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Okay, so it's the cowardly answer, but it's still part of the truth.
"Austin's not here right now," Claire says. "And even if he was, he wouldn't get a say in who I date."
"That's what you think."
The retort is out of my mouth before I've had time to think about it. Claire has no idea that her brother has warned off guys in the past because of their likelihood of bolting and breaking her heart.
Kara raises an eyebrow. "Do you really expect us to believe that Austin would try to stop Claire from dating someone she really liked?"
"Yes. If he wasn't right for her."
"Right for her?" Kara persists.
I ignore Kara and turn to Claire, so she knows I'm speaking to her and only her.
"I'm just going to say what I'm fairly confident Austin would say if he was here: don't listen to these guys. Stick with the Wall Street types. They're more up your alley."
I realise I've said the wrong thing when Claire's eyes widen and she re-crosses her arms.
"More up my alley?"
God, I'm taking her side, trying to support her when her friends are intent on intervening in her life, and she's taking it the wrong way.
"Please clarify, Dylan." Kara seems to be enjoying my predicament immensely.
"I mean... sensible and staid might not be qualities you like in the men Claire dates, but those traits suit Claire. She doesn't care about having fun. Having fun is at the very bottom of her priority list."
The look on Claire's face...it's as if I've just hit her. Why did I come over to talk to her? This is a complete disaster.
3
Claire
Sucker-punched. That's how I feel. Dylan thinks I'm dull. A killjoy. That I don't care about having fun.
When Danni mentioned I might be sucking the life and the joy out of the guys I date, I didn't believe her. I didn'twantto believe her. Now, however, I'm beginning to wonder how much truth there is to the sentiment. Dylan thinks I'm perfect for staid and boring men. In other words, I'm boring. Going after the things I want in life should make me ambitious. Driven. Focused. Confident. And yet...
Given that I can't remember the last time I had fun, it makes sense that the men I've dated probably didn't enjoy themselves much, either.
No wonder Evan dumped me. Our relationship was one giant snooze fest. He didn't really care about me, and I didn't really care about him. I was so caught up in what I wanted for the future that I ignored how our relationship just seemed to drag by. Odds are, he didn’t see me as anything other than a sensible, type A sort of person, which doesn’t exactly inspire warm and fuzzy, or romantic, feelings.
And now it's obvious that Dylan sees me the same way. As much as I want to pretend that I don't care what he thinks, I can't lie to myself right now. I've always wondered why he finds it so easy to see me as nothing but his best friend's sister. Now I know. By keeping my priorities in check and never straying from my no-nonsense plan for the future – well, aside from my juvenile crush on him years ago – Dylan has come to view me as someone who doesn't know how to have a good time.
But I can have fun, damn it. My friends certainly think so. I'm going to take that timeout they were trying to sell me on. No more excuses. I'm going to prove to Dylan and the rest of the world that I'm a fun-loving, excitement-seeking goddess!
And I'm going to start by going on a date with Sam the bartender.
I push back my chair. “If you'll excuse me for a moment.”
Dylan is hot on my heels as I stride towards the bar.
“Claire...”
I don't tell him to go away because I very much want him to see what I'm about to do.
“I'm sorry,” he says to my back.
What is he apologising for, exactly? Thinking I'm a bore? Or for saying it out loud?
