Page 3 of Happily Evan After

He is younger, Lana was right about that. Maybe in his early twenties. Clearly too young for me.

“If Lana put you up to this or if you are planning to use this interaction for a dare or to win a bet, then keep on walking.”

He sits on the stool next to me. Well, not so much sits as he kinda leans his butt against it. His t-shirt clings to his muscular torso like a damn lover.

Awesome, never been jealous of a shirt before. Who is this guy?

He points at himself. “This guy?”

“I seem to be speaking my thoughts, which is just going to make this disastrous,” I say. Or perhaps I should say, more disastrous than unusual.

“Nah, Dimples, I’m thinking you’re delightful, not disastrous in the least.” He opens his arms as if inviting me in for a hug.

Delightful? Well, that’s new.

Thank God I don’t jump into his arms.

“What do you wanna know?”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“You sure about that? You look closer to twenty-one or barely twenty,” I say.

“I’m sure. I’ve got a babyface. My twin brother—fraternal—has always called me that. Annoying fucker,” he mutters.

I turn my body more to face him. And I think I’m probably smiling. “Tell me three things about yourself, but not your job or your name.”

“Alright. I think The Mummy is the greatest movie of all time. I’m good with my hands. And I love animals.”

“Which Mummy movie?” I ask, ignoring the other two items he ticked off on his fingers.

He frowns at my question. “No disrespect to Mr. Cruise, he’s excellent in other movies. And while his Mummy movie wasn’t bad, it’s simply not The Mummy with Rick and Evie and Imhotep and Ardeth Bay. That’s the greatest movie of all time.”

“You feel pretty strongly about that,” I say.

“I do. I even have a tattoo in honor of it. Wanna see?” He half turns his body, lifting part of his shirt as if he’s gonna flash me his ink.

That makes me laugh. “Do you always flirt with women like this?”

He shakes his head. “No.”

“What about your previous entourage?” I nod to where he was sitting earlier.

“Those women? Nah, they came up to me so I chatted with them, but they’re not my type.”

“Because you don’t like beautiful women?”

“I, in fact, do like beautiful women, which is why I’m now here talking to you.”

“Smooth. But I’m not buying it.”

“I have time to convince you. Why don’t you tell me your three things?”

“Same rules?”

“Sure.”