Not Even Close (A New Generation) by Elizabeth Reyes (books to read in a lifetime txt) 📗

A few minutes later, she was finally off the phone. No sooner hadshe put her phone down when Byron turned to her. “Why’d you lie?”

“Hmm?” she glanced out the window feeling her already warm faceheat further.

“You said you got an Uber. Didn’t you just meet this guytonight?”

“Yeah, so?” Vannah turned to him confused.

“So, what does it matter if you left with another guy?”

Left with Byron? Even though technically she had, the veryidea that this is how Byron saw it, had her insides awakening in nervousexcitement.

“Not just another guy, Byron.” Now her face was on firebecause she just let it slip that she knew his name. Before he could commentbecause he looked ready to, she went on quickly willing her blushing away. “Ileft with the guy he’s still under the impression was trying to take advantageof my friend back there. He’d think me an idiot, so I just went with hisassumption that I got an Uber because it was easier than explaining the wholetruth.”

Inching along in the traffic, Byron was able to stare at her fora moment unnerving her to no end, before lifting his finger. “We’ll get back tohow you know my name later, because this is interesting. Ironic that your responseto why you lie is so honest. Because it’s easier than telling the truth?”

“Why I lie?” Vannah asked welcoming her annoyed reaction.It was better than squirming in the unease she’d begun to feel. “You don’t knowanything about me.”

Byron chuckled, though he looked anything but amused. “It’s justa new one for me. Is all.”

“What’s a new one?”

“I’ve heard liars justify lying in other ways. Usually by—”

“So, you are calling me a liar?”

“Did you, or did you not, just lie to this guy you’re already makingplans on getting together with again?”

Vannah could hardly believe this. For weeks she’d beenfantasizing about what her first conversation with this guy might be—if ever.First, she’d been highly disappointed that he was a douche trying to get into Xochitl’spants. Then she’d been relieved it appeared to have all been amisunderstanding, but now it may’ve turned out he was a douche of an entirelydifferent kind.

“First of all, the only reason I lied.” She stopped to inhale andnodded. “Okay I should’ve said it was faster to just go along with theUber thing than to clarify the truth. Not that it was easier to liebecause I was afraid he might be mad. It’s not like he’s my boyfriend oranything.”

“Fair enough.” He turned onto that first street finally. “So,will you be telling your boyfriend the whole truth about tonight?”

Feeling the flush again, only this time clear down her neck, Vannahswallowed hard. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“You don’t?” Staring straight ahead because she could feel himlooking at her again, she nodded. “Oh, I see,” he went on. “Yeah, that makessense.”

Now she turned to him, because she didn’t like the condescendingway he said that last part. Despite his douchey intrusiveness about her personallife, something about his interest in it was strangely thrilling.

“What makes sense?”

“You’re a freshman?”

“Yeah?” she asked even more curious about where he was going withthis.

“You live in the dorms so you’re not from around, here right?”

“I’m from San Diego.”

“First time away from home?” She started to shake her head untilhe added. “Trips don’t count. I’m talking about living away from mommyand daddy.”

Pursing her lips at the pretention in his tone again, Vannah nodded.“It is,” she agreed with caution.

“You’re a beautiful—” He stopped and cleared his throat glancingaway as Vannah’s insides went wild. “You’re a pretty girl. I take it you’ve hada boyfriend?”

“I was in a relationship in high school.”

“So, let me guess, now that you’re out here—an out-of-towny—youdon’t do the relationship thing anymore?”

Confused by this line of questioning, despite her still dancinginsides, Vannah shook her head. “All I said was I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“But do you do the boyfriend thing?” He turned to face herfull on as they reached a red light.

Feeling a little ruffled because she finally got what he was gettingat, and he was right. She hated to admit it, but he’d already labeled her aliar, so she decided just to be honest. “No, I don’t. Not right now.” Hechuckled in that way he had earlier, sounding more annoyed or even disgustedthan amused. “I’m trying to focus on my grades and getting all my ducks in arow.”

“So, you just have friends, not boyfriends. Multiple friendsyou don’t owe explanations to about what you do with other friends.Do you meet them all at these frat parties?”

“This is the first frat party I’ve ever been to, okay? And it’lllikely be my last given how this one turned out.”

Vannah had never gone from feeling so excited to so annoyed in amatter of sentences in a conversation with anyone in her life. This was sonot what she thought her first conversation with Byron would be like. The onlything she’d hit right on the nose is how intense a conversation with him mightbe. He was quiet for a little too long, so she turned to look at him just asthe light turned green and they were moving again. To her surprise, she turnedjust in time to see his jaw clench then unclench.

Seven

The Offer

Byron

He had one goal now. Just one. Get her the hell homeand out of his car where Byron could finally get the scent of her out of hisnose and stop with his arbitrary questioning. He had zero business questioninganything she did. He’d hoped the smell of puke in his car might mask that intoxicatingscent of her. The moment she’d been close enough, he’d been assaulted byher fragrance and no amount of puke was undoing it. It’s why he hadn’t offeredto throw the dirty clothes back in his trunk.

From the moment he first laid eyes on her tonight in that tinydress and those fuck-me heels with her newest friend Joseph in tow he’dfelt almost sick to his stomach. How and why a girl he knew so little aboutexcept the basics, her name, general age, where she was from and now confirmationthat she didn’t do the boyfriend thing,