“Have a good night?” he asks, and I glance at him out of my periphery as he holds open the door for both of us to step out.
“Yeah…Sure…” I pause, getting the vibe that there’s more he wants to say.
Which there is. Right off the bat, red flags wave all over the place.
Once the door shuts and it’s just me and Flynn standing outside Marco’s, he takes three steps closer, and his eyes are narrowed in skepticism. “What are you doing, man?”
“What do you mean?”
“Bringing Sophie tonight. What’s that about?”
“I don’t know…” I run a hand through my hair and scoff. “She’s nice. Why are you acting like it’s such a big deal? Do you have a problem with her or something?”
Flynn rolls his eyes. “No, I don’t have a fucking problem with her. But bringing a girl to a family event is a big step.”
“Get real. Ty brings chicks to family events all the fucking time.”
“But that’s Ty. That’s not you.”
A shocked laugh vibrates my throat. “And what? He’s somehow excluded from lectures? What the fuck? Why are you in my business? My dick’s business, really. Soph and I are just fun.”
Right?
Yeah. Fuck yeah. Just a lot of fun.
“Look, Jude, I’m not trying to be a dick. I’m just trying to understand where your head’s at. I’m trying to look out for you,” Flynn clarifies. “And considering you never bring girls to anything, ever, whether you want to admit it or not, this was a big step for you.”
I have no idea what to say to that. Or what he wants me to say to that. And when his eagle-like eyes become a little too much, I look down and fixate on the concrete beneath my boots.
I have no fucking clue what he’s trying to get at here. I mean, I didn’t really think through all of the whys when I asked Sophie to meet me at Lex’s school. I just knew I wanted her to be there…for whatever reason.
“Are you ready to get serious with someone?” Flynn asks, and I jerk my eyes back to his.
“What? I don’t get serious. With anyone. You know this.”
“Yeah, but does she know this?”
“Of course she does. I’m not a prick. Any woman I’m with knows the score.”
Flynn shakes his head, and his far-too-wise eyes observe me. “Sorry to break this to you, man, but even if she did know at one point, I’m not so sure she does now.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“It means, if you have no intention of getting serious with her, you just gave her a real fucked-up mixed signal by introducing her to your entire family.”
My head feels like a top, fucking spinning around in circles.
“Just…be careful, man. Think about what your actions are showing, you know? That’s all I’m going to say, and now, you can consider me officially out of your business.” Flynn claps his hand on my back before lifting the motorcycle helmet tucked in the crook of his arm over his head. “See ya tomorrow morning at the gym?”
I just nod. “Of course.”
But as I watch my brother retreat to his Harley, I can only stand there, frozen to my spot in front of Marco’s.
Did I just screw shit up by bringing her here tonight?
Well, Vegas did get pretty intimate. And you had her to come to your place the other night, even though you’ve never invited a woman to your place. Add in the meet-the-family stunt you just pulled, and it’s a big fat cluster of what-the-fuck, dude.
I scrub a hand down my face. Shiiiit. Flynn is right. This isn’t me. This isn’t what I do.
Why the fuck am I doing all this shit?
Because you’re actually starting to feel something for her…
Yeah. Now, I’m feeling terrified.
The drive from Marco’s to Sophie’s apartment isn’t far, but I’m so lost in my own damn head that I don’t register the fact that I didn’t even turn on the radio until I’m pulling onto her street in Nolita.
It’s a little after ten, and the streets are what I’d call calm for a New York evening. So calm that I could easily find a spot to parallel park in, but I know it wouldn’t be a good idea to actually go up to her apartment tonight.
The only thing I can do is drop her off and try to get my head straight.
“Tonight was fun,” she says, and I hate the uncertainty that lies in her voice. No doubt, my weird mood since we left the restaurant, in combination with the reality that we’ve been driving for the past ten minutes in absolute silence, hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Which is sad because, deep down, I’m glad she came.
And you also want to go upstairs and lose yourself in her, too.
I ignore that reckless thought, and when I come to a stop in front of her building, I don’t bother cutting the engine. I just shift into park.