To The Rude Guy in Apartment Five - J. S. Cooper Page 0,63
Anabel, had convinced me to give it a shot. I’d gone along not because I was looking for love but because I knew this wine bar was meant to be one of the best new bars of 2020. Who was I to say no to a free drink at some new and upcoming bar?
“Peter Jackson,” Charlotte corrected me. “He’s one of Max’s business partners.”
“Okay.” I stopped outside the bar and reapplied my lipstick and patted my hair down. “Ugh, I’m so not ready for a date.”
“Relax, Emily, you’re going to have a good time. Trust me.”
“I just don’t think this is a good idea, plus Jack called me this morning. He wants us to meet up.”
I waited for Charlotte to answer, but silence followed after my words. She hated my ex-boyfriend Jack, and she had reason to. He’d treated me horribly and ended our relationship so that he could date other women. He’d broken my heart, and I had no idea why he now wanted to meet up with me again. But I’d said I’d think about it. I wanted him to beg me to get back with him just so I could say no. I was petty like that. Also, I was curious to see if we still had a connection like before. Not that I would act on it if we did; I wasn’t that dumb.
Actually, I was that dumb, but I was going to try really hard to make sure that I didn’t slip up and sleep with him or take him back.
“I hope you told him to go to hell,” Charlotte finally said.
“You know I can’t do that.” I bit down on my lower lip. I knew that Charlotte didn’t want to hear me talk about the good times with Jack. As far as she was concerned, there had been no good times.
“Why not?” she demanded in her ‘don’t you dare say anything good about him’ tone.
I wished now that I’d kept my mouth shut all those times he’d said something rude and obnoxious to me. It was very hard for friends to ignore all the shit when they’d heard it so many times. Why hadn’t I told her about the time he’d surprised me with a box of chocolates and take-out? It hadn’t been all bad all the time.
“Because he was my first love. And it might be nice to have a chat with him.”
“Girl, that guy is a douchebag.” Her tone told me she was just getting started on all the reasons why I should never let him back into my life.
“Look, I’m here. I have to go.” I stopped outside a cute bar, the words “Viola’s Tavern” etched on the windows. There were two small trees covered with twinkling Christmas lights next to the entrance, and I smiled at the cozy feel of the place. I hadn’t even entered and I already knew I was going to like it.
“Have a great time and tell me all about it when you’re done.”
“Won’t you and Max be too busy making love to talk to me?”
Charlotte laughed. “Ha ha, Emily. Max’s working late tonight, so he’s not coming by until tomorrow morning.”
“Well, okay, then. I’ll call you later.”
I walked into the bar and took a few breaths. This was the first date I had been on in two years, and to say I was nervous was an understatement. I hadn’t wanted to go, but when Charlotte had set it up behind my back, I’d gone along with it even though I was pretty sure the guy was not going to be a winner in the looks department. I hated to think that because I didn’t like to be superficial, but Charlotte hadn’t even shown me a photo of my date and had kept reminding me to be “open-minded.”
I had a pretty strong feeling that my date was going to be ugly … but at least I’d get a free meal out of it and some drinks.
And by the looks of this place, the drinks weren’t going to be cheap. It was a pity I wasn’t one of those girls that could date a man just because he was rich. If I wasn’t attracted to someone, I certainly couldn’t see myself in bed with them. I walked up to the hostess and smiled as she looked at me. I could tell from the arch of her nose and the thinness of her lips that she wasn’t impressed by my appearance. Snobby bitch.