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“Earlier, Carlee told me you’d break my heart without any fucks given and that I should be prepared.”
“That’s true,” she says, but I see her pulse quicken in her neck.
Is she concerned about what I know?
“I believe her. You’re a goddamn tiger. You look sweet and innocent, but”—I shake my head—“fierce.”
She looks pleased. “Guess you have me figured out.”
“Carlee also mentioned that you’ve been speed-dating people and dumping them after one date. So, I guess I’ve already beatenyourrecord.”
She groans. “I’m seriously having a long conversation with her when I get home. But technically, by my count,thisis our first date. Yesterday, I was tricked. Tonight, I chose to be here. I warned you earlier that you’d better make it good. I meant it.”
“I know you did.”
When we’re twenty minutes from the venue, I can tell she wants to say something. “What’s on your mind?”
“Won’t people recognize I don’t know shit about you?”
I shake my head. “No, they’re used to the new flings trying to chase clout.”
“Ahh.” She nods and smiles. “So, they’ll think I’m disposable?”
“Yes. Most of the conversations will be surface level. If you last past the expiration date, they’ll know we’re serious. They all know about my two-week rule. It’s like Fight Club—no one talks about it, but everyone knows.”
She looks horrified. “And how many hearts have you broken?”
“Too many to count. I’m not proud of what I’ve done; I’m just determined to find what I’m searching for. Maybe you’re right though. Maybe love doesn’t exist.”
The car grows silent again.
“I did date someone long-term,” I offer. It’s the reason this began. “She was a princess.”
Her mouth falls open. “Actualroyalty?”
“Yes,” I admit. “Our parents fabricated it, and I didn’t realize it was fake until I caught her with someone else.”
“Is … is that why you thought someone sent me to your room?”
I grip the steering wheel a little tighter. I was hoping she’d forgotten about that.
“Yes. I was the main character of a gigantic publicity stunt when I started dating Adela. Millions of women became interested in my love life overnight, and it hasn’t stopped. I fell in love with her, and it was used against me. It’s why I have trust issues and avoid relationships. I never know if what I have with someone is a setup or if I’m being chased because of what I can give them. No one wantsme,only the things that come from being with me.”
Lexi keeps her gaze locked in on me and her brows pinch together. “I’m really sorry that happened to you. It’s not fair, and I can’t imagine going through that. I’d have trust issues too.”
“Thank you,” I say. “So, now I’m known as a serial dater. Honestly, removing that title is welcome,” I admit. “But what about you, Little Miss Anti-Love? What happened?”
She glances out the window for a brief moment, almost like she’s replaying the memories. I can tell they’re painful.
“I learned he had another life with another woman in the town over. We had been high school sweethearts. I’d thought I loved him.” I hear the sadness in her voice.
“I’m sorry,” I offer.
“To me, him doing that to me—the woman he was supposed to be madly in love with—was proof that true love didn’t exist. It just didn’t make any sense how I could care so deeply for someone and believe they felt the same while living a lie. Or maybe I was the one who was lost in the make-believe? Love might have blinded me, but my eyes are wide open now. And don’t even get me started on trust issues.”
This saddens but also angers me. I wonder what she was like before that experience hardened her. Probably happy.
“I look forward to sending him a wedding invitation …ifthe auditions go well.”