I Blame Wattpad for My High Expectations of Men

Chapter 57 - And then you came along.

~Flashback Continued~

~Friday, March 31, 2017 - Spring Break~

"We need to talk," Ace says once we're inside his room. He's sitting on the edge of his bed while I stand there, thinking:

Well, fuck.

I guess this whole relationship thing was fun while it lasted...and to think that the past month's secrecy aspect of it was making our lives that much more thrilling.

"You okay?" He asks me, clearly sensing the sudden change in my demeanor at his words.

"Damn, Kelsey was right," I find myself admitting, both to myself and him. "Those really are the four words that no girl ever wants to hear from her boyfriend." Ace chuckles, holding out his hand for me to take.

Well, at least he's being a gentleman about it.

"Would you slow down?" He then asks rhetorically, snapping me out of my thoughts, as he grabs my hands instead and pulls me in between his legs. "I'd be a dumbass to ever break up with you."

"You're a dumbass either way," I joke and he rolls his eyes. "But you're my dumbass." He smiles and winks at that.

"Now that's more like it," he teases back, making me chuckle. Then he goes back to being all serious again, and now I'm more curious than ever as to what this upcoming coversation is going to be about. "I just wanted to talk about tonight," he then reveals.

Ah, tonight. Now that makes more sense. Tonight's the night that I meet up with Ryan at The Good Lion, the night we finalize our plan right before Ace's big race this weekend.

        See, as much as Ace and I had been seeing each other in secret during the late evening hours of that past month, I'd been 'cozying up' to Ryan during the day. It was safe to say that Ryan had been buying every act of my fake affection, so much so that he'd let me in on a big secret: his plan to rig the big race against...surprise, surpise...Ace's favor.

      Nevertheless, my Romeo and I had made a plan of our own...and not just any plan, no, one that involved exposing Ryan's foul play to no one other than Christian Cantarella himself.

"What's up?" I ask Ace, slightly concerned all of a sudden. "You don't think our plan will work?" When he doesn't respond, I remind him of his own words. "You said it yourself, baby, Christian believes in fair play. He's aware that racing is one of your ways of paying him back. When he finds out that Ryan is set on compromising that, not even the devil himself will be able to save him from the consequences that'll be awaiting him."

"The outcome of the plan is the least of my worries," he tells me, placing my hands on his neck as he closes the remaining space between us. "You're the one who came up with it, after all."

Smirking, I brush the pads of my thumbs along his defined cheekbones. His arms then encircle my waist, his hands settling inside my back pockets just enough to cup my ass over the denim fabric.

"Exactly," I comment, not really seeing what the problem is then. We've been planning this for weeks, so he shouldn't be so worried about it. Sure, there's a highly plausible chance that Ryan realizes what we're doing -and maybe, possibly kills me- but it wouldn't be the first time I endangered my life. This is nothing compared to the unthinkable shit I've done before... and that's saying a lot. "So what's the problem?" I have to ask. "Why the sudden hold-up?"

"The hold-up," he echoes, searching my eyes for any sense of hesitation that we both know he won't find. And when he doesn't, he exhales deeply, finishing his thought with, "is anything but sudden. Having to sneak around with you for the past month has already been hard enough, but now that tonight's finally here -now that there's no turning back- I can't help but feel like a complete idiot for dragging you into this entire mess...my mess...that you don't deserve to be in."