Page 29 of Sunflower Persona (Classic City Romance #2)

Gage

T he second I walk into Double Teep, I’m ambushed.

My friends are crowded around the front desk, trying their best to look casual.

Morgan is sitting in the chair behind it “working,” Karis is sitting on it, and Nathan is half leaning against it while the three of them bicker.

It’s obvious to anyone with eyes they are up to something—and that something is waiting to pester me.

Their attention locks on me as I step inside, and they fall silent. For a brief moment, none of us do anything but stare at each other, unmoving.

“So…” Nathan starts while the others watch on.

“So…” I parrot back.

They’re lucky I’m still riding the high from last night. If it were any other day, I wouldn’t entertain their antics, but I’m feeling uncharacteristically patient. And I might be itching to fill them in on what went down.

I’m an asshole, but I’m also human. Gossip is in our DNA.

A buzzing energy has been flowing through my veins since I left Yellow’s dorm. I barely slept with it vibrating right below the skin. Maybe a verbal purge will get it out of my system.

“Don’t play games with us,” Karis snaps. “How did last night go? Did she tell you to fuck off? I bet she told him to fuck off.”

“She didn’t tell me to fuck off.”

“Ha. You owe me ten dollars,” Nathan tells Karis.

“Shut up. You can’t blame me for thinking the girl might have more of a backbone.”

“So you and Kori are together now?” Morgan asks, completely ignoring our friends’ antics.

“We are going out on Sunday, but yeah. I think we’re together.”

I mean, I told her we were. But saying yes to one date isn’t a commitment. It doesn’t matter; she’s my girl…unless I fuck up this date like I’ve fucked up everything else so far.

“What’s the game plan for that?” Nathan asks.

Oh, so now he’s paying attention. Good to know my love life is more interesting than whatever bet he and Karis have going.

“Fuck if I know. I’m still trying to figure that part out. I’ll be honest, I would have been on Karis’s side with this. I had no hope she would say yes.”

“What does she like?” Morgan asks.

It’s such a simple question, but my brain completely freezes. In that second, every conversation I’ve ever had with my girl is wiped from my memory.

“She likes…yellow…”

“Jesus Christ, you’re a lost cause,” Karis says, hopping off the desk. “Have fun with your girl talk.”

“Man, she might be right if that’s all you’ve got,” Nathan says.

“Fuck.”

My gloom makes an appearance. Its tendrils of dread creep along my mind, slowly obscuring my bright mood with shadows of doubt. I swipe my hand across my face and start to pace in the small lobby.

I’ve never planned a date before—at least one that matters.

In the past, taking a woman out was a precursor to taking her home.

There was no meaning behind it. Every time was the same: overpriced drinks at a mid-range bar that was just swanky enough to be impressive, followed by no-strings-attached sex.

It was a simple formula that worked, but I’m not looking for no strings with Yellow.

Fuck, I want her to wrap me in all her strings.

What’s been brewing between us isn’t some fling, and it sure as hell isn’t a one-night stand.

I don’t know what the future looks like, but I want her to be in it.

“Stop freaking out. We will help you figure it out,” Morgan promises, interrupting my impending spiral.

“What he said,” Nathan adds. “This isn’t a normal awkward first date either. You and Kori already know each other, so this will be a piece of cake.”

“But don’t treat it like you’re hanging out with a friend. Knowing her isn’t an excuse to skimp out on making her feel special. You need to show her you are serious about taking this to the next level, and that this is more than a friends thing.”

“How do I do that?”

“Spoil her. Touch her often and casually. Brush up against her, hold her hand, put an arm around her.” Nathan answers first, but Morgan is quick to offer his two cents as soon as he stops speaking.

Goddamn, it’s like the two of them share the same brain cell sometimes.

“Give her your undivided attention, and use the time to get to know her.”

“Bring her something—probably flowers—and take her out to eat somewhere nice. Show her you are putting effort in.”

“All right, that seems easy enough,” I cut in before Morgan can add to the growing list.

As helpful as they’re trying to be, every addition makes my head spin a little more. Dinner and flowers are something I can handle—touching too—but if I let myself get bogged down in the rest, I won’t be able to give her the attention she deserves. My nerves are going to be fried enough as is.

“Thank you for the input,” I tell my friends, “but I’ve got to get ready for my class. The kids are going to start trickling in any minute.”

“I’ll send you a list of some of my favorite date spots,” Nathan says as I start to walk away.

My phone starts buzzing before I make it to the locker room.

My friend works fast. The list is more than a few suggestions, and I don’t recognize half the restaurants on it.

Why would I? Eating out isn’t a luxury I can often afford.

I click on one of the links he sent and damn near have a heart attack when I see the prices.

Forty-eight dollars for an entrée? It’s highway robbery. Kori is worth it, though. Fuck, she’d be worth something four times this amount.

Fuck it. I’ll put it on my credit card. What’s another hundred dollars of debt when the existing total is more than I’ll ever be able to pay off.

Later tonight, I’ll call and make a reservation, and then all I can do is wait impatiently for Sunday to come.

With any luck, my nerves won’t eat me alive before then.