Almost quizzically his brows draw together before he finally shrugs his shoulders. “I wouldn’t know how much a girl typically eats. I’ve never been out with one before.”
My mouth falls open in surprise before I finally clarify, “You’ve never been out on a date?”
He shakes his head. “Nope.”
Clearly I need to dig a little deeper here. “Why not?”
Glancing away, he finally says somewhat evasively, “Just haven’t.” Then his eyes arrow back to mine before he clears his throat. “I’ve never been interested in having a relationship and it wasn’t necessary.”
Necessary?
What the heck does-
Oh. I see...
He doesn’t need to take a girl out and treat them nice to get what he wants at the end of the night. Women fall all over themselves to have sex with him.
Sitting back in my seat, I honestly don’t know how I feel about that.
When I remain silent, Roan clears his throat looking just a bit uncomfortable. Well… good, he should feel like shit for acknowledging something like that. “You’re the first girl I’ve taken out. This. Right here.”
And just like that, the shield of ice that had dropped over me at his words begins to thaw. “Oh.”
Our eyes cling for a long moment before he finally breaks the silence between us. “How about I tell them to box up our pizzas and we head out.”
I smile, feeling sort of thankful we’ve dropped the conversation but at the same time, maybe wishing we had pursued it. Roan has me feeling all kinds of conflicted. And I hate it. I’m not used to being messed up over a guy.
Not even Finn affected me this way.
“I’m, ah, going to use the bathroom before we leave.” I scooch out of the booth before heading towards the back of the restaurant where the restrooms are located. After I’m done, I run my fingers threw my hair and slick on some lipstick before heading back to the table. Because my mind is so full of Roan and the feelings I’m having for him, I end up slamming right into a hard body.
Feeling very much like a dumbass, which is getting to be the norm around here, I mutter a quick apology. “Sorry about that.” The guy who I bumped into grips my upper arms, holding me steady. When my eyes finally lift, I gasp with surprise, “Finn!”
His lips lift marginally but it’s clear from the hard edged glint in his eyes that he’s not happy. “Hi, Ivy.”
It occurs to me that he probably knows who I’m here having dinner with. I’ve been so focused on Roan and… well… the pizza I was so busy inhaling, that I didn’t pay much attention to the people around us.
Apprehension ripples through me as I take a hasty step back, trying to slip out of his grasp. “Well, I, ah, need to-”
He cuts in swiftly, “Get back to Roan?”
My lips sink. His tone is just this side of shitty. And in all honesty, he has no reason to be angry with me. We’ve been out one time since I’ve been back. We’re not together. He doesn’t get to ask questions and expect answers or be pissed that I’m out to dinner with someone else.
Straightening my shoulders, I arch a brow before glancing rather pointedly down to where his fingers are still digging into my upper arms. “Can you please let me go?”
A scowl moves across his face as his voice lowers. “I can’t believe you’re out with him. That guy is nothing more than a douchebag.”
His words have me gritting my teeth in anger. “You know what, Finn, it’s not your concern who I spend time with.”
Instead of letting go, he hauls me closer. “I thought you were going to give us another chance, Ivy. We were good together. Are you really going to throw everything we had away?” He cocks his head towards the main room of the restaurant. “For what? That guy?”
My mouth almost tumbles open at his words. I threw away our relationship? That’s rich! “I think you’re the one who threw away our relationship instead of trying to make it work.” I don’t mention all the pictures Lexie sent me, but I kind of want to.
He rolls his eyes before saying through gritted teeth, “We already talked about that. I couldn’t hack a long distance relationship at that point. I’m more mature now.” His eyes sear mine in frustration. “But apparently you’re more interested in being a part of King’s pussy posse than having an actual relationship.”
I gasp at the crude words he throws at me. I’m just about to let loose on him, when I hear-
“Ivy, is everything okay?”
Both Finn and I turn simultaneously towards the end of the hall. Roan stands about fifteen feet from where Finn is still holding me. Instead of letting go, Finn’s fingers dig even deeper into my arms. I can tell by the stiff set of his chin that he’s pissed off.