Love Bug (The Prescotts Book 3) by Tara Wyatt (electric book reader .TXT) 📗

be here. He should’ve gotten into an Uber and headed home, back to his cold, empty penthouse in SoHo. Alone, like he belonged. Yet here he was, standing on the sidewalk below the apartment building, counting windows until he found Theo’s—Willa’s—living room. The lights were on, but the curtains were drawn, and the apartment was too high up to really see anything anyway.

A light rain started to fall, but he still stood there, staring up at the softly lit window, wondering if she was okay. If she had nightmares like Kayla did. If she felt that pang in her chest every time she saw him, or if that was only him. If she had any idea how he felt about her. How badly he wished things could be different.

Maybe this was okay, if he just stopped by to check on her. To make sure she was okay.

He took a step toward the front doors when his phone buzzed from inside his pocket. Stepping under the building’s overhang, he pulled it out.

FreshPrincessOfChelsea: Okay, so I took some time to think about what my perfect day would entail, and I think I’ve finally got it all figured out.

BetaTestAccount23: Let’s hear it.

FreshPrincessOfChelsea: I’d wake up early and have a delicious, super unhealthy breakfast and then go for a long walk in Central Park. The weather would be sunny and in the high seventies with just a light breeze. I’d get a cup of coffee and take my time, enjoying the sunshine and the fresh air, and I’d find the perfect spot to sit and read. Then I’d meet up with friends for lunch where we’d eat and drink and laugh. In the afternoon, I’d go home and play World of Warcraft for as long as I wanted without feeling guilty, like I should be working or cleaning my apartment or anything. I’d order in sushi for dinner and eat it all.

BetaTestAccount23: That does sound like the perfect day.

FreshPrincessOfChelsea: And then, I’d have a date. We’d go to the movies and then out for drinks and then have sex. Twice.

Max blinked slowly, reading Fresh Princess’s answer more than once. God, what the everloving fuck was wrong with him? Here he was, standing outside of Willa’s building, fucking pining for her, chatting with another woman, a stranger he’d been matched with on a dating app. He’d been trying for days now to tell himself that the chatting on Blind Date was harmless. They were just messages. He didn’t even know who she was, for fuck’s sake. And yet his heart did this weird kick in his chest whenever he saw one of her messages.

More proof of how fucked up he was. He’d hurt Willa even though he wanted her so badly, and now he was talking to this other woman and fuck if it didn’t feel good.

BetaTestAccount23: I like it.

FreshPrincessOfChelsea: Are you okay? You’ve been kind of quiet today.

BetaTestAccount23: Yeah, I’m good. Just a lot on my mind.

FreshPrincessOfChelsea: Want to talk about it?

It started to rain harder and Max looked up, glancing around for a cab. Thankfully he spotted one headed his way, and he stepped out into the rain, waving it down. As soon as it slowed, he stepped inside, gave the driver his address, and then glanced out the window as Willa’s building slid out of view.

BetaTestAccount23: I need to be honest with you about something.

FreshPrincessOfChelsea: Okay.

BetaTestAccount23: I’m single, but it’s a little complicated.

FreshPrincessOfChelsea: In what way?

BetaTestAccount23: The thing is, I’m kind of hung up on someone. And I know it’s not going anywhere, mostly because I was—am—a grade A asshole. But I feel torn when it comes to talking to you—which I really like—because there’s sort of but not really someone else.

BetaTestAccount23: So if I’ve been quiet, it’s not because I don’t like talking to you. I’ve just got a lot of shit to process.

FreshPrincessOfChelsea: Oh. That’s kind of unexpected, given our chats, but I get it.

BetaTestAccount23: Yeah?

FreshPrincessOfChelsea: Yeah. Because the truth is, I’m sort of hung up on someone too.

BetaTestAccount23: What happened?

FreshPrincessOfChelsea: I don’t really want to get into the details. It was just someone I’d been really into for a while, we hooked up and then he made it pretty clear he wasn’t looking for anything, so that was that.

A pang of guilt sliced through Max, hot and sharp. He’d hurt Willa like that, and given the chance he’d probably hurt Fresh Princess, too. And she didn’t deserve that. Neither of them did.

BetaTestAccount23: I’m sorry. On behalf of assholes everywhere, I apologize.

FreshPrincessOfChelsea: It’s okay. If you’re up for it, I’d like to keep chatting with you, even if we know things are maybe a little more complicated than they originally seemed. I like talking to you.

BetaTestAccount23: I like talking to you too. It feels easy in a way I can’t really explain.

FreshPrincessOfChelsea: I know what you mean. I was thinking about that this morning, and I think it’s partly the anonymity, and partly the knowledge that we’re *supposed* to be good together. And we have a lot in common, but I don’t think the compatibility is based just on similarities.

BetaTestAccount23: It’s based on how we complement each other, too. I was thinking about the same thing.

FreshPrincessOfChelsea: Of course you were. That seems to happen a lot with us.

BetaTestAccount23: It does. So this guy you’re hung up on. Tell me about him. What is it about him?

FreshPrincessOfChelsea: He’s smart, attractive, driven, hardworking, successful. Very serious, but every once in a while, he cracks a joke and when he smiles it’s like he changes and the room changes and I change. It’s not just the sun coming out from behind the clouds. It’s like a whole sunrise. I know how cheesy that sounds but, like I said. Hung up on this dude.

BetaTestAccount23: It’s not cheesy, it’s sweet.

FreshPrincessOfChelsea: I’m sure he would disagree with you. He’s serious but sometimes I get the impression that all of that seriousness is really a mask. He doesn’t do vulnerable. Totally, 100% not emotionally available.

FreshPrincessOfChelsea: I think