Page 25

25

PENNY

I wake the next day in Collins’s guest room with a migraine from hell. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I try to get the pounding to subside.

That’s what that bitch, sangria, does to me. She is a sneaky thing whose company is enjoyable at first, but then out of nowhere, she gets hostile.

Despite drinking way too much the night before, I have all the essential events carved into my brain. The humiliation… The jealous rage… And the disappointment of wanting someone who will never choose me.

Despite the kiss and petting session, Collins doesn’t want me. He just likes toying with my emotions. Hot and cold. One minute we are making out. The next he’s pushing me away. Sure, I get his motives for wanting to keep everything business, but my brothers don’t dictate my life.

If it wasn’t for the memory of our kiss burned on my lips, I would have thought I dreamt the whole thing up. But based on the friendship vibe I got right afterward, I doubt I’ll ever get to experience it again.

I’m a job.

I’m also a mistake.

There’s a light knock on my door. “Penny?”

“Yeah, come in.”

I pull my comforter up to my neck, trying to sit up in the darkness.

With just a shift of the blackout curtains, Collins has the light spilling into the room, coating the entire space in a golden hue.

“Turn it down,” I moan, pressing my palms into my eye sockets.

“What—the sun?”

“Yes. It’s too early for this type of offensive behavior.”

Collins chuckles. “Penny, it’s noon.”

“Oh.”

He sits on the edge of my bed, causing it to dip slightly. “Feeling pretty bad, yeah?”

“Yup.”

“Hope you learned a lesson.”

I give his snideness a mental middle finger. “Oh, I did. But it’s only to be extra sly when I try to ditch you next time.”

“I had eyes on you and knew where you were the whole time.”

“That’s super creepy.” I push my hair off my forehead. “Surely you can agree that your level of surveillance over me is stalkerish.”

“It is.”

“See?” I point my finger at him. “You admit to it!”

“I do.”

Sliding out of bed, I stumble into the bathroom, wincing as I need to turn on a light or risk falling into the bathtub instead of the toilet. With my foot, I kick the door shut.

When I exit, Collins has vanished but has placed a bottle of water on my nightstand with two ibuprofens and a sandwich.

Why does him taking care of me cause me to smile and stomp my foot at the same time?

His personality is a dichotomy between knight in shining armor and unhinged stalker.

Both sides of Collins drive me equally wonky.

I throw myself back into bed and take a bite of the sandwich.

It is perfection.

I drink my water and swallow my medicine without the hovering of my bodyguard to make sure I do all the steps correctly.

See—I can be a fully functioning adult.

Reaching for my handbag, I remove the slip that states I had zero matches from last night.

How humiliating…

And then I find the postcard thing that one of the men—I can’t remember his name—handed to me.

Turning it over in my hands, I read the description written in elegant, printed font.

Glow Night - July 25th

444 Fine Oak Lane

Wow. Tonight.

If I had been in a good headspace after the speed dating event, I would have pulled out this postcard last night and inquired further about it with the person who actually handed it to me.

It’s just that everything surrounding it is fuzzy. I know that if my memory was clearer, I would be more excited for it than I am now.

However, I’m too devastated and butt-hurt over my loss of hope that someone—anyone—would have wanted me beyond the five minutes we were assigned to chat.

So why would I think going to a public event again will pan out in my favor?

It seems like if I attend, I’m essentially a masochist, which in a way I’ve already confirmed.

So what’s the harm in submitting myself to even more humiliation? It really can’t get worse—can it?

I read the card again.

But it does sound fun…

And if I deserve anything right now—it’s fun.

I’m doing it.

And Mr. Collins Stone doesn’t need to find out.

After breakfast—which is essentially lunch at this point—Collins walks me back to my place and enters first to assess what I assume would be the scene.

“Any cocks or vaginas?” I ask, peering around his side dramatically and a tad bit hopeful.

I can’t believe we kissed last night, and it was by far the best one of my life.

But it’s obvious that Collins’s hard exterior shell is in place as he’s in work mode.

He grunts out what I assume is a no.

Something is on his mind. I can tell by the way he isn’t offering even a smirk at my attempted humor.

“I need to be away the rest of the day.”

“Okay…”

“Typically I wouldn’t make this known, but I am since you have the tendency of getting drunk off your freedom. The last thing I need is to come back here and find you in the middle of?—”

“A fuck fest.”

“No,” he snaps. “I was going to say…trouble.”

“Why are you telling me this though?”

“Because I will have tabs on you and don’t want you to be alarmed if you feel the presence of someone watching you.”

“Okay. I’ll probably just mope around and beg for your safe return so we can cuddle on the couch and watch movies.”

“Penny…”

“What? Oh, let me guess. You find that offensive too?”

“What happened in the alleyway was wrong.” He clears his throat. “The kiss… I was wrong. I knew better, and I took advantage of you.”

“Can you do it again?”

“No,” he snaps, his jaw dropping just a tad before he regains his composure.

I let out an exasperated breath. “And why not, Collins? I’m a consenting adult. I consent to your hands roaming up my body. I consent to your mouth devouring me. I consent to it all. I want more.” The desperation can’t be removed from the tone of my words. I’m needy and whiny—and I also don’t care.

“Never again, Penny.”

I take a step closer to him. “You are horrible for my ego. You know that?”

“I never want to hurt you.”

“Well, I’m hurt.” It’s the truth too.

“I’m looking for a replacement.”

“A replacement for who?”

“Me. I can’t keep guarding you.”

It’s like the breath is taken from me at just the sound of his words. “If not you, then who?” I demand.

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

“And I get no say yet again?”

“That’s correct.”

I’m angry that he’s giving up on me. And I’m angry that I’m upset over this.

For weeks, I’ve resented Collins for being in charge of my safety. Then when I finally start enjoying his company, he wants to desert me and pass me off to someone else.

Pushing at his chest, I try to get him to move. “Just leave. Bye. Go enjoy your time away from me.”

A sadness hits his features, but he doesn’t argue or defend himself or his choices. When Collins exits my apartment, I shut the door and lean my back against the smooth surface.

I feel emotionally drained.

Closing my eyes, I rub both hands behind the back of my neck, trying to ease the building tension.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Startled by the sound, I push myself off the door and take a look through the peephole, expecting to see Collins. Instead, I see the delivery girl from the other day when I confused her as my roommate, holding a balloon with a teddy bear attached.

Opening the door, I sign off on the gift she hands over to me.

“Thanks,” I mutter, not in the mood to make small talk.

Examining the gift, I see no card or anything attached to help me determine the sender.

The balloon is shaped like the number two which is bizarre and making me wonder if the previous occupants of this apartment unit had a small child.

“Two,” I whisper, placing the bear next to my bouquet of flowers from Collins.

Nope. That’s not confusing at all.

I migrate into my bedroom, flop onto my mattress, and remind myself that a man doesn’t need to be in charge of my happiness. I have the power to decide for myself how I want to move forward from the collective humiliation of the last few days.

Collins doesn’t need a girl throwing herself at him. He needs a woman who can be emotionally stable and who doesn’t require as much maintenance as I do.

That’s why he’s distancing himself from me.

It’s because I’m a freaking train wreck.

Who could blame someone from wanting to steer clear of my destructive path?

Rolling onto my side, I find the postcard for Glow Night at the mysterious address that is listed underneath the description.

And right here… Right now… I decide I am going to attend.

Hearing movement outside my door, followed by some aggressive singing of what I can only distinguish as the Rowdy Rowdy Chicken theme song, I am confident that Luke is out there alone and not with a girl—or multiple girls.

I drag myself out of bed and go in search of the obnoxious singing.

My ears do all the work, and I don’t have to look far.

“Hey, Luke,” I say, making his body jerk around.

“Oh, hey, Sunshine. Rough night, eh?”

My eyes narrow. “Do I look that rough?”

“No…”

“So…”

“It’s just that Meatball kidnapped you and dragged you back to his lair.”

I let out a laugh. “Yeah, pretty much. But it’s nothing of what you think.”

“Oh, I rarely think.” Luke pauses at my giggling and then scoffs. “Stop laughing. That’s not what I meant to say.”

“I was wondering if you could help me out.”

“And you forever owe me a favor? Sign me up. I love IOUs. Just name it, and I’m game.”

“I need you to help me flirt.”

Luke’s hands fly up to his face. “Oh no. This is some kind of setup with the police, isn’t it? I’m being framed.”

“No, you goof. I simply need help trying to entice men to want to take a chance on me and not scare them off.”

“This sounds like a rebound. Are you sure this is what you want?” He stares intently at me. “This is about last night?”

“Yeah, pretty much, yes to all of that.”

Luke does a bow with praying hands in front. “I’m at your service.”

“I knew you would make this weird.”