The Boss Crush - Penny Wylder Page 0,42
a fucking hint asshole, this ended days ago. It's time to move on, you had your chance and you blew it.”
“Dalia,” I say over Kira's shoulder, ignoring her completely. I know she means well, but I want to hear it from Dalia. “All I want is for you to hear me out, that's it. I'm not even asking for you to forgive me, I just need you to listen.”
“Fuck off, Lyle. Doesn't her silence tell you anything? She's telling you to get bent.”
“If she feels that way, then let her tell me herself.” Kira gives me an evil eye, her mouth opening to probably tell me to go fuck myself. “Please,” I say, keeping my eyes on Dalia and not letting Kira get out a word. “Five minutes.”
“Do I—”
“No, I don't want to hear what you have to say,” Dalia cuts in, not letting Kira finish as she moves around her and stands in front of her. “I've heard enough already.”
“All right, fine, I'll leave you alone if you just give me five minutes. That's not too much to ask.”
Do I sound desperate? Because I am.
I can't keep going like this. I need her.
“No you won't,” she says, taking another small step in. “You don't know how to stop talking, you don't know when to close your mouth and just listen.”
“I'm listening now.”
“You're just as delusional as your sister. You're still talking, you're not listening. There's a difference between hearing and listening.”
“What do you want me to say?” I ask, my voice aching for some direction. I don't know what she wants from me. And yet, I'm just happy she's talking to me at all. Even if it's out of anger.
The silence is the worse. I'd rather have her screaming in my face than not hear her voice at all.
“Just leave me alone, Lyle, that's all I want. You don't need to say anything, I get it. You and your sister had your fun, you made a fucking fool of me. You win, I get it, I'm a damn loser and everyone knows it now. So thank you.”
I'm quiet for a moment, letting her words settle in the air. “Fine, you want me to leave you alone, I will.” I'm not going to waste my time arguing with her about the job fair. Her mind is set, there's no point. But I think we can move past it. “Under one condition.”
Folding her arms across her chest, she purses her lips. “And what's that?”
“Dance with me.”
“What?” she scoffs, giggling as she lets her eyes flick to Kira. “Dance with you?”
“Dance with me just this once, and I'll never bother you again.”
Her demeanor changes, brows snapping down hard. “Fuck you,” she barks, flaring her nostrils. “I'm not doing that. I'm not dancing with you. You don't deserve it.”
“All right, fine, have it your way. I'll just keep talking then. I'll follow you around, everywhere you go, and I'll just ramble. I'll tell you all about the camp I went to as a kid, and the Christmas I spent with my grandmother in Florida, where I spent four hours cleaning her basement. I have a million stories, Dalia, you'll get to hear them all.”
Kira holds up her hand, using it stop me from speaking. “Okay, Lyle, enough. You're not helping yourself here.”
“I think I am,” I say with a smirk as I keep my eyes on Dalia.
“Fuck—”
Dalia sets her hand on Kira's back, and smiles. “Thanks, Kira, but this time I got it.”
“You sure?” she asks, her eyes turning to pinpricks as she glares at me.
She's mad, and I get it. I understand she wants to protect her friend from getting hurt. But I'm not here to hurt her. I don't want to cause Dalia any pain.
“Yeah, I'm sure.” Dalia closes the space between us, her eyes firmly secured on mine. “What are you really doing here, Lyle? What is it you want from me?”
Holding an open hand over my heart, I bow my head. “Just one dance, that's it. I swear. I got all dressed up, and it would kill me if I did this all for nothing. I just want one dance tonight.”
“One dance, right?”
“That's right, just one.”
“And then you'll leave me alone?”
Tipping my chin into my chest, I rest a hand on my heart. “Absolutely.”
“Fine,” she agrees, surprising me.
“Really?” I ask, honestly thinking it would take a lot more convincing.
Tilting her ear to the ceiling, she listens carefully for a moment. “It's now or never,” she says, noting with a