Man bun? Jon will tear him apart, limb from vegan limb.
What on earth is Marina thinking? The last place I should be meeting another date is at the party where Jon will be, even if he is distracted by Ms. Beautician Bathing Suit Model. He'll still give Mr. Evan Moran a hard time, embarrassing both Evan and me in the process. I can just see Jon's smug face as he finds something to make fun of. I know right away it will be the man bun. Jon had super short hair when he was an Army Ranger. I've seen pics of him when he was on his last deployment.
A man bun would be laughed off the battlefield.
I sigh and lean back on the couch, pulling covers up over my shoulder and trying hard to forget the upcoming party at Marina's.
I have this feeling it's going to be a disaster.
Chapter 6
Jon
On Saturday afternoon, after forty-eight hours without India at work, I text her and offer to pick her up and drive her to the party. Her place is on the way to Marina's. I thought it would be easier than if we both took our cars.
She refuses, insisting on taking her own vehicle.
INDIA: I better not. I may need to make a quick exit tonight.
JON: How so?
INDIA: Marina's got me matched with some new guy. He's going to be there. If he's as good as her last match, I'll be glad to have my own vehicle so I can escape.
I frown. Another date so soon? Marina seems desperate to match India up with someone. That, or she just really wants to test her app.
JON: Another guy? She's really trying to push someone onto you.
There's a pause.
INDIA: She wants me to have a life, I guess.
JON: You have a life. A pretty great life, if you sit down and really think about it. You have one of the best educations money can buy. You're a partner in a business that’s doing exceptionally well. You live in a great house overlooking the fucking San Francisco Bay, India. Your life is great.
INDIA: According to Marina, I'm practically an old maid…
JON: HA! As if. You could get any man you wanted if you wanted. Just go to a classy bar where the billionaires hang out and you could pick one up, if that's what you want.
INDIA: That isn’t what I want. I want something meaningful. Something real.
I read her text over, imagining what kind of man India deserves. She deserves someone real. Someone rich, successful, handsome, strong. Someone who realizes what a gem she is. Because she is a real gem. There aren't many women like India. Probably not very many men who can compete with her in terms of brains and work ethics and looks.
JON: You'll find someone when the time is right. When you're ready, you'll look up and realize that someone you're with is perfect for you.
INDIA: What happened? Has someone mugged you and taken your cell and is texting me crazy stuff? That sounds so romantic and so totally unlike the Jon I know.
JON: What do you mean? You think I don't know anything about love?
INDIA: You’re the king of hookups. The prince of fuck buddies. The duke of a good time, not a long time. I just didn’t expect something so romantic coming from you.
I laugh, even though she means it as an insult.
Then I feel slightly insulted – like I don't know what a good relationship is, don't know what real love is.
I do. I thought I had it.
I'm just not ready to settle down and become a stuffed grey suit.
JON: You don't want to settle down and get married, do you?