Amy let out a gasp. “He didn't! Did he?”
“He did.”
“Wow,” she breathed out.
“Yeah, wow. I mean who shouts at a woman and then asks her on a date? And the bastard didn't even ask me, he just told me the time when he'd pick me up!” It sounded even worse said aloud. I’d been right to say no.
Right?
“Sounds like he's a sociopath, or maybe he's got a split personality or something like that. Jared told me about it once,” Amy said with a little shrug.
“Probably,” I murmured, shaking my head. “Why would he ask me anyway? Who wants to go out with a woman who's been watching him every night? He's probably a freak.” It would be just like me to fall in love with a psychopath.
I gasped, causing Amy to look at me worriedly. Fall in love?
Holy shit. I had lost my mind. It was official. I didn't even know him and what I knew of him wasn't very nice. He was a man-whore and used woman solely for his own pleasure. God, it was so typical that I fell in love with an asshole. Why couldn't my life be easy? “I think I’m kind of in love with him.”
Amy shook her head and touched my hand. “No, sweety. I don’t think so. What you’re suffering from is lust. I don’t blame you. Adrian Black is hot. An asshole, but a hot asshole. It’s understandable that you want him. But don’t mistake lust for love.”
I lowered my eyes, feeling stupid. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I need to get laid.” I snorted at how absurd that sounded. I didn’t just want to have sex. I wanted love and a fairy tale happy ending, but that’s not how life worked.
Suddenly, Amy narrowed her eyes at me, her hold on my hand tightening. “You're not planning on going on a date with him, are you?”
“Of course not!” I said indignantly, though a small part of me was considering it. And I had a feeling that this part would win in the long run.
Amy leaned back, releasing me. “So you said no?”
“Yes, I said no, Amy. I'm not stupid.” Or maybe I was.
Amy let out a sigh and shook her head with a disbelieving expression. “You're considering it.”
I averted my eyes and stared at the table top, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. “And what if I'm considering it? I'm old enough to go out with a guy, ain't I?” I muttered.
“I'm not saying you're not, and if sex was all you wanted out of it, I'd say go get it, because I'm sure that Adrian would do the job just fine. But I know that there's more to it for you, Nora.” She rose from her chair and turned on the fancy coffee maker that took up half of their narrow kitchen counter. “Cappuccino, espresso, latte?
“Double espresso,” I said.
“Okay.” Amy drew the word out, then began preparing my espresso and her latte in silence. I guessed she was trying to come up with a way to talk me out of my obsession with Adrian. I really hoped she would. She handed me the cute espresso cup with a drawing of the Colosseum on the front and I brought it to my lips. The strong liquid slid down my throat and I felt immediately better.
With her cup in hand, she perched on the edge of her seat, elbows propped up on the table. “You want more than sex, right?”
I could have told her that I wanted what she and Jared had, but I kept my mouth shut. Even I knew it was ridiculous to hope for something like that.
“Oh Nora, you're hoping that he might change his ways for you, don't you?”
I shrugged. Maybe deep down I did think that I could change him and that was definitely very stupid of me but I couldn't help it. I wanted him. I wanted to change him.
“So you want to lose your virginity to a guy who doesn't give a damn about you? He will forget you as soon as you're out of his sight.”
I let out a little sigh. “I didn't say anything about sleeping with him. He just asked me on a date.”
Amy looked a bit exasperated. She put her latte down. “You know what you get if you engage yourself with the likes of Adrian. He wants your body, not more and not less. If you can accept that, then go out with him. I personally wouldn't.”
“A date can't hurt,” I whispered.
Amy took my hands in hers and squeezed gently. “No, a date can't hurt, but promise me that you won't sleep with him, Nora, unless it's only sex for you. Then it's fine, but if you're feeling something for him and are hoping for more, then don't let him get close to you. You will only get hurt if you do.”
“I promise,” I said softly. “I don't even know if he'll ask me again and maybe I won't say yes if he does.”
Amy gave me a small smile, clearly not believing me. We both knew that I'd say yes.
Chapter Nine
Dragging Bruno behind me, I was shuffling towards my scooter, yawning constantly. I hadn't gotten much sleep those last two days. Why was I kidding? Ever since the thing with Adrian started weeks ago, I’d barely slept more than a few hours at night. My mind was on constant overdrive.