The Rockstar Who Loves Me

Song 16 ♫ Exes and Nos

"De verdad no te entiendo, Cecilia Maria," Mom said while driving me to work. "Te dije que sí podías salir con él, por qué lo zapateaste?"

I groaned.

It was day two of talking in circles and I was the only party in this conversation who was tired of the cycle.

"What I don't understand is why you suddenly changed tune."

Mom sighed. "Lo que no quiero es que salgas con cualquiera. No te estoy diciendo que te quedes soltera toda la vida."

That wasn't quite the content of our conversations about guys of late—or ever. Mom had always been skeptical of every single guy I'd once thought was the real deal. And now she was telling me to snatch a specific one off the market?

People could change, but Coromoto Diaz de Luna had never been one of them.

"Sabes que lo que estás diciendo contradice todos tus sermones de los últimos, no sé, cinco años?"

"This one is good," Mom said as she pulled into Ultra's parking lot. "Trust me."

I narrowed my eyes. "How would you know?"

She switched back to Spanish. "Osea, dejó lo que sea que estaba haciendo botado para irte a rescatar así como así. Se enfrentó a un tipo más grande que él para ayudarte. Se caló a tus amigas viejas—todo sin pedirte nada a cambio. Y aparte está bien simpático, y tú lo mandas a comer ya sabes qué?"

My jaw hung open.

Mom smacked my arm. "I want you be smart with boys. Right now, you are an idiot."

I rubbed the sore spot, which didn't help because in truth I was more sore by her words. "Wow, I actually thought if I didn't jump at the next available guy you'd be proud of me."

"Lo estoy," she said, patting my cheek. "Pero más todavía si no dejas un buen tren pasar."

My head reeled as I finally walked into the store and sequestered myself in my office. I locked the door this time, in case Bryce wanted to attempt an ambush. He'd bombarded my phone with text messages and calls I didn't respond to, and even then my thoughts had been completely devoid of him.

I could still see Tae Yang's expression in my mind from the moment I told him to try dating Ga In. His eyes had burned holes through mine and his mouth had been set in a tight line, even though his cheeks had been stuffed with food.

He'd been upset.

I hadn't exactly been skipping for joy either, especially after coming back home and realizing that, while I made the firm decision of not following through with my feelings for Tae Yang, Mom decided to switch her tune about my dating life.

Her incessant questions about why I'd turned down Tae Yang served to make me dwell on a deed I wasn't proud of.

My fingers itched to grab my phone and text him, but all weekend I hadn't known what to say. Thank you for saving my behind? Sorry for hurting your feelings? Don't listen to me and take me out on a date instead? Kiss me again? Show me you're actually one of the good ones?

Because they existed, I knew that. I could still remember my dad, coming home after work with two flower bouquets for his ladies. He'd sweep Mom in his arms and dance with her in the kitchen, looking into her eyes like she was the reason he existed.

The problem was I'd stopped dreaming of someone like that because of Bryce.

He'd made me believe he could become someone like that, at first. He'd kissed me like he meant it, given me expensive gifts everyday and had been the most attentive in bed out of any of the guys I ever went out with.