Page 25 of Offensive Plays

LeaveHerWild: No picture. You'll just have to wait to see me in person.

I look up from my phone just as my salmon dish gets placed in front of me.

"We should go now," I offer to the group. They all look up at me.

"To the bar?" my brother asks.

"Yes, let's go now."

Kesley looks down at my plate. "But you haven't even touched your food."

I look down at the perfectly cooked salmon they brought out to me and touch it as I look at her. "There. Feel better? Let's go."

They don't argue much. We're all desperate to get away from this forced fun activity. So they gather their belongings and we all sneak out through the back of the room.

"Anybody gonna text Hicks and Landry?" Ryker asks as we walk out the main entrance to the hotel.

"Oh yeah, we should probably wait for them," Zane agrees.

"Nope, they can meet us there," Fergie insists. Ushering them out the door.

He seems just as desperate as I am.

"You're acting like you've never been on a date before." Kesley watches me fluff up my hair in the bathroom mirror.

"I know," I puff out air from my cheeks. "Honestly...it's just been so long since I've had a real crush on someone. You know?" I touch-up my lipstick and pop my lips before turning to her for approval.

"Well, you look amazing as always."

I look back into the mirror at my reflection. I want to believe it—I want to believe it with everything I have. But Kesley is my best friend. Of course, she'll say things like that—that's what best friends do.

What she doesn't know is that I don't feel amazing. The words from the photographer at the shoot earlier have lingered in my brain all day.

"You have such an exotic look, Libby. If only were ten pounds lighter..."

Ten pounds lighter. I already hardly eat as it stands. But now, anything I might even remotely enjoy just dies as a thought long before I ever put it in my mouth.

"What's wrong?" Kesley says, putting both hands on my shoulder and looking at me in the mirror.

"How'd you know Zane was the one?" I say as a divergence.

She pauses momentarily, glaring at me suspiciously in our reflections before answering.

"Is this a trick question?"

I turn to face her. "No, I'm genuinely curious. Because I have a really good feeling about this guy, and he's only supposed to be a weekend hookup. But what if it becomes more? What if he's everything I could ever hope for? What happens then? To me....to my career?"

"Libby, chill. It's just a date. You're not going to just marry the guy on your first date."

"You're one to talk," I smirk.

"That's different, and you know it. Just take a moment at a time, okay? And I'll be just a glance away if he turns out to be a serial killer."

I nod, taking in a deep breath. I say all this, but really, I just have one question on my mind: Will he like me once he sees me? Or will I just be another disappointment.

It's two minutes before we agreed to meet up.

"I'll be at the bar," Kesley says, opening the door to exit the bathroom.