Stacy's eyes lingered down to my hand right before I managed to let go. "Seems like a touchy subject to me." She smiled. "So did you eat any of his famous chicken?" she questioned. "It’s the best chicken I’ve ever had. I wonder where he got the recipe.”

I did and it was the best thing I had ever tasted. Although, I wasn’t willing to admit it. "Yeah. It was fine. Not as good as he said it would be though," I lied. "He probably found it online."

We both looked up when a young man walked up shirtless, wearing only a pair of blue and gray swimming trunks. He had very short blond hair, almost shaved off, hazel eyes, and a masculine jaw line. He smiled revealing a set of perfect teeth as he pointed at our menus. "Hello, ladies. Are you ready to order or can I answer any questions?" I was sure Stacy would have a few questions. He seemed her type. Clean cut and sweet.

Stacy kicked me from under the table and smiled.

"Ouch, Stacy," I whined. "What was that for?" I questioned as I reached for my leg.

She gave me a desperate look and flared her nostrils. "I'm sorry. It was an accident," she breathed. "Hi, William. I have a question." She let out a flirty giggle.

William leaned into the table and smiled at Stacy. "You can ask me anything," he said entertained.

Stacy looked at me and then back up at William. Then she reached over and grabbed my chin. "Do you think that my friend here is pretty?"

I jerked my leg out and kicked Stacy in the knee. I didn't like where she was going with things.

Stacy shifted in her seat and let go of my chin. She cleared her throat and then placed her hand under her chin. “So…?”

William looked over at me and smirked. "Sure. She's beautiful," he answered. He gave me a flirty smile and flexed his muscle as he reached for his pen. “I would take her out.”

Not happy with all of the attention set on me, I threw my menu down, and flicked the beach ball. I’m so going to kick Stacy’s butt later. "I'll take the cod dinner, please," I said sternly.

William took a step back and shook his head. He looked a little stunned. "Sure, one Cod dinner." He looked over at Stacy and reached for her menu. "How about you?" he asked confused.

Stacy glared at me and shook her head in disappointment. "I'll just take the same. Bring us two Martinis, please," she muttered, holding up two fingers.

William grabbed for our menus and walked away with a forced smile. You could tell that he wasn't used to rejection. "Sure thing."

After William was out of sight, Stacy leaned over and kicked sand at me. "He was gorgeous. What is your problem?"

I rolled my eyes and fixed my ponytail. "I'm not looking for a boyfriend. I'm fine by myself," I muttered. "I don't even know him. You can't just ask a total stranger that." I said, leaning into the table.

She laughed and rubbed her lips together. "Well I just did and he said you were beautiful. Doesn't that count for anything?" she questioned. "If I hadn't already met Alex then I would've gone for him myself. He's hot."

Is this what normal girls do? Find random guys and jump into a relationship. I don’t think so. I didn’t like that idea and I could never see myself doing that. "Not really. Like I said I'm fine alone."

Several minutes later, William came back with our food. He leaned over my shoulder and placed the plate in front of me. "Enjoy your dinner," he breathed. "Let me know if I can get you anything. Another Martini or my number," he whispered playfully.

His arm brushed against mine as he pulled away and walked over to set Stacy's plate in front of her. "Enjoy ladies." He didn't take his eyes off me as he backed up and walked over to the kitchen. I had to admit, he was cute, but still not enough to make me stupid.

Stacy eyed me as she bit into her Cod. "You could be throwing something good away." She shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her Martini. "You should just take his damn number. What will it hurt?"

I rolled my eyes and took a bite of my food. What would be the point? I wouldn't be calling him anyways. "I don't think so," I muttered.

William came by a few times to check on us.  I could tell that Stacy was still a little disappointed that I wasn't willing to give William a chance, but I tried not to let it bother me too much. Stacy was just trying to do what a real friend would do. This was just another thing that made me believe that maybe I just wasn't capable of a true friendship. Maybe it was best to accept his number. To at least make her night.

I looked up, huffing, as I eyed William. "Hey, William." I stopped him just as he was walking by our table.

He stopped and walked over with a grin. "Can I get you something else?" he asked.

I exhaled while playing with my napkin. I didn't like what I was about to do. It had my stomach in knots. "Yeah, your number," I sighed.

William reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He placed it in my open hand and smiled. Then he closed my hand. "I knew you would ask. Call me anytime." He winked at the both of us and walked away.

Stacy clapped her hands and laughed. "You just made my night."

"Great," I muttered.

After Stacy dropped me off, I walked into a dark, quiet house. It was ten o’clock and it was unusual for Jace to be in bed before midnight. He stayed up late and always woke up early.

Without turning on the lights, I blindly made my way over and plopped down on the couch.

"Ouch."

I jumped up startled when I felt Jace underneath of me. I ran over to the light switch and flipped it on. "I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"It's fine, Avery." he cut me off. He blinked a few times trying to adjust to the lighting. "I should probably go sleep in my room anyways. The couch usually hurts my back," he said stretching. "How was your night?"

I reached in my pocket and pulled out William’s number. "Well, Stacy talked a lot and the half-naked waiter gave me his number. You tell me," I huffed. I nervously played with the tiny piece of paper.

Jace sat up on the couch and I plopped down next to him. I averted my eyes away from his half- naked body as his silk blanket dropped down to the floor. I guess he was telling the truth about wanting to walk around naked.