I scoffed. “Do you have anything else on the guy besides the fact that you think he’s a jerk?”
His eyes narrowed the slightest. “Not exactly...”
“Well then, be glad it’s only a date. It’s not like I’m marrying him.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, mirroring me. “Well, I don’t like it. I don’t think you should go.”
I laughed hollowly. What was his problem? One minute, he was saying we should never kiss again and the next he was trying to keep me from dating other guys. I had no idea what he wanted from me. To never date anyone? That was ridiculous. Frustration bubbled up in my gut.
“It’s a good thing I don’t need your approval,” I said, sticking my tongue out at him. Real mature, I know. But it was all I could do in the moment.
He glared at me, but I could still see a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Fine. Do what you want.”
“I will.” I looped my arms through Lexi and Beth’s and spun them around. It didn’t even matter that they’d been speechless during that whole argument. I was marching away with them in style, proving a point to Hunter as we left.
No matter what wrench he threw in my plans, I was going to find a way to erase that kiss from my memory. If I had to date Graham and all of the other boys in the rodeo, I was going to make it happen.
He could try and stop me, but it would never work.
He knew how stubborn his best friend was.
Chapter Sixteen
Scary movies made me want to die.
But I’d also heard they made the perfect date night, so when I met Graham outside of Rock Valley’s tiny three-room theater, we went for the latest slasher.
Graham made for a great date. He looked steaming hot in his black jeans and gray v-neck tee, his hands tucked in the front pockets of his pants as if he didn’t have a care in the world. The other girls snuck peeks at him as we stood in line to get our popcorn. The effect made me stand a little taller and feel a bit brighter about tonight.
Yep, Charlotte Hale could nab a good one. I wasn’t a man repellant after all.
Not that it mattered. I was here for one reason only—to completely eliminate any residual feelings I held for my best friend. A hot date and maybe even a little kissing was all it was going to take. I was sure of it. And then, I was going to wonder what the heck I’d been thinking when I kissed Hunter the other night.
“Let’s sit in here,” Graham said, nodding toward the last row of seats as we walked into the theater.
It wasn’t a busy night. At least thirty people already sat in their folding seats, waiting for the movie to begin. But the last row seemed especially dark and quiet.
I gulped, holding tight to the bag of popcorn in my hands. This was make-out row. The place my sister had told me boys liked to bring their dates. Anything could happen here. My heart beat a nervous tempo as I followed Graham into the row and sat in a springy chair next to him. And when his hand reached into the popcorn bag sitting on my lap, my palms got clammy.
“So...where are you originally from?”
I asked, not daring to take a bite of the popcorn, in case Graham got the idea to kiss me then and there. How embarrassing would it have been to have a mouth full of kernels at that exact moment?
“Colorado.”
His eyes reflected the bright lights of the screen as he stared at the trivia shots the theater rolled before any film. He ran a hand over his dark hair, looking effortlessly sexy.
I smiled at the side of his face. “That’s awesome. I’ve always wanted to go to Colorado.”
“Trust me, it’s totally overrated.” He reached for another handful of popcorn, never tearing his eyes away from the screen.
“Where would you live, then, if you could?”
I didn’t mean to sound like I was interviewing my date, but if I was going to be locking lips with the guy sometime tonight, it would’ve been nice to know a little bit more about him. His gaze slid from the screen to mine for a mere second before he leaned back farther in his seat.
“Seattle. That’s where my mom’s from. I’m moving there as soon as I’m old enough to get off that stupid ranch.”
“Cool. I like Seattle, too.”