►Chapter Two◄

"After two years at Yale, I was forced to pack my bags and head for London. Didn't return 'till five years later." He gave a smirk, clearly not fond of the memory.

"Wait, you went to Yale?" I looked into his eyes, my heart clenching slightly. They made me light-headed, which was a problem I hadn't resolved in the past hour. At least the good news was I hadn't been thinking about Dean for a while.

"Yeah, was even in the newspaper committee." His face was smug. "Though I wasn't there much."

This guy was coming off as a tad arrogant. However, the warmth in his eyes made me feel there was more to him than his charming front. Yeah right, I bet every girl he's brought home thought the same way. A tiny voice sneaked into my thoughts, which I quickly brushed away.

"Why? You know someone there?"

"Actually, I went there too."

His brows shot up. "I'm surprised. I didn't think you were the type."

Okay, now he was really pushing it. I frowned. "Right, 'cause you know so much about me."

"Woah, I didn't mean to offend."

My frown only deepened at the heavy chuckle that came my way.

"Truthfully, I only know as much as what's on your profile." The corners of his lips pulled upward until a faint dimple touched his cheek.

Crap, my profile? Of course I had to have a profile. Paris...

"Uh." I looked down at my plate. "My friend made it for me. I don't actually know about it." Picking up the fork, I targeted the last bit of food.

"We're in similar situations then. I had to join because I lost a bet."

Right, because he was obviously way too good for online dating. "Uh huh." I focused on chewing, examining him from across the table. I wondered how many women dropped their panties at his command. Men like him were all the same, I reminded myself. Incredibly good-looking, disgusting, cheating pigs. Do not get fooled by those eyes.

"You should be flattered though." His smile grew wider. "I mean, I gotta tell you. There were a bunch of messages coming through, but I only responded to yours." He leaned in to catch my eyes. "That profile pic was just too much."

"What pic?" My voice was panicked.

"You can find out when you get home." He tackled his food with a grin.

My face burned up to a hundred degrees. I tried to remember if Paris had any questionable pictures of me. She had always been unpredictable. Who knew if she had secret hobbies of stalking me with a camera. I wouldn't be surprised.

"Wow." He said as the server cleared our plates. "To think we might have met sooner if I wasn't sent off to London." His eyes twinkled into mine. "I now have one more reason to resent my father."

I couldn't help the smile spreading on my face.

The waitress arrived with a plate of dessert, laying it in front of me. "Here's your chocolate caramel toffee pudding."

"Thanks."

Logan observed my plate of empty calories."You're certainly more than what meets the eye."

"You should see me with my many flavored pop-tarts in the morning."

"It would be my pleasure." He smirked, picking up his drink. "So, tell me something about yourself. You don't want my judgement to be solely based on that profile your friend made up, do you?"

An empty chuckle came out my mouth while I avoided his gaze. "I wouldn't want to bore you with my uninteresting life."

"A beautiful girl like you must have interesting stories to tell. How are you even single?"

My heart flipped. Beautiful? I guess I'd heard that a few times, before Dean and I moved in together and he tensed at every guy who as much as looked my way. I swallowed my nerves. "I sort of just came out of a relationship, actually."

He was silent for a second. "I'm sorry about that. But, he must be really dumb to screw things up with you."

A small smile touched my lips. "Thanks." Looking into his eyes, I saw a glint of care, which made me feel safe about sharing my feelings. The bitter cells of my subconscious were quiet at that moment, allowing the warmth in my heart to build for this stranger.

As if reading my mind, he gave an encouraging smile. "You can talk about it if you want. I'm all ears."

I bit my bottom lip. "We met in high school and were together for about three years. We reconnected five years ago and moved in together. It's pretty complicated."

"That's a long time to be with someone."

"I'm guessing you haven't really had long term relationships?"

"You got me there." He shook his head. "I just never really met anyone who I wanted to spend everyday with."

"Hm, someone you want to spend everyday with..." I pondered the sentence. Was that the reason I stayed with Dean for so long? Initially, yes. But, what about later on? I couldn't be sure of an answer.

"I leave it all up to fate." He shrugged. "It just is or isn't."

Nodding, I carefully dug at the chocolate pudding in front of me. Thinking about my relationship with Dean, I realized I stayed because I was used to him. I became attached. As we both grew, it seemed like we were suppose to grow together. I tried so hard to help him. To help us. I never really saw that, sometimes, a relationship can't be helped. It just is or isn't. In our case, we weren't made to last.

Letting out a sigh, I looked up. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"I didn't see that until now." I paused. "He cheated on me with his ex-wife. I still hate him for it, but at least I see that we just weren't meant to be, I guess."

"What an asshole." His jaws clenched. "Don't let me meet this guy."

For the first time that night, I saw emotions beyond his easy charm.

My lips curled as I shook my head slightly. "You know, you're more than what meets the eye too."

►It's about time◄

After we finished dinner, we talked some more about our lives. It was easier to talk to him, after the huge weight in my chest was somewhat lifted. Though my phone vibrated in my purse twice towards the end of the night, knowing it must be Dean, I let it go to voice mail. I didn't want anything to interrupt our conversation. But, no matter how hard I tried, my mood darkened with each call.

Despite everything, I focused hard on the gorgeous man across from me. On his soft eyes and infectious smile. Paris was right. I needed to get out there and open my eyes. For all I knew, he could be a great guy for me. I couldn't let Dean get to me. But ex, or no ex, it didn't change the fact that this guy never had a real girlfriend. He didn't do relationships and wasn't looking for anything serious. The thought should have deterred me. Think disgusting, non-committal pigs. Instead, my heart was met with relief. I wasn't ready for anything serious. I feared even the thought of anything long term. I didn't want to commit or even think about what could be. I just wanted to see what was out there.

It just is or isn't.

At the end of the night, we collected our jackets at the door and stood facing each other. As I wrapped my scarf around my neck, Logan asked me if I would like to hang out at his place. I looked into those caramel eyes, saw them shine into mine, and knew my answer.

Giving him a smile, I nodded.


Thanks for reading!

I was in a writing mood today, but didn't have much time. So, I worked on this. :) Hope you guys enjoyed it!

Thanks for the reviews, follows and favorites! For me, this is very interesting and different from LoF, so I enjoy writing it and sharing it with everyone.