I pulled my jacket sleeve down, trying to hide the phone number that Grady had just written on my arm. 

God, who does that boy think he is? He’s so fucking arrogant. To write his number on my arm while I'm actually on a date with someone else? It’s so rude!

But that's what happens when you get famous, right? You start thinking you’re above everyone else. You don’t think you have to follow the basic human laws of decency anymore.

I mean, how would Isaac feel if he saw this?

Well, honestly, I had no idea. Maybe he’d react pretty well. He seemed to really like Grady and didn’t even blink an eye at us spending time together alone. And there was clearly tension between us. 

When I got back to my car, Isaac was leaning up against it, a grin on his face. 

“You know Grady Ians?!” he asked excitedly. 

I shrugged. “Yep,” was all I could answer. 

“Oh my god, that's so fucking cool! Why didn't you tell me?”

I sighed. "Because I don’t like that I know Grady Ians. Which is why I didn’t want to go tonight. I really didn’t want to see him.”

“What?!” he asked, in shock. “But why? What’s the guy like?”

I shrugged again. “I really don't want to talk about it…”

“But it’s Grady Ians!” he said in an exasperated tone. “You’ve got to give me something.”

How could I give him something? I mean, seriously, how? If I tell him about how I know Grady, I am going to ruin this entire date. I couldn’t lie, I was not good at that. 

“Yeah…” I shrugged. 

“Well, what did he say to you?”

I guess I could answer that honestly. “He just wanted to talk. We haven’t talked in awhile.”

“Seriously?!” he grinned. “That’s so freaking cool! Could you possibly introduce me?” 

“Uh, I don’t think so…” I said softly. 

It was awkward. This was a first date, and I had to tell him I wasn’t going to do a favor for him. And he looked immediately offended. 

“Oh… okay,” he said shortly. 

I groaned. tLook, I’m sorry, it’ sjust—”

“No, I get it. He’s a famous, busy guy. He’s just kind of my hero, but, you know…”

I rolled my eyes. Great, so he was going to try and guilt me about this. Well, this date was about to take an awkward downswing. 

“I can’t control what he does, okay? And I know he would have no interest in meeting you.”

“How do you know if you haven’t asked?!” he pressed. 

“Because… I just do, okay?” I said in a snappy tone. 

He furrowed his brow. “Geez, okay, fine. You can just drop me off at home.”

Great, date ruined. And I immediately blamed Grady for it. 

“I’m not trying to be a dick, okay?” I snapped again. “Is it seriously my fault that Grady won’t want to see you?!”

“You’re just being so vague about it! And you’re not even willing to try is the frustrating thing—”

“Because I already know! If I asked Grady to meet you, he’d turn me down in a heartbeat.”

“But why?!” 

“Because he’s my fucking ex, and I’m sure he already hates you for even being on a date with me!”

The car was silent. 

“You dated Grady Ians?”

“Yep,” I said softly. 

“Oh…” he said softly back. 

We were quiet for a minute. What I’d said definitely didn’t help the situation. 

“Well… that makes sense, I guess,” he said quietly. 

“I’m sorry for snapping,” I said quickly. “I shouldn’t have reacted that way, it’s just that this has been really awkward for me.”

He nodded quickly. 

“Could we maybe just try to still have a good night?” I asked. 

He looked over at me, then out the window. 

“You can still drop me off at home,” he said bluntly. 

Fantastic. 

I did exactly that. So, not only should I write this date off, but any future dates with this guy. The first normal, cute guy I’ve met, and Grady has to fuck it up. 

All right, I guess it’s not all Grady’s fault. If I’m being honest, Isaac started to seem like kind of a douche at the end there. Like, who insists that you introduce them to someone famous, really?

And he’s obviously not very secure in his self esteem if knowing that I’ve dated Grady Ians completely turns him off to me. So, whatever, it’s not a big loss. 

But I was still pissed at Grady. With everything he did… everything that went wrong between us… he still had the nerve to chase me down like that?!

If he wanted me, he could have had me. He could have picked me. That was what I’d wanted… more than anything. I would’ve given up everything to keep him in my life. 

And he hadn’t felt the same way. And, now, here we are, a year later, both pining for each other when we can not be together. And it feels miserable. 

I’m really, really miserable.