For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,57
things from the people around her. She's braced for the worst, and she probably feels like it's all hitting her."
"So what do I do?" he asked. "She told me that if I can't accept her then we're done. If I back off, she'll assume I'm not interested, and I am, Dez. I like this girl so much. I can't fucking stop thinking about her."
"I know. I've heard enough," she agreed.
"But I can't push either," he went on. "So what do I need to do to make her comfortable? What did Chance do that let you trust him?"
"She's nothing like me," Dez reminded him.
Braden grunted at that. "She kinda is. She's scared, she's alone, and she's too damned strong to stop fighting - even if she's doing it quietly."
For a little too long, Dez didn't answer. "That's what you think of me?"
"Yeah," he assured her. "You always seemed shocked when we gave a shit. Rhaven's the same way. Like you, she doesn't know how to take it, so her first instinct is to push me away. Kinda like you did at first."
"Because you were an asshole," Dez reminded him.
"Yeah, but I'm trying not to be like that to Rhaven." He sighed. "Dez, what do I do? How do I prove myself to her?"
"You give her time," she explained. "Be available when she needs you. Make the offer, because if you wait for her to come to you, she won't. Stand up for her when you can, but back down when she asks. Brae, there's no one thing, ok? You can't just make a big gesture and assume her mind will accept it. If she's really like me, she'll be waiting for the trap, and you? You're a big trap."
"No, I'm not," he insisted.
"You are," she told him. "You are this important guy in the scene, you're cute, and you're interested. In her mind, she's going to think she doesn't deserve this, so it has to be a set up. A guy like you could get any girl he wants. The problem is that she can't understand why you'd want her."
"So I need to show her she's worth something," he realized. "Ok, but how?"
"Slowly," Dez told him. "And she'll probably yell at you a lot."
"She did," he mumbled. "Man, I fucked up. I pointed out that her family suspects something. I was trying to say that they seem like they're ok with it, just confused, but she thought I was pushing. I wasn't, Dez. I wouldn't. But she basically threw me out. Granted, I was already leaving, but still."
"So give her space," Dez told him. "And don't text her a million times. Just once, Brae."
"I've already sent three," he admitted.
"Then stop!" She laughed. "Sometimes you are such a typical man. The ball's in her court. Let her think about it."
"What if she decides I'm not worth it?" he asked.
"Then you move the fuck on." She left no room for debate. "This woman doesn't have to like you, Braden. She owes you nothing. She never asked for your interest, and you do not have the right to just touch her."
"I know - " he tried.
"So learn to believe it," she told him. "And from what I know of Rhaven, she's not going to be impressed with your manly shows of bravado. Be sweet. Be safe. Be the guy with her that you are with me."
"Ok." He knew she was right, but he'd been hoping for better news. "Oh, and can you tell Chance I'm coming in late today? I kinda haven't slept."
"Because of her?"
"Yeah." He knew he sounded pathetic, but he also didn't care. "I just don't get how she can go from spending the night to throwing me out."
"Because men are kinda scary," she reminded him.
"I'm not!"
"You're a man," she shot back. "Sorry, but you get lumped into the group with all other men because of that. Until she knows you well enough to say that Braden isn't like most guys, then you're just a man - and men hurt women."
"Yeah, but not all men."
"Enough that the odds aren't in our favor." She sighed. "For a woman, dating is a lot like Russian Roulette. Five chambers are empty, but is this the one that's not? Is this man the one who wants to destroy our lives? I mean, most chambers wouldn't cause a problem, right? So why aren't you playing Russian Roulette?"
"Because the odds aren't worth it," he realized. "It's easier to throw away the whole thing."