"6 p.m.?" She nodded.
I looked down at my watch.
We had a lot of time.
"So" I started again while driving out of the parking lot.
"Like you said, your co-workers aren't very nice to you-"
"Not all of them" "You have friends there?" I raised a brow.
"Yeah.I know a few people.’ She shrugged.
"There's this girl, Ira, who is very sweet to me, and the other friend is my college mate."
"Rebekah?"
"No, no! Rebekah doesn't have time for work.She can barely pass her tests this semester.’
"Then who?" I raised a brow.
"It's my friend, Liam." She said friend.
"You might remember him from yesterday.He's interning at Mr.Andrews’ company.’ Oh, I remembered
him all right.
"Yeah, I do,’ I said shortly.
"Liam and I usually do everything together.’ She suddenly sounded excited to talk about him.
"There was this time when we decided to—"
She stopped abruptly when I turned to her with a cold look.
"You—you didn't ask.I'm sorry" she muttered.
She barely ever talked to me and now, when she was finally telling me something out of her own free
will, I shut her up.
What an idiot I am! "Oh no, no! I was looking at the other car.Stupid driver kept switching lanes."
I made up an excuse.
"But" She looked ahead.
"It's an empty road’ Fuck.
"You didn't see the car because you were talking to me.
He pulled over a few seconds ago,’ I explained.
"Oh"
"You were saying?"
"Oh, nothing.’ She smiled.
"Just that he is a very good friend to me and Rebekah-"
"About that.When is that study night coming up?"
"We'll probably do it tomorrow or this weekend"
"You, Liam and Rebekah?" I asked.
"Yeah, that's the plan, but we might invite other friends too.
"I see.I pulled over in front of a restaurant.
"Where are we?"
Caroline asked.
"A restaurant"
"Uh, why?" she asked.
"I don't know.Maybe we'll sip some water or wine and eat something.Why, do you have something else
in mind?"
She pressed her lips into a thin line and finally let out a laugh.
This day could easily be marked as the one where she laughed the most around me.
"I'm not hungry,’ she said.
"Then I guess we'll just have to go in there and wait until your appetite comes around"
I stepped out of the car, handed the keys to the parking valet and walked over to the passenger side.
"But, Caroline.’ I spoke and she looked up at me, her warm brown eyes boring into mine.
"Don't make me wait too long.
You have no idea how hungry I am,’ I whispered.
I saw a glimmer of want in her eyes but it was gone in a second, and then a blush crept its way to her
cheeks, her gaze no longer at me.
Resisting the urge to run my fingers over her soft face, I turned to the entrance of the restaurant.
"Come on.’ We walked inside the fancy place.
Caroline seemed a little uncomfortable as she kept eyeing the women in fancy gowns and dresses.
I wondered if she thought low of herself and then I considered myself stupid for the thought.
I was sure she knew that no woman in this room was even close enough to be compared to her.
If she didn't, I would have loved to make her realize that.
We were guided to a corner booth, which was a little secluded from the rest.
"Whenever you feel like ordering,’ I said.
"You should eat.I'm really not hungry."
I opened my mouth to say something but my phone buzzed with a text.
I'm here x My eyes grew wide for a moment.
I couldn't believe I'd forgotten to tell her that we didn't need that plan anymore.
Abort plan— I was in the middle of typing when I felt a tap on my shoulder.
Even before I could turn around completely, my face was grabbed in a pair of hands and then I could
feel lips against mine, kissing me with passion.
Oh Fuck! I cut the kiss short and pulled back to find Cassandra smiling down at me.
So that's how she looks.
"Hi, baby."
She spoke in a sultry voice.
I immediately turned to Caroline and she had her eyes down on the table, an embarrassed look
plastered on her face.
"So that's the backup date this time" Cassandra purred as she suddenly placed herself on my lap.
"Cassandra—"I started.
"Aw" She ran her fingers across my cheeks.
"Why do you always think I'm going to stand you up? You don't always need to have a backup in case I
don't show up.
I'd never embarrass you, Nick’ Her fingers reached for my lips but I grabbed her hand and subtly
pushed it away.
She probably got the message as she got up from my lap.
"Caroline" I called but she didn't look up.
"I'll be right back"
Motioning for Cassandra to follow me behind a decorated brick wall, I turned to her in annoyance.
"What the hell!" I snapped.
"What?" She frowned.
"I just did what you asked me to’ "First, you should have waited for my signal before throwing yourself
at me like that.The plan was off—"
"What? How was I supposed to know that?"
Her jaw dropped open.
"Exactly.Because I was in the middle of texting you that when you made an appearance."
"But—"
"And second, even if the plan was on, I asked you to make her jealous.Not embarrass her" She raised
a brow.
"Whatever.You owe me a date anyway.She smirked.
"Yeah, you wish." I rolled my eyes
"What?" she snapped.
"First you block my number after a one night stand.
Then you unblock it to ask for my help and now—"
"l really don't have the time for this, I snapped.
"You need to go, now" "Fine" she huffed and walked away, her heels clicking against the floor.
I went back to the table but to my surprise, Caroline wasn't there anymore.
Where the hell did she go? Caroline It wasn't his fault.
It was my fault.
Because I'd actually believed that something good could happen to me.
How could I expect a billionaire like Nick Sinclair to feel something for me? To actually go out with me?
How could I be so naive? Of course he was using me.
I was just a backup.
And that's all I'll ever be.
No one could ever love someone like me and those who did, died.
I was a doomed person.
I was now sitting on a bus, trying so hard to hold my tears back and clutching my bag close to my body.
I couldn't stand the glances of pity people in the restaurant were throwing my way because as secluded
as the booth was, everyone enjoyed free drama.
And I had made a complete fool of myself by sitting there as his backup date.
I couldn't believe I'd thought he'd actually planned this day.
Well, technically, he had.
But just not for me.
Why would he ever do that to me? I'd always been nice to him, treated him with so much respect, and
he'd just tossed me away like trash.
Why? Why couldn't anyone ever see that I had feelings too? Am I that invisible? Maybe I was.
A tear rolled down my cheek but I quickly wiped it away, looking around me to make sure that no one
saw it.
As soon as my stop arrived, I got off the bus and practically ran my way to my dorm.
Once I was inside, Rebekah looked up from her books and frowned.
"What happened?"
I shook my head, not able to trust my voice.
In a moment, she was standing right in front of me, a serious expression plastered on her face.
"What did he do, Caroline?"
"Nothing."
My voice wavered and her frown deepened.
Without wasting a minute, she had her phone in her hands.
My eyes grew wide.
"Rebekah, no!"
I reached for the phone but she pulled it back roughly.
"Caroline, don't" she warned.
"Rebekah, please"
"I'll consider not calling him if you tell me what he did’ I went forward and threw my arms around her
neck, burying my face in her shoulder and shutting my eyes tightly to stop the tears.
"Caroline, it's okay,’ she whispered, hugging me back.
"Please don't call him,’ I muttered under my breath.
"Can you do something for me?"
"Sure, anything" "Just tell me that you love me.
Even if you don't mean it.
Please’
"Hey! You know I mean it when I say it.I love you, Caroline.I will always be there for you and I will never
leave you.No matter what.
You know that, right?"Sniffling, I pulled back and nodded.
"Thank you."
Thankfully, I had pushed my tears back.
I had never been able to cry in front of anyone.
"Now will you tell me what he did?"
"I will.Just not right now.I hope you understand" Sighing, she nodded.
"I have to go for my shift now.Just don't call him, okay?"
"No promises"' she said.
Chuckling, I picked my bag up from the bed and walked toward the door.
"Please don't call him, Reb.I promise I'll tell you everything sometime later but just don't call him.
She scowled and sat down on the bed, picking her books up.
"Okay.I won't"
Nodding, I left.
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