“So you’re really leaving in the middle of our date?”
She nodded, and walked out of the restaurant, dialing Morgan before she made it to her car.
“What did you think when Harmony texted you several days after your date?”
“That it must be some kind of violation of my privacy rights.”
8
“Have a nice day,” the barista behind the counter said to Dominick as she handed him a large cup of coffee.
It was not his favorite coffee shop, but Dominick didn’t want to risk seeing Harmony after their horrible date together. She’d never noticed him before, and he’d always wanted her to. Now, he’d do anything to become invisible again.
And while Lakeland had no shortage of coffee shops, Dominick hated driving the extra five minutes to go somewhere else. Unfortunately, he had a huge paper due the following week and needed all the energy he could get.
Conrad had tagged along this morning for some reason, and the two stood waiting for the guy behind the counter to finish making his drink. The pleasant aroma of roasted coffee beans filled the air.
“You are so boring, Nicky,” Conrad announced seemingly out of nowhere.
Dominick’s head jerked up. “Don’t call me that. And why am I boring?”
“Your plain cup of coffee.” Conrad pointed to the extra-large cup in Dominick’s hands.
He chuckled. “It’s better than your triple-shot, frozen white-mocha whatever.”
Conrad ignored him. “Why do you need that much coffee anyway? I think that’s like, three days’ worth of caffeine.”
“Oh yeah? Are you the food pyramid police now?” Dominick asked with a wide smile on his face. “I think you have pizza at least five nights a week.”
The guy behind the counter called out Conrad’s name, and he grabbed his fancy drink. “I’m just saying, it’s almost eight. It seems a little late to be loading up like that.”
Dominick rose his brows. “A lot of college students drink coffee much later than this. It’s not that strange.”
“It is for you. You’re all ‘early to bed, early to rise. I keep a regular schedule, and I think that will make me wise.’”
The two walked out of the shop and got into Dominick’s car. “That’s not how Ben Franklin’s saying goes. You know that, right?”
“Like it matters. You’ve been acting strange lately. I want to know what’s going on with you. Don’t you dare say it’s that coffee shop chick.”
“Harmony.”
Conrad shook his head. “Exactly.”
Had Conrad noticed that he hadn’t been able to sleep in days? Dominick had been replaying the date over and over again in his head. He was exhausted from lack of sleep and never had he felt like he needed coffee more than this week.
Whenever Dominick thought about their date, he always came to the same conclusion. The two of them had fun somewhere in the middle of the date. It was the beginning and end that had been a mess.
He sighed. “I can’t explain it. There was a slight connection.”
Even with his eyes on the road, Dominick could see the incredulous look on Conrad’s face.
“Relationships have been built upon less,” he added hoping to build his case.
“But those people had to see each other a second time,” Conrad argued. “You’re currently going to coffee shops in the opposite direction of where she works. You’re too afraid to call her. I think it’s time to admit this is never going to happen.”
“That’s probably for the best,” he said, even though he wasn’t completely convinced by his own words. “I’ve got to focus on my grades, and not get distracted. I plan to put all this energy into my economics paper that’s due next week. Nothing like some good ol’ research to get me back on track.”
Conrad reached over and ruffled his hair. Dominick really hated it when he did that. It made him feel like such a little kid, and it made him swerve slightly in the lane. He got a quick honk from the driver behind him and felt a flush creep up his cheeks.
“That’s the Dominick we all know and love. All school, no play. I think this means I can play Death Count 2 and not have to worry about you.”
Dominick pulled into one of the school’s many parking lots. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
Conrad shook his head. “Sweet. Thanks for the ride. I’ll catch you later.” He hopped out of the car, and walked toward their dorm.
Dominick didn’t get out right away. He thought about what Conrad had said. Of course he wanted to call Harmony, but what if she didn’t want to talk to him? And despite the awkward Harmony situation now limiting his coffee shop options, he didn’t want to leave Florida Southern. The only way he could make sure that didn’t happen was to stay diligent in his studies.
It was time to let go of the far-fetched hope of things working out between Harmony and him.
He grabbed his phone, and pulled up the contact information for Harmony. Dominick had saved it in his phone from the date itinerary before their first date thinking it would be helpful to have if they had gotten separated on their date. He hadn’t needed it then, and he wasn’t doing himself any favors by keeping it saved in his phone. And yet, he hadn’t deleted it yet.
It was stupid.
If Harmony wanted to talk to him, she would have called him by now. He scrolled to the bottom of the contact page and clicked DELETE CONTACT.
He let out a long sigh. Now that was done, and he could get back to work. He grabbed his coffee, a couple old books from his professor, and started walking toward the library.
Dominick rubbed his temples before reaching out to grab his drink. He was disappointed to discover there was nothing left after he’d already lifted the cup to his lips. He’d finished the first draft of the paper in record time, surprised by how little space Harmony was taking in his mind.
Unless he counted that last stray thought—which he didn’t.
He glanced at the time in the top right on his screen. 12:38? When had it gotten so late? The library would be closing in less than half an hour. This would be a good time to pack up and head back to his room.
Dominick shut down his laptop and lifted his arms above his head, stretching unused muscles. As he did, he looked around the library. Most of the students who had been sharing the space were gone. It looked like it was just him and the librarian left.
He bet Conrad would still be up though, still playing his game. Dominick wondered, not for the first time, how he managed to pass his classes. He was a cliché the way he spent so much time gaming with guys he only knew online.
Dominick thought he should grab Conrad something to eat, just to make sure he actually consumed something somewhat healthy. There weren’t a ton of options this time of night, but he still hoped to get something other than pizza. He grabbed his phone to text Conrad, and was surprised to see his screen light up with several text messages from an unknown number. The latest one, and most prominent one, reading:
I should stop texting you. I probably look like a stalker. I promise I’m not.
The first thought that entered Dominick’s mind was, “Who is this stalker?” His breath caught in his chest at the mere thought of having someone message him so much in such a short time. He’d only been at the library for a few hours, and this mystery person messaged him… seventeen times?
Whoa.
He unlocked his phone and started scrolling through the messages.
Hey. I got your number from Morgan. I hope that’s okay.
No. That was definitely not okay. Did Morgan sell their information? Or worse, did she give his actual match his information even after he said no? He couldn’t do this again.
I’d really like to talk to you. I hope you’ll hear me out.
I was a jerk, and I’d like another chance.
Dominick snorted to himself and shook his head. If this person was asking for another chance, it was another mix-up. Morgan was literally the worst business-owner he’d ever encountered. The
mistakes just kept coming. This poor sucker must have thought he was someone else.
Out of curiously, he continued to read through the texts. Each one was short, and so while seventeen messages had seemed crazy at first, the more he read, the more he realized it was more like two messages broken into a million sentence fragments.
Once he was done reading through them all, his fingers danced across the screen to type a response.
Dominick: I’m sorry, you have the wrong number. Might want to double-check with Morgan.
Immediately a bubble popped up on the screen indicating the mystery person was typing.
This is Dominick, right?
Dominick: Yes.
This is Harmony.
He stared at the screen in shock. If she’d messaged him yesterday, there would have been no confusion. And yet, the unknown number was the least of his bewilderment. Harmony should be texting Pax, her perfect match, not the guy who ran out on her.
His phone buzzed. Harmony had sent him another text.
Harmony: Are you there?
Dominick: Yeah.
Harmony: Can you meet? Maybe for coffee?
He looked at the empty coffee cup and once again at the time. He’d already be missing out on so much sleep because of the coffee currently working its way out of his tired brain. The idea of meeting with Harmony again freaked him out. Not only that, how well would he be prepared for a conversation when he was running on empty.
He typed his reply.
Dominick: Tomorrow?
Harmony’s answer came right away.
Harmony: It’s a date.
“Would you use the Date Maker service again?”
“Absolutely not.”
9
Harmony should have picked another place. Any other place. Why in the world did she think having this awkward—and vulnerable—conversation at her place of business was a good idea?
Was it the fact that she felt like she had the home team advantage?
When Harmony had asked for Dominick’s number, Morgan had been so caught off-guard, she hadn’t spoken for a full minute. She’d told Harmony she was crazy. But Harmony already knew the whole thing was crazy. He was so completely not her usual type. There was no other explanation for it, other than she’d really enjoyed her time with Dominick. That is, after she had a chance to process everything that had happened.
Pax was her usual type. He was everything she thought he would be, and she’d felt nothing.
But Dominick, the shy guy who’d beaten her at a stupid painting contest and talked so fiercely about wanting to provide for his future family? She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. So she’d texted him before giving it too much thought.
And then texted him again.
And again.
She’d texted him until she looked like a crazy stalker. At one point she’d even texted that she wasn’t a crazy stalker.
She took a deep breath and a sip of her latte, thankful that Morgan wasn’t behind the counter today. Harmony could just imagine all the sly looks she’d be sending her way right now.
A male voice cleared his throat, and Harmony looked up to see Dominick standing next to the small table she was sitting at. The entire scene gave her a strange case of déjà vu, but this time, she was the nervous one.
Dominick looked more tired than anxious. Even behind his glasses, she could see the dark smudges beneath his eyes—dark eyes she’d been too busy wishing were blue during their date to truly appreciate.
She smiled and stood up, and a small line appeared between his brows. She was just so excited he’d showed up after their horrible date, but realized how strange it was to greet him that way as soon as she jumped up. After a few seconds, she sat back down, and he followed her, not bothering to ask for permission like he did for dinner.
Harmony smiled. “Hey.”
The returning smile was cautious. “Hey.”
Finally face-to-face with Dominick, all of Harmony’s words left her brain. She pressed her lips together and looked down at her drink. It gave her an idea.
“Can I make you a drink? On the house.”
Dominick shook his head and chuckled to himself. “I think I’ve had enough coffee for a lifetime.”
Harmony nodded, but wondered what that meant. Did his words have some kind of double-meaning? Did it mean he had had enough of her in his life?
Ugh, this was a disaster. And now she knew exactly what it felt like to be on the other end. She didn’t like it. She’d put all her hopes into this meeting, and it wasn’t going well.
He cleared his throat again. “So…”
“Yeah,” she replied lamely.
Thankfully, she wasn’t the only one who had practiced a speech. She was just the only one who couldn’t remember hers.
“Listen,” he started, playing with his watchband. “I’m really sorry about running out on you the other night. I…uh, borrowed those pants from my roommate and freaked out.” His cheeks showed a hint of red. “I was worried about replacing them, because my bank account is mostly empty. Honestly, Harmony, you should know that date was way out of my price range. I should have known there was a mistake as soon as I read it.”
He stopped and regarded her. “You were meant to be with Pax. Our match was the mistake after all.”
Harmony reached over the table and took his hand. “I know. Morgan told me.” She paused before adding. “And I went out with Pax.”
He pulled his hand out from underneath hers, and set it in his lap. He sat up straight as a board in the chair across from her.
“It was horrible,” she said.
Dominick snorted, his shoulders relaxing a millimeter. “Worse than ours?”
“It was worse for other reasons.” Harmony sighed remembering how wrong Pax had been for her. He was good-looking, but that was all he had going for him. And even now, the more she looked at Dominick, the more she realized he was also attractive—just in an understated way. She’d been too obsessed with Morgan’s match and the accompanying photograph to see it before.
But it was more than the good looks she now appreciated. Dominick was kind. Harmony knew this was rare in a guy, and she wanted to persuade him to give them another shot. She’d seen so many silent girlfriends next to their rude but hot boyfriends at the coffee shop, that Dominick’s sweetness was a breath of fresh air.
“Dominick. I’m not saying we’re soulmates, but I am saying Morgan’s system can make mistakes, and I think my match with Pax was the biggest mistake of all. And I don’t think I would have realized it was a mistake if it wasn’t for our date.” She squeezed her coffee cup tightly.
Dominick shifted in his seat, the line between his brows deeper than before. “So what are you saying?”
She took a deep breath.
“I’m saying I’d like for us to try again. I want to go out on a date with you. I want to give us a fair shot. I won’t be a jerk, and you won’t run out before the date’s over. We can do something cheap or free, I don’t care.”
“Why?”
She hadn’t expected that. Of course he wouldn’t jump at the chance to be rejected again, who would?
“I don’t want to let you become the ‘what-if’ in my past. You seem like someone really special.”
When his eyes went to the table and he started shaking his head, she added a soft “Please.”
His head snapped up. “No, no, no, no. I’m not saying no to another date. This is just so weird. You’re not the kind of girl who makes a fuss over a guy like me.”
“Well, I want to be that girl.” She paused and looked off into the distance, before giving her head a little shake and returning her gaze to Dominick. “I think. I’m not making any promises for forever, but I think we should try.”
There was another silence before Dominick responded.
He stuck his hand out across the table. “Hi, I’m Dominick.”
Harmony felt the corners of her mouth curve into a smile as she extended her han
d to meet his. “Harmony.”
“So…” he said, looking at the front register. “Come here often?”
She laughed and shook her head. “Nope. First time.”
“Really?” He said the word slowly, an eyebrow cocking up in a very cute way.
Harmony nodded solemnly. “But I’ve been told I’m a natural. Want me to see if I can whip you something up behind the bar?”
“You don’t think they’d mind?”
She winked. “I’m feeling rebellious.”
This time, Dominick let Harmony make him a drink. He wanted something fancy, with white chocolate. When Harmony raised an eyebrow at him, he shrugged it off and said he wanted to try something other than his usual. You and me both.
She’d made it in record time, and hurried back to the table eager to get to know Dominick better. The two of them spent the next several hours talking about everything and anything, learning they had much more in common them they could have ever realized from that first date.
In fact, they were only pulled apart from their date when Harmony realized it was time for her shift. They reluctantly said their goodbyes—even managed a parting hug—and promised they’d do it again.
Soon.
10
TWO WEEKS LATER:
Morgan sat across from Dominick and Harmony conducting their post-date interview. Even with the past few weeks going the way they had, she’d never guessed these two would make a perfect match. In fact, if she had to make a prediction of the two people least likely to hit it off, she would have put them.
It was a good thing she wasn’t the betting type, or she’d be in major debt.
The two sat close to one another, never letting contact break for longer than a few seconds. They were either holding hands, or Dominick had his arm around her shoulders, or Harmony was pushing back Dominick’s hair. Hair that was in no danger of getting into his eyes.
Meet Your Match (Disastrous Dates Book 1) Page 6