friends he claims to have, I don’t get the feeling Dare truly opens up to many people.
Maybe that’s why my tummy flutters with nerves when I peer into those mysterious brown eyes of his and it feels like he’s letting me in.
His voice is low, intimate. “Know better?”
My heart flutters.
I do my best to ignore it, breaking his gaze and opening my purse to dig out my wallet. The cashier isn’t finished ringing things up, I just need a distraction.
Finally, she tells me the total, but before I can take out my credit card, Dare hands her his.
I look up at him, surprised. “You didn’t have to do that.”
He shrugs. “I wanted to.”
“Thank you,” I say softly.
He nods wordlessly, then takes his credit card. I wait for him to move forward so I can grab my grocery bags, but he grabs those, too.
As we head for the entry and exit doors, I can’t bite back a faint smile. “You better be careful, Dare.”
He looks down at me, his brow furrowing.