The Player Hater (Accidentally in Love 1)

Darnell’s eyes could not stay focused, instead lingering on my forehead. “I’m sorry, bro, but I can’t. Can I take a selfie with you?”

And on it had gone, all week, through most of my meetings.

What a waste of time, travel, and money.

Should have cancelled and rescheduled until I had hair growing in.

What an idiotic problem to have.

“Well the good news is, you’re almost back to normal,” Juliet quips, still perched on a barstool.

“Normal? I wouldn’t call me normal, but…okay, if you insist.”

“Oh please,” she scoffs. “You’re about as normal as it comes. Name one way you’re not. Just one.”

Hmm.

I brace my hands on the cold, stone counter and lean forward so I can think.

And think.

And think.

Okay this is harder than I thought, I guess I am pretty normal? No fetishes, no criminal convictions, never broken the law. Don’t drink much or smoke. Never smoked pot.

Go to bed and wake up early.

Goddamn I’m boring.

“Well?” Juliet nudges me.

“Fine. You’re right, I guess I am pretty normal.”

Juliet tilts her head. “Why are you saying that like it’s a bad thing? Do you know how hard it is to find a guy who isn’t a complete douche?”

I raise my chin up. “Who says I’m not a complete douche?”

Just once I’d like to be called an asshole or a dickhead, it seems like such a badass thing to be called.

“Are you serious? Davis, I spent the weekend with you. You’re not sarcastic, you’re polite, you were nice to Cookie and Erik even though they kept giving you ‘the eyes.’ You held my hair back and tucked me in—which you did not have to do. You were respectful and a gentleman and didn’t so much as touch me inappropriately, not once.”

She sounds a little disgruntled as she delivers that last part. “Is that a bad thing?”

Juliet shrugs and studies her fingernails. “No.” Long pause. “Not necessarily.”

That has me laughing. “You’re hard to figure out, Juliet…Juliet…” I fumble for a last name, realizing I have no idea what hers is.

“Robertson,” she supplies. “Juliet Jocelyn Robertson.”

If that isn’t one of the prettiest names I’ve ever heard…

We begin a staring contest then, neither of us saying anything more, her full name lingering in the space between us. It’s dark outside now and the house is quiet as a tomb; intimate. Only the glow from some flameless candles illuminates the space since I haven’t flicked any lights on yet.

Our showdown is interrupted by the ringing of my phone; it’s still on vibrate from my nap and quivers on the countertop, buzzing and buzzing and scaring the shit out of Juliet and I.

“It’s Thad,” I tell her. “He’s video chatting me.”

She nods. “Go ahead and answer it—see what he wants.”

Thad and Mia should be well on their way home by now, having spent those extra few days doing whatever it was they were doing in the middle of the woods.

I hit the green button to take the call, coming around to Juliet’s side of the counter so we can all chat. It would be rude to exclude her and pretend she wasn’t in the room.

“Hey, buddy—what’s going on?” I shift the phone, so she and I are both in the frame. “Juliet is here.”

Thad waves and Mia’s face pops into the camera.

“Good!” Mia claps. “We tried calling and calling you ,but you didn’t answer!”

Juliet sticks her face in my phone. “I was here! I’m dropping off Davis’s tablet—I didn’t know if he needed it or not. We’re just sitting here talking.”

“Talking?” Thad deadpans. “Why is it so damn dark?”

I move toward the outlet, flipping on the lights above the island. “Happy now?”

“Yes, we want to be able to see your faces,” Thad says.

“We have something to tell you and we wanted to do it together.”

Oh boy.

Ohhhh boy.

I know where this is going.

I glance over at Juliet to see if she’s coming to the same conclusion, but judging by her neutral expression, she hasn’t figured it out yet.

“We’re engaged!” Thad and Mia shout at the same time, thrusting Mia’s hand into the camera, a giant, sparkling rock twinkling and winking back at us.

“Holy shit!” Juliet blurts out. “Oh my god!” She hesitates, lightbulb going off. “Oh my god, is that the reason you stayed behind and didn’t come home?”

Thad nods. “Yeah, this seemed like the perfect place to pop the question. We rowed out in a boat this afternoon—”

“—He brought a picnic.”

“—And I proposed in the middle of the lake.”

“It was perfect!” Mia preens, extending her hand out of view but so obviously admiring her new, shiny ring. “I was shocked!”

“Mia, I am so happy for you!” Juliet is clutching her hands to her chest, like someone would do when they were looking at a cute puppy, or basking in love, and looks genuinely happy for her best friend—not that I thought she wouldn’t be.