Chapter 1
“How did I know you were going to be here?” Chloe said, scooting across the wooden booth seat opposite me. “It’s Friday, and you’re here.” She placed her hand on my book, her perfectly manicured pink nails hiding where I was reading.
Chloe never understood why I liked it here because she was always out with her other friends on the weekends, while I was either here or in our dorm room studying or reading. This place reminded me of the coffee shop back home where I hung out with my friends after school. It was cute, with wooden booth seats and tables big enough to spread out your books and laptop. A big brown leather couch with fluffy pillows sat in the back of the coffee shop, next to a couple of cream-colored high-back chairs.
A lot of the college kids came here during the week for their daily caffeine and to get some work done, but I came for the vibe. Maybe they came for the vibe, too. It was quiet most of the time; popular music played in the background, and the smell of smoky caramel wafted through the shop, tickling your nose and telling you to get that second cup of coffee.
“I need another coffee place,” I mumbled, pulling my book back toward me.
“You need to get out and enjoy college life.” She lowered her head, trying to look me in the eye.
“I’m enjoying college life.” I placed my favorite bookmark back in my book so I could pick up where I left off later back in the dorm room.
“Did I miss anything?” Sienna asked, motioning for Chloe to move over as she sipped on her iced latte.
“What is that?” Chloe pointed to the cup sitting in front of Sienna.
“Um…An iced latte…” Sienna’s dark brown eyes narrowed.
“I know that.” Chloe rolled her blue eyes. “I thought we were going to
“Then why did you ask such a dumbass question?” Sienna picked up her cup, lifting the black straw to her mauve colored lips.
“Funny.” Chloe twisted her mouth, focusing her attention back on me. “Back to what I was saying a few minutes ago. I’ve not seen you go out once since we’ve been roommates.”
“I go out.” I grabbed my straw and stirred it through the half-melted whipped cream in my iced latte.
She tilted her head to the side, twisting her mouth, then turned and looked at Sienna, who shrugged in response as if I wasn’t sitting across from them. They did this quite often, and most people would be offended, but they were my best friends. Who was I kidding? They were my only friends in college. I had acquaintances, but no one I hung out with regularly except Chloe and Sienna.
Chloe and I met last year when we became roommates as freshmen and took many of the same introductory classes. So, it was easy for us to become best friends right away, even though we were complete opposites from the start. Chloe has always been the extrovert, while I remained true to my introverted roots.
Chloe became friends with Sienna during one of her spring semester classes, and Chloe started inviting me along. At first, I felt like a third wheel because Chloe invited me at the last minute, probably because she felt bad for not hanging out with me as much. She would never admit it.
Truth be told, I kinda like being alone there for a while. It had given me time to dive into my cheesy romance novels, as Chloe would call them. She didn’t understand how I could sit for hours and get lost in a book when I could be out there trying to find a guy. I knew guys in my books didn’t exist out there in the real world. At least the guys I read about couldn’t break my heart.
“Coming here doesn’t count as going out, Everly, and you know it. Hand me your phone.” She held out her hand, wiggling her fingers.
I knew if I didn’t hand it to her, she wouldn’t stop until I did. My stomach churned into fifty million knots the second my phone hit the palm of her hand. I should’ve kept the screen locked, but it wouldn’t have helped. I watched her fingers tap away on my phone’s screen as Sienna’s eyes widened, which told me Chloe was definitely up to something. The fifty million knots in my stomach had now become one hundred million, doing somersaults.
I sipped on my watered-down latte as her typing slowed down; then her finger tapped on my screen one final time, then slid my phone back over to me. My eyes widened in horror when I saw the site name at the top of my phone in big, bright pink letters, Love Finder, and my picture in the middle of the page. I didn’t know whether to throw up or punch my friend in the face. I’d never hit another person in my life; she was close to being the first.
“Hear me out before you kill me. You have to go out on 20 dates over the next two months. I’m giving you two months because of classes and homework.”
“How am I supposed to find love in 20 dates?” My eyes narrowed, staring at my picture in the middle of my phone.
“Love? Who said anything about falling in love? We just want you to get out there and have some fun, Everly.” Chloe looked over at Sienna, who was nodding in agreement. “And no, sitting here almost every weekend reading doesn’t count.” She sat back, crossing her arms. “Ev, this is the best time of our lives. We’re young with no real responsibilities yet besides getting through college. Just start dating and have fun. It doesn’t have to be anything serious either.”
“She’s right.” Sienna agreed, sipping her latte.
“Who’s right?” A familiar low voice asked as someone walked up beside us.
“Your girlfriend, that’s who.” Chloe scooted out, wrapping her arms around Ethan’s muscular build. He lifted her feet off the ground a good foot as they kissed, forgetting there were people around.
Sienna looked at them, then at me, clearing her throat, trying to get their attention. But it didn’t work, as they continued to make out right there.
“Get a room!” A warm, confident voice hollered, walking up behind them. I looked over at Sienna, whose mouth was parted and her eyes followed the guy’s every move, which could mean only one thing: Wyatt Butler. He was the star quarterback on the football team and Ethan’s roommate and teammate. Not to mention one of the hottest guys around school as well. He was the talk of the campus among the single girls.
Just because I was an introvert didn’t mean I was completely clueless about what was going on around campus.
“I do have a room, but I can never use it.” Ethan retorted, laughing. I wrinkled up my nose in disgust. I didn’t want to hear about my best friend’s sexcapades with her boyfriend, even though she told me about them whether I wanted to hear them or not. There were just some things I didn’t care to hear about, and that was one of them. She told me it would be different if I had a boyfriend of my own, but I couldn’t see it.
Wyatt stepped around Ethan and Chloe, who still had their arms wrapped around each other while she rested her head on his chest. He scooted in next to Sienna, who I thought was going to sit in his lap, by not giving him any room in the booth. He didn’t acknowledge it or seem bothered by her practically sitting on top of him. Maybe I was missing something.
“What’s everyone talking about?” Wyatt asked, his bright blue eyes shifting to Ethan.
“I don’t know, man. I just walked up a few minutes ago.”
That’s when Wyatt’s eyes focused on my phone, in plain view for the whole world to see, in the middle of the table. The site was staring up at everyone, saying, “Look at me.” I wanted to crawl under the table and stay there for the rest of college. I knew dating apps were the thing, and I shouldn’t be embarrassed, but I didn’t want the star football player to think I was some nerd who couldn’t get a date.
He turned my phone so he wasn’t looking at it upside down and raised an eyebrow, as if he were deciding whether to pass judgment on my profile picture. I reached over and slid my phone away from him, avoiding awkward eye contact.
“I’m trying to get Everly to go out on 20 dates in the next two months.” Chloe eased out of Ethan’s arms.
“Okay…” Wyatt’s eyes met mine as the heat spread across my cheeks.
I don’t know what came over me. Maybe it was Wyatt sitting across from me, gazing at me with those bright blue eyes of his. “Fine. I’ll do it.” I snatched my phone up, looking away, trying to hide my embarrassment.
Chloe started in about how happy she was that I was going to do this and how going on these dates would help me meet more people. The more I listened, the less I shared in her excitement, and the more I wanted to back out of the whole thing. Just when I was about to open my mouth and tell her I changed my mind, my light flashed on my phone, letting me know I had a notification. I flipped my phone over and pressed the power button to turn the screen on so I could see the notification. My eyes widened after I unlocked the home screen and saw that someone had swiped right on my profile on Love Finder.
Chloe must have known what I was freaking out about because before I could click out of the site, she ripped the phone out of my hand. “Oh, my god…” She gasped as she sat down beside me and showed me who clicked on my profile.
My eyes shot open, and I didn’t know whether to be shocked or pissed. The second Sienna noticed the confusion in our eyes, she grabbed the phone out of Chloe’s hand. Her eyes widened when she looked down at the screen, then she handed it back to me. She sat there for a few seconds, swapping glances between Chloe and me before turning to her right to look at Wyatt.
Ethan’s eyes landed on each of us as if we were just going to blurt out what we were dumfounded over.
“I clicked on her profile picture,” Wyatt said, looking up at Ethan.
“Nice.” Ethan held out his fist. Wyatt’s eyes drifted to me as he held up his fist.
I wanted to turn around and crawl over the back of the booth and run back to my dorm, but my mouth had other plans. “Is this some kind of sick joke?” I pointed my finger at Wyatt. “Well, I don’t need your pity date!”
“Pity date?” He teased, his blue eyes twinkling, which was making it hard to stay mad at him. “You know you’re cute when you’re mad.” He smirked.
I pressed my lips together, motioning to Chloe to let me out of the booth before he could open his mouth again. I thought I was in the clear when I rounded the booth and was a couple of feet away from the door.
“So what time should I pick you up tomorrow?” Wyatt asked, walking up behind me.
I turned, marched over to him, and jabbed my finger into his chest. “I didn’t agree to go on a date with you. I’m not some nerd outreach project.” I clenched my jaw.
“You’re really cute when you’re bossy.”
“Shut up.” I turned and stormed out of Honey Brew, trying to ignore the electric tingle that surged up my hand and awakened every nerve in my body the second my finger touched him.
