Page 89 of Finding My Charming

She sighed into the phone, then a moment of silence. “Be honest with him. Tell him how much fun you had with him and really liked getting to know him.”

“Then there’s the but. I don’t want to tell him there’s someone else. I feel like that’s too mean.”

“Tell him going to different schools is too hard?”

“They’re less than an hour apart.”

“You don’t want to be in a relationship during your freshman year?”

“Then there will be pictures of me and Dallin, and I’ll be a big fat liar.”

“You hate soccer?”

“I don’t understand it, but that doesn’t mean I hate it. I would also never break up with someone over the sport he plays.”

“I don’t know, Elle!”

“Maybe I won’t even need a reason. Maybe he wants to be done with me, too?”

“It could end up being a mutual thing. As cliché as it sounds, you might just have to use the it’s-not-you, it’s-me speech?”

I groaned and threw my arm over my face. “This is why I never got involved with guys in high school! It’s way too much work.”

“It’s worth it if the end result is being with Dallin.”

“Yeah, it is, but I haven’t even talked to him yet! He could reject me! Laugh in my face! Tell me he was only being a nice delivery guy.”

“He kissed you and told you that you’re the most beautiful girl in the world. He’s not just being a nice guy.”

“Fine.” I lifted my head to check my clock and fell back with a huge sigh. “He’ll be here soon.”

“Good luck. Call me after.”

“Thanks, I will.”

We hung up, and I rolled off my bed and went to the bathroom to get cleaned up. I debated whether or not to change into gross old sweats and doing something weird with my hair so he’d run away before I even said anything, but he’d probably think I was sick and go get me a bread-bowl from our favorite spot.

That made me even more depressed. We might not have spent that much time together, but we got along so well and had a lot in common.

No, don’t think like that. He truly deserves to be with someone that appreciates everything about him.

I gave myself a final pep talk in the mirror before heading downstairs. I was still the only one home, which was unusual for how late it was. Something was going on, and my family had just forgotten to mention it to me. Wouldn’t be the first time.

I checked the clock again. Just five minutes left. Nothing would keep my focus for that long so I sat down at the table and picked up my dad’s tablet to scroll through the paper.

Three minutes in, and I was depressed. The articles all dealt with devastation, war, and death. It was a distraction, but definitely not what I was looking for. I stood and began pacing around the kitchen island. On the fourth time around, a knock sounded at the door. I suddenly felt nauseated.

I took deep breaths with each step toward the door. When my hand grasped the handle, I reminded myself that I needed to do this. I could do this!

Vincent was standing in front of me with wet hair fresh from a shower. He smelled divine and looked so good in his training clothes. Why couldn’t he be gross and sweaty?

“Hi.” I tried to smile but knew it was coming across more like a grimace.

“Hi, Elle. Are you okay?” He looked genuinely concerned, and it broke my heart.

He is so great! Why can’t he be the one?

I shook my head and stared at the floor. My head flooded me with guilt and second thoughts. “Yeah, I’m okay. I just wanted to talk.”