Forgetting the Rules (The Dating Playbook #5) - Mariah Dietz Page 0,1
is what he should have been doing,” she laughs out. “But really, I know you want to start your own company, but I can’t believe you want to start now. We’re seniors in college. This is our last opportunity to be lazy and unmotivated and sleep with any hot guy we choose.”
“I’m pretty sure Lacy will always be all three of those,” I tell her, referring to our often third wheel when going out.
Chantay cackles.
“Speaking of Lacy, where is she this morning?”
The question wipes the smile off of Chantay’s face. “She hooked up with Garett Feldon. Again.”
“Again?”
“Three times now.”
My eyebrows lift with shock. “Really?” Lacy has the same aversion to relationships that Chantay and I do, so anything more than a one-and-done comes as a surprise.
Chantay nods. “Two weeks, and they’ve been inseparable.”
My thoughts begin to slip to memories I’ve been avoiding for the past couple of months, ones that remind me of things I don’t want to consider.
“Maybe she’s not throwing in the towel. Maybe she’s just hanging it up for a while.” I shrug. “More power to her, right?”
Chantay shoots me a silencing stare. She and Lacy are best friends, and often the devils on my shoulder—or maybe I was theirs? Fun is easy with them. Their overly privileged lives have led them to possess little regard for structure or opinion or even normality, which has often allowed an atmosphere perfect for excitement and fun.
“It won’t last. We aren’t girlfriend material. We were made for good times and better memories.” She flashes a smile as she repeats her catchphrase.
“Don’t give her too hard of a time,” I say. “Maybe she just wants to try something else out for a while.”
Another glare. “Who are you, and what did you do with Rose?”
I laugh maniacally. “It’s still me. I have rules for myself, but I never try to impose them on others. Some people are happier in relationships.”
“You mean, Olivia?” Chantay says her name with a note of disdain that makes the muscles in my shoulders constrict and my eyes narrow. Olivia is my best friend and roommate and a topic that makes me feel like a starved and threatened honey badger. She and Chantay aren’t enemies, but they’re an ocean apart from being friends.
“Like Olivia and the rest of the world who are in relationships. If it works for them and makes them happy, who are we to judge? Everyone deserves happiness, whatever that looks like.”
“You’re such a hippy.”
“My mom was the hippy. I’m a flower child. And you love it. Peace and acceptance to all.” I lift both hands and flash a peach symbol, then drop my pointer fingers on both hands.
Chantay tips her head back and giggles. “I’ve missed you, Rose.”
“I’ve missed you too,” I think.
“Also…” She turns in her seat, so her full attention is on me, causing me to glance at the empty road as she continues to drive too fast. “I want to give you a heads up, girlfriend to girlfriend. Lacy isn’t the only one who’s looking to hang up her towel. Apparently, Isla is as well…” She pauses until I meet her powder blue eyes. “This weekend, she was all over Ian Forrest.”
The mention of his name has thoughts stacking like dominos in my head. And like dominos, I know if one tips, they’ll all fall. Ian Forrest is the middle linebacker at Brighton University, and Roman God reincarnated. At six-foot-three, his broad shoulders make my tall frame feel small and borderline petite. His masculinity is softened by his messy dark hair and confirmed by his stunning and mesmerizing eyes—one a lighter shade of blue with gray accents and the other also blue but with hints of green—that are nearly as unique as the brief couple of months that we spent in an undefined relationship where truths and secrets were our intimacy. He managed to sneak into my life and routine. Then, summer came with news of him leaving to visit his parents abroad for two months. The news was shattering and relieving at the same time and led me to deliver a confusing mess of a non-breakup speech. I told him that I wanted him to have fun while in Italy, how important he had become to me—far more than I admitted to him or even myself—and how our relationship meant too much to potentially end or complicate with dating. In other words, it was a classy and eloquent friend-zone speech that I’ve regretted far more than I ever expected.