CHAPTER 18
Dani
After work, I drove myself to Kasey’s house and knocked on her door. I hadn’t seen her or Trevon or even Eros in a few days, and I wanted someone to talk to. There was no answer. I was about to turn away when a shirtless guy opened the door.
His thick brown hair stuck up in all different directions, and he furrowed his dark brows at me. “Hello?”
“Hi, is—uh—Kasey here?”
Who was this guy? He couldn’t be her boyfriend; she just introduced me to Mycah a couple days ago. Maybe it was her brother?
He smiled, leaned against the doorframe, and crossed his arms. There was a small scar in the center of his chest. “You must be Dani. Kasey talks a lot about you.”
“Oh, um… good. What’s your name?” I asked awkwardly.
“I’m Aarav, Kasey’s boyfriend.”
My eyes widened. Oh, he was her lover. Had she broken up with Mycah already?
Kasey walked behind Aarav, tying a black silk robe around her small waist. “Dani! Come in.” She slapped Aarav lightly on the chest. “Hun, go put on a shirt. You’re making her uncomfortable.”
Aarav jogged to the bedroom, and I walked into the apartment. Heart racing. Maybe Kasey was cheating on Mycah. She hadn’t told me they broke up. I thought she would have. Would I be able to look at her the same if she was, especially after what Trevon did?
“What’s on your mind?” She puckered her red lips and curled her arm around mine, dragging me to the kitchen.
“Aarav is your boyfriend?”
“Yep.”
“When did you break up with Mycah?”
“I didn’t. We’re still dating.”
My eyes widened. “Oh.” Wow. Okay. Out of everyone, I didn’t think Kasey would ever cheat. She was so angry when she found out that Trevon was cheating on me.
I gnawed on the inside of my cheek. Maybe I should tell Mycah. I would’ve wanted someone to tell me that Trevon was cheating. It would have saved me from blindly believing that he was still in love with me.
Kasey giggled at my expression, her nose scrunching. “Dani, I’m in a relationship with both of them.”
Yeah, that was clear.
“No, no, no. I mean they both know about each other. We’re in a polyamorous relationship.”
Oh.
“Really?” I asked, curiously.
She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, brows furrowed. “You don’t think that’s weird, do you?”
“No, of course not.”
I had never met anyone in that kind of relationship before. And while it was different, it wasn’t weird. It was intriguing more than anything. Two partners to care about. Two partners who cared about her.
She hopped onto a stool at the counter and tugged me along with her. Aarav walked into the kitchen, a loose white shirt hanging off his body. “Would you ladies like some dinner?”
“Just something light, hun.”
Aarav threw some burgers on the skillet and leaned against the counter. “I heard what happened with Trevon,” he said. Kasey narrowed her eyes at him. He raised his arms in defense. “What? I just wanted to tell her how well she took it. Not everyone can get over a breakup in a few days, and she’s already going on another date.”
My brows furrowed together. “I don’t have a date.”
Kasey grabbed my hand, a guilty look on her face. “Actually, I kind of told someone that you’d go on a date with them tonight.”
“What? Why would you do that?”
“Because you need to get back out there, and I know the perfect guy for you!”
“Kase, I’m not ready to go out on a date. I just got off work, have had no time to freshen up, and I’m not meeting a guy for the first time looking like this.” And I didn’t want to go so soon after the breakup. It was still so fresh, and I was so scared that I would fall for another guy that would break my heart just like Trevon did.
Another pretty face. Another book of lies. Another problem.
A wicked grin stretched across her face. “Well, I’m going to help you get ready. You’re going to look hot as Wrat—Hell. Hot as hell.”
“No,” I said. “I’m not going. I probably won’t even like the guy.” There was only one guy that I’d consider seeing, and he had disappeared from my life a few days ago.
“Oh, you’ll like him. Don’t you think so, Aarav?” she asked.
He flipped the burgers and nodded.
“See! Nothing to worry about!”
“There’s everything to worry about! What if he turns out to be a pervert? What if I get awkward and do something stupid—like have a heart attack?”
Kasey burst out laughing. She rested her forehead on my shoulder, shaking from laughter. “Dani, calm down.”
But I couldn’t. I was still getting over Trevon and didn’t know if I was ready to date again. I hadn’t flirted with another guy in years, except Eros but he didn’t count. And, anyway, I couldn’t go. I needed time for myself, time to make sure that this was going to make me happy.
“He’s not a pervert.” She wiped tears from her cheeks, still giggling. “And, I assure you that he doesn’t care if you do something stupid. I can’t promise you about the heart attack thing because if you two…” She wiggled her brows at me. “… you know, have sex, then you might.”
I wrinkled my nose. “There will be no sex on the first date, and…” I raised my brow at her. “How do you know the sex will be that good? Is he one of your ex-boyfriends?”
She made a face. “Oh, Heavens, no.”
The burgers sizzled on the skillet, and Aarav chuckled as he shook spices over them.
“Well, who is he?”
“I can’t tell you that. It’s a blind date.”
“Then, I’m not going.”
“Please, just this once, and if you hate him, then I’ll never make you go on another date again.”
I sighed and pushed a hand through my hair. It was a win-win situation for me. If I had a good time, then I might go out with this guy again. I’d be able to get my mind off of Trevon and Eros for a few hours. If I had a bad time, then I didn’t have to go out on another date again. I could pick up Project Hermit right where I left off, and I was completely fine with that.
“Just this once, and then never again,” I said, giving her the hardest eyes I could.
Kasey pulled me off of the stool. “Deal, let’s get you ready.”
“Oh, come on,” Aarav said. He turned around with two burgers on a plate, each with a smiley face drawn in ketchup on it. “You’re not going to eat?”
Kasey placed a kiss on his cheek, leaving a red stain. “I’ll eat it later, hun.” She winked back at him and dragged me to her room.
Crimson’s Nouveau was buzzing with people when I arrived for the date. The last time I was here was with Trevon, Eros, and Maria. Trevon was chatting up Javier so much that night, I should’ve realized that something was going on.
Men, dressed in suits, were sitting around the bar with beers in their hands. Some watched me walk by in the plunging navy-blue sweater dress that Kasey had forced me to wear. I found an open seat and scooted onto the stool. “A white sangria please,” I said to the petite woman behind the counter.
One man gazed at me from the opposite side of the bar, eyebrow cocked ever so slightly. His eyes were a dark brown—black, even, but maybe it was just this dim light. I gazed down at the table, cheeks flaming. God, I hope this wasn’t the guy Kasey set me up with. I was hoping for someone less attractive, someone I’d be able to say goodbye to at the end of the night and not feel bad when I didn’t call him back.