It Could Be More | ✔

13. Bean There, Done That

After I ran out of the art room on Friday, I couldn't show my face around Justin Yoon ever again. I officially crossed him off the list. Liah took the reins and set up a coffee date with Trent Adamson. Mom let me borrow the car and her black booties that I loved. Liah assured me that being nervous was natural.

According to the cheat sheet she gave me, Trent was a reader and he could play guitar. A bookish musician? If I screwed this up, I'd never forgive myself.

My phone rang as I fought with the janky zipper on the booties. "Corey?" I answered. He was supposed to call five minutes ago. He was placed in the friend category after that moment at school. And as my friend, he looked into Trent a little more deeply for me. He was calling to tell me what he found out (which I hoped was nothing because BOOKISH MUSICIAN!!!).

Only it wasn't Corey's voice on the line. "Uh, no."

"Gray?" I looked at my phone screen to confirm my brother's name was there. Shit.

"Why would Corey be calling you?"

My boot finally zipped and I moved to making sure I had everything I needed in my purse. "Well, we missed you so much we started a support group."

"Funny. What are you doing? I've been texting you."

Lip gloss? Check. House keys? Check. Wallet? Where was my wallet? "I'm getting ready for a date," I mumbled, looking under a pile of laundry on my bed.

"A date?"

Too little, too late, I remembered who I was talking to. "Uh..."

"You're going on a date with Corey?"

"No! No, I'm getting coffee with Trent Adamson." Even if I was going out with Corey, why'd he sound like I told him I was hooking up with a serial killer?

"Trent's been with Veena Forrest since Pre-K."

Liah told me that yesterday. She said there was nothing to worry about since Veena's family moved to another state over the summer. "They broke up months ago."

He chuckled over the line. "You don't just break up with someone you've been with for that long. Cancel it."

Those last two words brought my wallet hunt to a pause. We'd been doing so well. I thought he was done playing Dad. We were supposed to be a team again. Why was he still trying to control my life?

"Why?" I spat, pacing my bedroom. "You've had how many girlfriends? And I can't get a cup of coffee with a boy?"

"Harlow, that's not the point."

"Then what is the point, Grayson?" I could feel my nostrils flare with every angry breath I let out. "Seriously. For years, I let you scare guys away from me and treat me like I was your kid instead of your sister. But guess what? You're not here to stare down my date and intimidate him. So if you have a problem with me having a boyfriend, it's time to get over it."

I hung up and tossed my phone on the bed. My chest rose and fell as I tried to calm myself back down. Of course, he'd call at that exact moment, ruining my mood before the date. Part of me wanted to cancel. Stay home and accept my role as a future cat lady. But I couldn't let Gray win. He wasn't going to ruin things for me anymore.

• • •

Bean There, Done That was a cozy coffee shop that served the best caramel macchiato. The place had a rustic feel to it. The tables and chairs were mismatched, and every corner had a potted plant in it. There were shelves of well loved on one wall and another covered in vines, a small platform below it where they held live performances. A jazzy R&B song played overhead.