19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Jessica

I couldn't sleep all night. It's almost eight in the morning, and I'm sitting with my laptop in front of me, but I can't concentrate. I can't sleep, I can't focus, and the only thing I can do is think about Sean. I've spent all this time thinking about Sean and wondering whether he's feeling the way I am. Last night was amazing. If anyone had told me that I could have that much fun or feel that comfortable with Sean I would've laughed in their face. And yet that is exactly what happened. I've always had a crush on him which I'm a hundred percent positive has been unrequited. He's probably oblivious to my growing feelings for him.

I leave the couch and walk into the kitchen in search of food. The cabinet is full, and there are a lot of ideas for breakfast, but I don't have the strength to cook. I need a quick snack, and there's nothing in the fridge. I run upstairs to change into jeans and a shirt before grabbing my car keys and leaving the house.

I tell myself that I'm just going over to Bake My Day to grab a snack and coffee, but deep down, I know I need my best friend. I'm overwhelmed by all of these thoughts and emotions; I need to talk about them. Maybe if I hear myself out loud, I'll understand how stupid I am. When I get to the cafe, I order my food at the counter before making my way to Evelyn's office.

She looks up as I walk into the room, and her smile uplifts my spirit a little bit. "Oh, look who's here," she cries. "Just the person I want to see."

I set my food down on the table and sit. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. I've missed you." She smiles at me. "I planned to come over later." She closes the lid of her laptop and turns her full attention to me. "What have you been up to?"

"Nothing much." I munch on my breakfast sandwich slowly, aware of Evie's eyes on me. She waits until I swallow.

"Really?" She asks dryly. "Spit it out."

I sip my coffee. "I went on a date yesterday."

"What?" Her eyes widen. "With one of the men from the speed dating event? You work fast, girl."

"With Sean."

Evelyn's mouth falls open, and I can tell she's trying hard to grasp what I've just told her. I don't blame her; it's hard for me to grasp, too.

"Is there a Sean from the dating event?" She asks eventually, making me laugh.

"No. Your brother."

Our eyes meet. "You went on a date with my brother?"

"Yes."

A shocked gasp leaves her lips, and I raise a hand to quell her oncoming tirade. "Before you start, let me explain what happened."

"You don't need to explain anything to me, Jess," she says sweetly. "If that's what you want, then please go for it. I love you both so much; as long as you're happy, I—"

"Girl—" I cut her off. "Will you stop and listen to me?"

When she's quiet, I take another sip from my coffee. "It wasn't a real date or anything. It was like a lesson, you know what I mean? A fake date."

"A fake date?" She echoes. "What does that even mean?"

"You know how Sean said he'd coach me and all that stuff?"

"Yes." Evelyn nods, her eyes shining with interest.

"So Rick called a few days ago, asking me out on a date. Rick is one of the guys from the speed dating event."

"Okay."

"So Rick called, asking me on a date. I panicked because I've never been good at dating, and I wanted the one with Rick to work out, so I went to Sean. He suggested we go on a fake date to help me out." I take another bite out of my sandwich. Evelyn's eyes are narrowed, and she's giving me a look full of mirth.

"Oh, I see." She nods. "So the date was to help you out. It wasn't like a real date or anything."

"Exactly."

"Oh, I see." She nods again. "That means there was no dressing up and he didn't pick you up or anything. Right?"

"No, we did that," I answer reluctantly. "It was like a real date, I mean, that's the point. He bought me a dress; oh Evie, it was the most beautiful dress." I take out my phone and pull up a picture I'd taken of myself in it in front of the mirror before Sean came knocking.

Evelyn smiles at the picture. "That's an expensive dress. Sean bought you this? For the date?"

"For the date, yes. He also dressed up. We went to this five-star restaurant in town. Blossom."

"That's a costly place," Evelyn comments.

"Very. I was shocked when we ended up there. I mean, why would he spend so much money on a fake date?"

"I know, right?" Evelyn chuckles. "One would think it's an actual date."

I narrow my eyes at Evelyn. "What's your problem?"

Laughing, she says, "Nothing. I'm just saying. Did you have a good time?"

"Yes. It was fun."

"No goodnight kiss?"

"What?" I frown. "Why would you even ask that?"

"Won't you kiss Rick? Since it's a date simulation, surely you two should have kissed goodnight at the door."

"No. There was no good night kiss."

"That's such a bummer," Evelyn answers, making me roll my eyes. "You know what, Evie? Just say whatever you're insinuating outright. Okay? Stop beating around the bush."

"Well," she drawls. "I just think you and Sean should go on an actual date and see what's in store for you both."

"What?" I've never shouted a louder "What" in my life.

"Relax," Evelyn laughs. "It's not that big of a deal. Really."

"Are you listening to yourself?"

"You and Sean have always had chemistry and are always at each other's throats," she says, ignoring me. "But maybe it's not actually a hate thing between the two of you. What if it's something else all together?"

"Ewww." I scrunch my face up as much as possible, hoping it's convincing enough. While Evelyn's words just feed into my fantasy, I mustn't show her that I've been thinking about it, too. "I want to throw up in my mouth."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why? That's your brother, Evie."

"And?" Evelyn stares at me with her wide eyes. "He's my brother. It's not like he's related to you or something. What's the big deal? And you know Sean. You know he won't be like the other guys. To be honest, all I see are the pros. We could even be sisters," she adds with a wink

I sigh, now wishing I could disappear. Evie is planting ideas in my head. I'm pretty sure Sean is not interested in me and never will be. I mean he doesn't like me. I'm not even remotely close to his type. Forget about the fact that he's happy all the time, and I'm a total grump.

"Sean and I don't mix," I tell Evelyn. "Honestly."

"Why do you say that?"

"He's…uhm…into things that I don't like."

"Like what?" Evelyn presses.

"Like romance movies, for instance. Look at the movies he does. All the sappy nonsense, the groveling, the loving, it's unrealistic. If we were together, he'd expect me to watch those with him." It doesn't matter that I watch them on my own just to see him anyway. I'd die before I'd tell him or Evie that.

Evelyn rolls her eyes, dismissing my logic with a wave. "That's a silly excuse," she says. "The beauty of love is when two different people come together and find a balance. You'll watch his sappy romance movies, and he'll watch your gory thrillers. He already reads all your books despite the fact that he's not a fan of the genre."

She's right, but I don't dwell on it. "Nah, we don't work." I take the last bite of my sandwich and chug down the rest of the coffee. "And never mention this again, please."

Evelyn shakes her head. "So, your date with Rick, do you think you're ready?"

I shrug. "I guess. It's happening next week."

"You don't sound too excited about it," Evelyn says.

"I was, but not anymore. I only have energy for one date per month apparently, and Sean has sapped all of it."

"Is that the only thing Sean sapped?" Evelyn wiggles her brows at me, and I frown at her.

"You're so corny," I say. "And terribly unrealistic. All those romance stories have burned your brain and fried it to a crisp."

"And you're such an unrepentant pessimist," she fires back. "It's all that thriller you write and watch, I'm sure."

"I need to buy a dress for my date with Rick next week. Maybe new shoes, too."

"You have lots of dresses you haven't worn in your closet," Evelyn suggests, but I shake my head. "I want something new. Something that represents a fresh start."

Evelyn laughs. "You're being dramatic. Are you sure you want to go on this date with Rick?"

I rear back, my brows arching all the way up to my hairline. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I can read the room, girl," she says matter-of-factly. "You had a lot to say about your date with Sean. But suddenly, it's like you can't summon any excitement for Rick."

I stare at Evelyn like she's grown two heads. "Come on, Evie. I've actually gone on a date with Sean, so I have things to talk about. I haven't gone out with Rick yet, so there's nothing to talk about. You see? It's not anything serious. Do you understand now?"

Evelyn shrugs. "If you say so," she says like she doesn't believe me. "All I know is I'm the one looking at you, okay? I saw the light in your eyes when you were discussing your date with Sean. But there was—"

I slam my hand on the table, causing Evelyn to jump. "Why did you do that?" Her brows furrow.

"Because you're talking a lot of nonsense. Stop."

"Fine." She pouts. "Do whatever you want; I'll be here to say I told you so."

"Don't be delusional."

Evelyn leans forward, her gaze on mine. "So, on this fake date with Sean, what did you learn?"

I narrow my eyes at her, trying to decipher whether she's trolling me or not. "Are you being serious right now? Or are you just fishing for information to support your crazy ideas?"

"Hey." Evelyn raises her arms in surrender. "I'm done. If you say you're not interested, then that's that."

"Good."

"So…about the date?" She repeats. "What did you learn?"

"Well…," I rack my brain to figure out what I learned that might be helpful on my date with Rick, but all I can think about is Sean's beautiful smile, the way he looked at me, and the almost-kiss we had at my front door. The date was perfect, and I didn't think of Rick for one second through any of it.

"Well…" Evelyn says. "Any day now."

I finally think of something. "I learned a lot of things, actually," I say. "According to Sean, I have to give genuine compliments. Apparently, people can tell the difference between fake and genuine ones."

"He's right on that one," Evelyn agrees. "So, did you both act out the compliment part? Did you compliment each other?"

I nod. "He complimented me and my dress. I complimented him, too."

"Hmm." Evelyn smiles. "What else did you learn?"

I want to say "flirting", but with the way Evelyn has been creating stories out of nothing, she may misconstrue the relationship between Sean and I even further. I may have called her delusional, but that's my title. I'm the delusional one, and I don't need anyone feeding into that crazed thinking. What I need is for someone to help me get rid of it.

"Just how to communicate, in general," I tell her. "That's all. Nothing much."

I decide it's my turn to rile Evie up after she made jokes at my expense the entire time I've been here. I know exactly how to get her.

"So," I start. "You and Jamie—"

"What?" Her eyes widen. "What happened to me and Jamie? We're just friends."

I widen my eyes to assume an innocent expression. "What are you talking about? I just wanted to bring up the speed dating event. Everything went without a hitch. You two work well together."

"Oh." Evie's cheeks grow warm, and she looks away from me. "Well thank you. But I'm sure you told me that already. You don't have to bring it up every time."

"My bad." I force myself to keep my laugh at bay and maintain an impassive expression. Sooner or later, I'll figure out what's up with the two of them.