Page 12 of Undeniable
Connor, he/him
“Oh my.”She slid the phone back to me. “Kind of a jerk, but I bet he’s wicked good at dirty talk.”
“Gross. What if he’s my dad’s age? Or older?” I cringed.
“Pretty sure no man in his late forties or older has ever even heard ofBooksmart, let alone watched it.”
Booksmarthad been our favorite movie ever since we’d seen it together in college. And, whether I liked it or not, Alyssa made a good point. The fact that Connor had mocked my favorite movie made me think he was a bit closer to our age.
“But you could find out his age if you really wanted to.” She arched an eyebrow, daring me to log in to the admin side of the program and dig through his private profile.
“No.” I shook my head. “No way.”
I’d suggested the program and helped guide it to fruition, but I hadn’t been responsible for many of the details, such as the reading partner intake form or the actual pairing of reading buddies. And if I had, I certainly wouldn’t have paired myself with this jerk.
“Gah!” I banged my fist on the table, which made the silverware clatter. “Can you believe the things he said to me?” I could feel myself getting hotter the more I thought about it, especially when several people nearby turned to see what the commotion was. “The audacity. What if I were a sweet, little old lady?”
“Again—” She grinned. “You mentionedBooksmart. That probably gave him a good guess as to your age bracket.”
“Ugh,” I huffed, hating that she was right.
She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched me with a bemused expression.
“What?” I stopped mid-rant. “What is that look for?”
“It’s just nice to see you so fired up—sopassionate,” she said in a suggestive tone I didn’t appreciate. “About something.”
“Well, he’s making a mockery of the program I busted my butt on.” My body flushed with heat.
“So, tell him.” She popped a chip into her mouth, and it crunched loudly when she chewed.
I jerked my head back. “What?”
“Yeah.” She leaned in, resting her elbows on the table. “Let him have it.”
“I can’t—I couldn’t…” The idea made my pulse race.
“Why not? It’s not like you have to send it. Just type out what you want to say. What you wish you could really say.”
Her idea did have merit. And I needed a way to let off some steam. So, I wiped my hands on my napkin and picked up my phone.
“Dear Asshole,” I read aloud as I typed, anger infusing every stroke of the keys.
I would apologize for the profanity, but it seems deserved.
A few fun facts.
I pity you. Reading is one of life’s greatest escapes, one of the best ways to gain understanding about other people or places. You’re missing out.
You know nothing about me, and you know what they say about making assumptions…
Can’t say I’ve tried it—pussy. But hey, you are what you eat, right?
Sincerely,
Olivia
Alyssa laughed at my line about the pussy, though my cheeks flamed with heat when I said the word aloud.
