The Last Boyfriend (5 page)

“Don’t.” I stared into his
eyes and nodded. “I’ll go to lunch with you.”

“Yes!” He fist pumped and
ran his hand over his head again. “Let me get your number, and I
will call you in the morning.”

“Okay.” I smiled shyly and
paused for a moment to think about everything. I wasn’t sure
if Braydon was going to have all the qualities I was looking for,
but I knew it was time to start dating again to find that perfect
guy. I knew I couldn’t keep fantasizing about Zane. There was no
way I could compete with someone like Angelique.

“Awesome.” He jumped up and
grabbed my hands to pull me up. “Now, let’s go dance and have
some fun.”

***

It was 2 am when I finally
left the party. Braydon had practically begged me to stay the
night, and he had even offered to share his bed with
me. I had been flattered, but I had stayed firm with
my nos. I had seen Zane watching us as we danced around the room
and I felt self-conscious at his stares. I had half-hoped that he
would cut in and ask me for a dance, but he never did.

I was grinning as I walked
to my car and realized that I was truly happy that Leeza had
invited me to the party even though I hadn’t seen her since that
earlier appearance. Braydon seemed to be a really nice and fun guy,
and I almost forgot he was a movie star as we danced around the
room. Everything about the night had been perfect. Well, almost
perfect. I had seen Zane a few more times throughout the night, and
he had just stared at me blankly and a little coldly. It had made
me feel uncomfortable and upset. Part of me wasn’t sure why he
looked so displeased with me. Was he upset that I was hanging out
with all his rich friends when I was just a lowly waitress? I had
tried to make eye contact with him and smile, but he had just
remained stoic and looked away from me every time. I
tried to dismiss the hurt that coursed through my veins at his
look, but I couldn’t quite eradicate the feeling.

“Don’t think about it,
Lucky.” I muttered to myself as I drove back to my apartment. I
groaned as my car started making a funny noise and nearly burst out
in tears as I heard the engine die, and as I pulled it over to the
side of the road, it stopped. I sat behind the wheel, unsure of
what to do when I saw the lights of another car pull up behind me.
“Oh shit.” I thought to myself as I saw a figure get out of the car
and walk up towards me. I checked to make sure my doors were locked
and bit my lip hard. “Please don’t kill me, please don’t kill me.”
I closed my eyes briefly and nearly screamed as I heard the knock
on the window. I peered through the window and rolled it down
slowly. I was shocked to see Zane’s face staring back at
me.

“Everything okay, Lucky?”
His words seemed unduly harsh, but his eyes were worried. As I
stared at him, I wondered how he just happened to be behind me as I
broke down. I nodded my head slowly, slightly confused as to
my feelings of seeing him there. I kept my mouth closed because I
was unwilling to speak. I had a feeling that my voice was
going to be too squeaky and I didn’t want him to see how scared I
had been.

“Did your car break down?”
He asked again and I nodded again, staring at his pink lips. I
swallowed hard as I imagined what it would feel like to have his
lips pressed against mine.

“Do you need me to jump
your car?” He asked at the same time I asked, “Were you following
me?”

Chapter 3

“Can you get out of the
car, Lucky?” Zane’s voice sounded harsh, and he looked furious. I
was a little worried that he was going to scold me for something I
had no control over. The look on his face reminded me of my
father’s when I was a little kid and had done something
wrong.

“I can, but I’m not sure I
will.” I quipped, trying to change the mood. When he didn’t
respond, I quickly changed my own tone. “But don’t try and change
the subject, were you following me?”

“Of course not.” His voice
was aloof as he opened the door. “Get out of the car Lucky and let
me see what’s going on.”

“I can check myself, you
know.” I spat back, annoyed at his attitude and slightly
disappointed.

“Lucky.” His tone
rose.

“My head gasket is gone.” I
sighed as I climbed out of the car.

“How do you know?” He
looked surprised to hear me using a mechanical term.

“Because I knew it was
going.” I sighed again and looked up at him. His face was dark in
the moonlight, and he still looked furious as he stared back at
me.

“Are you telling me that
you knew that your head gasket was gone, but you still decided to
drive?” His voice rose. “And, you still went to a party by yourself
and thought it was smart to leave in the early hours of the
morning?”

I nodded, slightly scared
to answer him.

“Of all the irresponsible
things to do Lucky.” He shouted. “I thought you were smarter than
that. Could you imagine how your parents would feel if they
received a phone call from a cop about your car breaking down and
you being attacked or killed?”

“I think you’re being a
little over-the-top Zane.” I frowned. “I’m a big girl, I can take
care of myself.”

“So what would you be doing
right now then?” He tapped his foot and leaned back against my car.
He looked like a smug bastard, and I felt ashamed of myself for
allowing my heart to race as I stared at him. He was one sexy
asshole, that was for sure.

“Are you going to help me
or what?” I snapped.

“Oh, so now you want my
help?”

“Actually, what I want is
to know how you happened to be behind me when I broke down in the
middle of the night.”

“It doesn’t matter.” He
sighed and bent down and pulled the keys out of my ignition. “Do
you have everything that you need from your car?”

“Yes, why?”

“Because I’m going to take
you home.”

“I’m not going anywhere
with you.”

“Just let me take you
home.” He sighed.

“What about my car?” I
protested. “I can’t leave my car here. I need it.”

“We can call a tow truck
driver to come pick it up,” he said calmly. The low tone of his
voice was in direct contrast to my screeches.

“How much is that going to
cost?”

“I’m not sure? Maybe $150?
I’m sure there will be an extra charge for it being the middle
of the night.”

“$150.” I sighed heavily.
How was I going to pay for the tow truck driver and get my car
fixed? It just wasn’t going to be able to happen. Not with the
amount of money I had in my account. How was I going to get to work
and school? Everything was falling apart around me, and I
felt as if I was going to start
hyperventilating.

“I found a local tow truck
number. I can call them now.” Zane peered at me with a worried
expression. “Do you know where you want the car towed
to?”

“Can’t they just take it to
a garage?”

“Which one?”

“I don’t know.” I sighed.
“I can’t afford to get it fixed right away.”

“Oh.” He looked at me with
concern in his voice, and I turned away because I didn’t want to
see pity in his eyes. “Can you ask your parents to loan you the
money?”

“No.” My voice was curt.
“Can you give me a ride home, please?”

“How will you get to your
car?”

“I’ll get a ride.” I bit my
lip. What if Shannon and Leeza didn’t answer the phone or come
home, how would I get back to my car in the morning?

“How’s about you stay over
at my place and tomorrow morning, we figure out what to do with
your car?”

“I don’t know.” I looked
away, unsure of what to say.

“I promise I won’t bite.”
He grinned mischievously.

“That’s not a worry that I
have.”

“Unless you want me to
bite, of course.”

“No thanks.”

“I guess vampires aren’t
cool now?”

“Vampires?” I frowned,
wondering if he was high or something.

“Isn’t Twilight all the
craze? Don’t you girls all love that Edward Pattinson guy or
something?”

I burst out laughing, and
he watched me as tears rolled out of my eyes.

“Edward Pattinson, hahaha.”
I couldn’t control myself and Zane stood there, staring at me with
a bemused expression on my face.

“Did I say something
funny?”

“His name is Robert
Pattinson, he played the character Edward Cullen, and no, I’m not a
huge fan. Well, I’m a slight fan, or I was when I was in high
school, but no, that doesn’t mean I want a guy who is a
vampire.”

“Because they
exist?”

“Who exists?”

“Vampires.”

“No, they don’t
exist.”

“So then it doesn’t matter
if you want one or not then.”

“I was just answering your
question.” I said, infuriated at him. “You were the one who
brought them up in the first place.”

“So is it a yes or a
no?”

“Is what a yes or a no?” I
said, thoroughly confused at this point.

“Do you want me to bite
you?” He leaned towards me, and his eyes were sparkling. I held my
breath as his lips came within inches of mine. I was scared that he
was going to kiss me, but I knew I wouldn’t pull away if he did. I
closed my eyes, and waited to feel his lips to press
against mine. I could feel the warmth of his breath against my
cheek, and my heart started pounding, excited at what was about to
happen. I waited patiently for about several seconds and then
opened my eyes to see what was going on, as I hadn’t felt his lips
press against mine yet.

As I opened my eyes, I saw
that Zane was staring at me with an indescribable look on his face.
I saw several emotions flicker through his eyes quickly, and the
look was so intense that my breath caught. We stared at each other
for a while, and then he looked away.

“Let’s go.” He grabbed my
hand and led me back to his car, and I followed, silently confused.
I knew that we had just had a moment, but I didn’t understand it. I
wanted to ask him why he hadn’t kissed me. My whole body was still
on edge, waiting for the meeting of our lips.

“You didn’t kiss me.” I
blurted out as I got into the car. He looked at me with a surprised
expression. His what-the-fuck-expression matched the screaming in
my head. I was shocked and horrified that I had spoken the words in
my head out loud.

“I didn’t think it was a
good idea.” He said, slowly starting the car.

“Why?” I continued, not
really sure what I was hoping he would say.

“I’m not looking for a
relationship, Lucky. I don’t think it would be a good idea for us
to hook up.”

“A kiss isn’t a hookup.” I
felt my stomach fold over at his words. I felt more than a slight
tinge of disappointment at his rejection.

“You’re a nice girl, Lucky.
I’m not looking to get involved.” His words came out harshly, and
the venom in them took me aback.

“Fine.” I stared out of the
window, visibly shaken and confused. Had I imagined the stares I
thought we had shared? “I guess you have Angelique and all the
other girls anyway.”

“Angelique is a friend.” He
said smoothly. “She knows the score.”

“She looked like more than
a friend to me.” I said jealously.

“She is more than a
friend.” His stare was challenging me to say something else and I
wanted to slap him.

“Okay.” I said simply. “I
don’t really care.”

“Lucky, you can’t honestly
tell me you’re the type of girl that partakes in one
night stands?”

“No, I can’t.” I whispered
still upset. I should be happy that he hadn’t tried to seduce me,
after everything I had been holding out for. And especially now
that I had met Braydon. Zane wasn’t worth my energies or my time.
He didn’t want me, and as far as, I was concerned, I didn’t want
him either. I already knew that he was a playboy.

We drove in silence, and I
closed my eyes, hoping to get over the dull ache that reverberated
in my heart. I wanted to shake myself for feeling down. I barely
knew Zane and what I did know wasn’t exactly positive. He had none
of the qualities I was looking for in a man. I couldn’t afford to
become emotionally attached to him. I needed someone who could
provide me with what I wanted. Someone to love me and be with me
forever. Zane wasn’t that guy. I knew that and had to accept it. I
opened my eyes and saw a VW Beetle driving past, and I was just
about to shout out “Punch Buggy” when I remembered I was in the car
with Zane, and not my parents. I bit my lip as I felt myself start
to get emotional. It had been a long day, and a lot had happened,
and I was starting to feel overwhelmed. I looked down at my phone,
and all I wanted to do was call my mom. I just wanted to hear her
voice telling me that everything was going to be okay, and that
boys came and went. I was glad when Zane pulled up into the
driveway of what I assumed was his house. I jumped out of the car
quickly, happy to be distracted from my thoughts.