Against The Wall

Chapter Sixteen

Jackson called. Two days after we all went out to breakfast. I think this is a bad idea, but I'm going
anyway.

When Matty and I started our little fling, I knew I had strong feelings for him. He was my close friend and we got along so well. I was unsure though.

Unsure if the strength of those feelings was based on my attraction to him as a friend or as a boyfriend. Or maybe I was attracted to him because he was
attracted to me and Chase had just dumped me after ten years. It's always a boost to the ego for someone to show interest in you after such a nightmare.

All right, my feelings for Matt Fuller are about more than him just boosting my ego. He's a great guy and I've never had such a good time with anyone in my life, including Chase.

Matty knows more about me than I know about myself half the time, and understands all the little things that make me tick. I feel so alive when I'm with him. I don't know. This whole thing is just too
effing crazy to even believe. What kind of guy sends his girl on a date with someone else?

I consider what he told me. He loves me enough to let me go. Very sweet. Do I deserve a guy who loves me in such a way? He deserves a girl who will tell him she loves him so much she doesn't need to be let go.

"So where are you going?" Mel yells to me.

From the closet, I shout back, "Yard House. I'm meeting him there."

"Meeting him. You're already dooming this date before it starts."

I come out in fitted jeans and a black dolmon top with a silver tank underneath. "Is this too much? Does it make me look like I want him?"

"Why don't you just cancel?" she asks. "Don't you think it's rude you're totally using this guy? You know it's not gonna work and you're gonna run back to Matt."

"I'm not using him," I squeal. "I'm totally gonna give this a shot and if it doesn't work, then I get to prove to Matty I really like him and want to be with
him."

Mel picks out a string of beads and hands them to me. "Are you trying to prove it to Matty or yourself?"

"STFU, Mel." I flip her the bird. She knows me too effing well.

"Well, you look great. So you better hurry up and get going. The man not of your dreams awaits."

"Oh he's the man of my dreams all right. I've been thinking about Jackson for the last two nights."

Mel pushes my bag into my hands and starts
walking me down the hall. "Those were your nightmares, Shel, not your dreams."

We both laugh at her joke. "Bitch!"

"Have fun. But not too much fun because I don't care if you decide to marry this guy. He's not going with us to the New Year's Eve party tomorrow."

"If I have too much fun, I may not want to go to the fucking party. So take that," I snap at her.

"Bye, Shel."I flip her off again as I walk to my car.

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I walk into heaven, take a deep breath and head to the bar. I always eat in the bar area at the Yard House. I figure the closer you are to the bar, the quicker you get your drinks. It's not necessary tonight though. I'm driving so I will stick to my one beer limit.

My eyes take in the crowd and I spot a hand going up. Jackson. He has a booth. Perfect. We can sit across a large table from each other.

My stomach tightens as I get closer to him, and my smile is so fake I hope I don't look like I put Vaseline on my teeth.

Jackson stands to greet me and I get a good look at his outfit. This man has some style. He has on perfectly fitted jeans slung low across his waist, but not so low he needs to wear a pair of basketball shorts to cover his ass. A dress shirt is barely visible under a soft, maybe cashmere, v-neck sweater. His
sleeves are pushed up revealing a dragon tat on his very muscular forearm. He's even better looking than I remembered.