The Anti-Crush by Harper West

3

Elizabeth

For the secondtime in two weeks, I found myself between Nathan and a wall.

Agreeing to do this again for McKenzie either made me a saint or a glutton for punishment.

"So, Nate was telling me that you guys knew each other in high school," Tanner said. I nodded my head slowly and drank my Sprite. "Has he changed much since then?"

I stared into Tanner's gentle eyes, not wanting to look at Nathan, but having no choice. Turning to face the man beside me, I sized him up and prayed that I could come up with something nice to say. "Well," I said, "He's taller, and his hair is different. He had a swoopy, young Justin Bieber thing going on back then, not this refined faux-hawk sort of style."

Tanner snorted out a laugh, "Bieber, huh?"

"It wasn't because of Bieber, it's because the girls liked my hair. They said that it framed my face well." Nathan shrugged a broad shoulder and picked up the menu.

"What else?" Tanner asked, amused.

"Eh," I said, uncomfortably, "his face is thinner." I narrowed my eyes at the angles of his face, the sharp cheekbones and deep-set eyes that made him look sort of intense. It was sexy, and I had a feeling he would only get better-looking with age.

"Your face is thinner, too," he said and closed the menu, assessing me.

I blushed a little and tried to ignore my attraction to him. Damn him for being cute.

"Good evening, what can I get you?" a waiter in a neatly ironed black and white uniform asked. I sighed in relief at the distraction.

After we ordered, I turned my attention back to Tanner and McKenzie, then averted my eyes as he pulled her in for a kiss. He whispered something in her ear that had her rolling her eyes in return.

"Is that all you boys think about?" she giggled.

I blushed, suddenly understanding the conversation.

“Later. After dinner," she said, just barely above a whisper. I turned to Nathan, wondering if he was as embarrassed.

He looked fine. Maybe he was desensitized, or maybe he wasn't paying attention. Either way, it was the third date, and I honestly couldn't blame her. Tanner was smoking hot.

"Did I kiss you hello yet?" McKenzie asked as Tanner tangled his fingers in her hair and pressed his lips to hers.

"Oh, is this how all the girls from Hawthorn Hall greet guys at the door?" Nathan asked, a smirk forming across his chiseled face, and he turned toward me expectantly. He held out his arms as if waiting for a kiss. Despite his playful banter, I rolled my eyes in disgust.

"Oh, wow," I replied. "I have to go use the bathroom." I pushed against his arm as I scooted out, not giving him the chance to remain seated. Did he seriously just conveniently forget about how miserable he had made me in high school?

"Oh...okay, I guess.” He huffed out. “It was just a joke.” I didn’t look back and he seemed to change tactics. “Hey, do you need anything? Are you okay, Elizabeth?" he asked, sounding equally amused as I stomped away from him and headed off toward the restrooms. He started to follow me, but I wordlessly put a hand up angrily to stop him. "Um, what did I do wrong? I was just playing with you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep." He sounded dumbfounded as I opened the door leading to the women's restroom.

I needed a second to process all of this. As attractive and funny as he was, I couldn't conceal how angry I was with him. He hadn’t done anything wrong just now. He was just being playful and trying to loosen things up, but all of those bad experiences we’d had were on replay in head, and every time I remembered another incident, I became more and more irritated. It didn’t matter if he had changed or not. How dare he try to just act like it never happened? Like he had never been mean to me…seriously?

I didn't actually have to use the bathroom, but if I didn't excuse myself for a moment, I might have slapped him. I stood in front of the mirror and tried to compose myself. I can't ruin McKenzie's night, I thought to myself. It's fine. It'll all be over in a few hours. Don't make a scene, I sighed and walked out of the bathroom, returning to our table. Maybe I had been taking it all a little too seriously. Maybe I should give him another chance.

I propped my elbow up on the table, manners be damned, and placed my chin in my hands. I turned toward McKenzie and Tanner...anything to divert my attention from Nathan and our unfortunate past.

"Elizabeth," Nathan said, and I stared at my plate, playing with my food. "It was a joke, and I'm sorry.”

"It's fine," I said and took a small bite of salad, thinking of the time his ex-girlfriend made fun of my weight.

"If it's fine, why are you still upset?" he asked as he glanced at McKenzie and Tanner, who were absorbed in their own separate conversation. "Are you still upset about our first date?” I turned my head in surprise. "Look, I'm really sorry I was late. There was a lot of traffic on the way, and my GPS kept taking me in circles because there was some road work near my house.” He raked a hand through his faux-hawk and closed his eyes before taking a deep breath. “And, I was kind of awkward. I wasn’t expecting someone I knew to show up. But I'm trying to be a good date tonight. Damn, give a guy a chance."

“Hmm…” I said, weighing his words.

He really seemed to be trying, and based on what he’d just said, I had to wonder how much he actually remembered about high school. Or was he just trying to block out and move past it. He seemed more concerned about making sure I had a good time tonight and making up for the other date than about anything that took place back then.

I frowned down at my pate, still not answering.

"Look, I'm trying. What's wrong with you?" Nathan asked me bluntly, looking a bit confused, and that was all it took to set me off.

I tossed my napkin onto the table and turned to face him. "Oh, you know exactly what's wrong. I know you remember," I said, my voice low and angry. I tucked a lock of my brown hair behind my ears and pushed my glasses up my nose as they were starting to slip down my face.

McKenzie glanced over at me, looking concerned. I could feel her foot nudge mine under the table. I shook my head as imperceptibly as I could so as not to get the attention of the boys. She shrugged in response.

"Oh, no. Is this about that crap that happened in English back in high school?" he asked nervously.

I let out a saddened sigh. I refused to acknowledge him. It was all still a pretty sore subject for me, and I didn't want to ruin McKenzie's night any more than I probably already had with the tension between Nathan and me.

"Look, Elizabeth, that was years ago. I made some dumb decisions and did some stupid things, but I'm not that person anymore. Believe it or not, I’ve grown up a lot since high school. Just give me a chance to prove it to you," he pressed further.

I bit my lip and looked down at my drink, unresponsive.

I couldn't decide how to feel. Just because he was here, saying all the right things didn't mean that he meant them. He hadn’t apologized. Hell, he’d acted like it wasn’t even a big deal, that just because it was years ago and we’d grown up that I should just let it go. But I didn’t know if I could do that. Or if he deserved for me to.

"We'll just have to see. Excuse me, I need to get some fresh air," I said, forcing him to slide out of the booth. I strode away.