Five First Dates (Sassy in the City 2)

“Ugh, this is such a mess. My brother was a complete ass about the whole thing. He told me I was going to end up pregnant and lonely for the second time.”

“What the hell?” Dakota’s jaw dropped. “I think your brother needs his butt beat.”

“Agreed. I haven’t even heard from him since I hung up on him.”

“Do we still hang up on people?” Felicia asked. “Or do we end the call? That sounds so unwieldy.”

“Focus,” I said, through gritted teeth. “Tell me what I’m supposed to do now.”

“I guess nothing,” Isla said, giving a casual shrug. “You’ve already figured it all out.”

I stared her down. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” she asked, tilting her head. “Tell me, Savannah. What am I doing?”

“Refusing to indulge me.”

“Because you’re not telling us the truth of it. What are you afraid of?”

“I did tell you.” I was frustrated and kept checking at my phone. Nothing from Maddox. “I’m afraid of Sully getting hurt.”

“And?”

I swallowed. “I’m afraid of me getting hurt. I’m afraid that Maddox will get older and decide that he doesn’t want me.”

“It’s okay to be afraid of those things,” Felicia said, reaching for my hand. “Most people are afraid to be rejected and abandoned. If they’re not, they’re Isla.”

That made me laugh, though it was a little wobbly.

“Newsflash,” Isla said. “I act tough and defensive and don’t date because I am afraid of being rejected. I don’t need Freud to tell me that.”

“What have you always wanted?” Leah asked me. “A forever guy, right? That has driven you in your dating since I’ve known you. You don’t want to play the field and you’re not afraid of commitment. Maddox is offering you all of that and if you don’t at least try, I think you’re nuts. You might as well delete all rom-coms from your streaming library.”

The thought was horrifying. “I can’t do that. Maddox told me he has been watching rom coms with Jana to try to do romantic things for me.”

“That’s fucking romantic,” Dakota said. “In and of itself.”

It was. I tucked my hair behind my ear. “I’m a mess.”

My phone buzzed. It was Maddox.

At the apartment getting my stuff. Are you coming back soon?

I just sat down to brunch. Our food isn’t here yet.

Okay. I’ll get you your key another day.

No. That wasn’t right.

You don’t even want to talk?

What is there left to say?

Nothing. Everything. I read the texts out loud to my friends.

“What should I do?” I couldn’t let him walk away like that. It was wrong. All wrong.

“This is real life,” Isla said. “Unless you have something different to say, he’s right. There isn’t anything left to talk about.”