Page 37 of Making It Up

I got your brother to invite you out tonight.

So I hear.

I thought it would be a casual way to see each other.

Sitting across a bar from one another, not interacting at all, is pretty casual.

I smile.

But that also isn’t leaving this alone, is it, Mia?

My smile dies. But that stomach flip is still there for some reason.

No. It isn’t.

So you’re just going to keep this up?

This?

Pursuing this?

I read those words. Then, think about the question. Does he want me to say no? Does he want me to say yes? I decide to be honest.

I’d like to. But consent is important. If you really don’t want it, I’ll stop.

I mean that. I can’t keep insisting David spend time around me or ask our friends to help get us together if he really doesn’t want it.

“Mia? “

I look up from my phone, realizing that I have no idea what’s going on around me.

Hunter Graves is standing next to my table with a smile.

“Hi, Hunter.”

“Would you like to dance?”

It takes a second for his question to sink in.

He just asked me to dance.

I look from him to the dance floor.

Would I like to dance? Yes. With Hunter? Not as much as with David, but David doesn’t think we should dance. Or anything else.

I nod. “Yes. I would.”

Hunter’s smile widens. He’s a good-looking guy. Just a couple of years older than me. Nice, as far as I know. He never comes to the library, but I guess that’s okay.

I slide my phone into my purse and leave it on the table. It’s Sapphire Falls, we don’t have to worry about purses being stolen here.

I feel Hunter’s hand on my lower back as we walk to the dance floor and then he puts his hands on my waist as we face each other and the song starts.

We chat about nothing important and nothing I’ll remember a single detail about. Every time we turn so that I can see David’s table, I intentionally avoid looking. I don’t want to see him watching me. I also don’t want to see him not watching me.

I enjoy the dance and tell myself that if David doesn’t like dancing, then I probably don’t want to date him anyway.

I say yes to a second dance with Hunter when the band starts a Jason Young song I love. Hunter seems genuinely pleased and pulls me a little closer.