The Bookworm's Guide to Faking (The Bookworm's Guide #2) - Emma Hart Page 0,5

and she lives here in town. I think I can manage not talking to you for a few months until you leave again to be a big superstar.” I gave him a pointed look that I hoped portrayed my disdain accurately enough.

Accurately enough that he would leave.

A girl could hope.

But if he was still the same Sebastian I knew—and I feared he was—that wasn’t going to happen.

Sebastian sighed and approached the counter, gripping the edge of the molded mahogany.

Yep.

I was right.

Sometimes, I hated being right.

“Holley, listen to me. That was years ago. I’m sorry I hurt you, but—”

“Okay, if you’re going to apologize for hurting someone, you don’t follow it up with the word ‘but.’” I folded my arms across my chest. “There is no ‘but’ that could ever follow that sentence, because the second you say that I know you’re about to do one of two things. Say you didn’t mean to, which negates your apology entirely, or you’re about to tell me why it’s my fault, therefore absolving you of all responsibility just to make yourself feel better because you know you did a shitty thing.”

He said nothing.

“So no, you’re not sorry you hurt me. Try again.”

“I am sorry I hurt you.” The shadow that passed over his eyes was hard to deny. “You were my best friend, Holley. Hurting you wasn’t anything I ever wanted to do.”

I made another grunt-like noise. “Well, you did. And it’s done. We’ve moved on and grown up.”

“Clearly not, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” He leaned forward a little. “What do you want me to do? Take out a front-page ad telling you how sorry I am?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Billboard in Times Square?”

“Stop—you can do that?” My eyebrows shot up, before I shook my head and threw away that thought. “Stop it,” I said, going back to my original train of thought. “It’s fine. Stuff happens and people change. We changed, Sebastian, and that’s it. Just because we were friends then doesn’t mean we need to be now.”

“What if I want to be?”

“I don’t want to be.” I put the order book down on the register and got up off the stool with every intention of opening the door and seeing him out, but he had other ideas.

He stepped out and blocked my way, keeping me from going past him. He peered down at me with those dangerously blue eyes and almost pouted. “Let me make it up to you.”

“I just said no,” I said firmly, walking around him.

Sebastian’s hand wrapped around my upper arm gently, just enough to make me stop. “Holley—”

The act of his skin touching mine sent goosebumps pimpling down the back of my neck. It was an act that was unwelcome because all it did was serve to remind me that, despite my blustering, I was extremely attracted to Sebastian.

And I didn’t want to be attracted to Sebastian.

My nostrils flared as I turned my head to look up at him. “If you don’t remove your hand from my arm, I’m going to rip it off so hard I’ll tear your rotator cuff all over again.”

His lips pulled to one side in a smirk that annoyed the shit out of me. “Look at that. You have been keeping up with me.”

But he dropped his hand, just in case.

“Have you met the residents of White Peak?” I snarked. “I don’t have a choice, but rest assured, I don’t seek a damn thing out about you.”

His smirk became a smile, one that stretched across his annoyingly handsome face.

“Why are you smiling at me?”

He walked around me and walked backward toward the door where he stopped, his hand clasped around the handle. “Just thinking that it’s great to see you again.” His eyes flashed with laughter. “See you soon, Holley.”

“No, you won’t!” I yelled as he left the store, leaving a whoosh of cold air in his wake.

I heard his laughter even through the heavy door, and he called back, “Yes, I will!”

I opened my mouth to tell him that I most certainly would not, thank you very much, but stopped myself. That was what he wanted—me to fall into the trap of arguing with him until I inevitably gave in and accepted his apology.

Well, it sucked to be him, because that wasn’t going to happen.

There was no way in hell I was accepting Sebastian Stone’s apology.

I rubbed the back of my neck to dispel the goosebumps that were, annoyingly, still prickled there, and shivered as I turned back to the