Dating Roulette Read online

  Dating Roulette

  Copyright © 2019 D. Kelly

  Cover Art by - Najla Qamber of Qamber Designs and Media

  Model Photo by - Lindee Robinson Photography

  Models: David and Alyse

  Editing by – Lauren Clarke of CREATING ink

  Proofreading by – Jenny Sims, Editing 4 Indies

  Formatting by – Brenda Wright, Formatting Done Wright

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information contact

  Dee Kelly www.dkellyauthor.com

  This book contains mature subject matter and is not appropriate for minors. Please note this novel contains profanity, sexual situations, and alcohol consumption and potential triggers.

  Dee Kelly

  P.O. Box 940123

  Simi Valley, CA. 93094

  Ebook isbn - 978-1-7326394-6-1

  Table of Contents

  Books by D. Kelly

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  The Acceptance Series –

  Breaking Kate – Book One

  Catching Kate – Book 1.5

  Releasing Kate- Book Two

  Loving Kate – Book Three

  Christmas with the Houstons – Book Four

  Standalone Novels

  Chasing Cassidy

  Sharing Rylee

  The Evolution of Us

  The Last Resort Motel – Room 13

  Dating Roulette

  The Illusion Series

  Just an Illusion – Side A

  Just an Illusion – The B Side

  Just an Illusion – EP

  Just an Illusion – Unplugged

  Just an Illusion – Encore

  Illusion Series Spinoff Novels

  Interlude – Jordan’s story

  Broken Beats – Darren’s story

  TBA – Eli’s story coming fall 2019

  http://www.dkellyauthor.com/all-books

  To my husband, for being one of the few who reached the coveted eighth date. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting

  to get - only with what you are expecting to give -

  which is everything.

  ~ Katharine Hepburn

  Ten years ago

  “Tristan, why are you so moody today? Did you hear what I said?”

  The dreary weather today matches my mood. If only the rain would start falling—then I’d have an excuse to go to class early and get away from Adam. He’s starting to ask questions that I can’t give him answers to.

  “Just tired, I guess. So, let me get this straight—Debbie showed up at your house last night, begged you to take her back, and kissed you, completely out of the blue?” I toss my lunch in the trash. No point in picking at it when I have no appetite.

  Adam finishes chewing his chip as he nods his head. “Yup, said she heard I was dating again and realized how much she missed me.”

  I wonder if anyone will miss me?

  “What did you say?”

  “After she shoved her tongue down my throat, I told her that I was seeing someone else and I wasn’t interested.”

  Before I get a chance to ask if he told Bexley what happened, we see her storming across the quad. Adam’s girl is tiny but mighty. Her dark curly hair cascades down her back and her perky tits bounce as she walks. I’ll give it to Adam—he’s lucky to be dating her, and since I’ve been so preoccupied lately, it’s nice he has someone to hang out with.

  “Hey Bex,” Adam stands and reaches for her, but she holds her hand out in front of her chest.

  “Don’t touch me. Is it true?”

  With a furrowed brow, Adam stumbles over his words. “Is . . . is what true?”

  She narrows her eyes into slits, and her slow assessment of him even makes me uncomfortable. I’ve never met a fifteen-year-old girl who can pull off the mom vibe. It’s like she can see right through him, but Adam didn’t do anything wrong. He just wears guilt like armor.

  “I see . . .” Bexley turns her gaze toward me and rolls her eyes before looking back at him. “If you wanted to get back with your ex, you should have just said so. Counting breakfast this morning, we’ve only been out seven times. The last thing I would have been is heartbroken.”

  With wide eyes, Adam reaches for her, but she sidesteps him. “Bexley, it’s not like that.”

  “Really? If it isn’t like that why didn’t you tell me you had your tongue down Debbie’s throat last night?”

  Adam takes a step back, his eyes glazing over in fury. “I told you I had something to tell you, and you asked if it could wait so you could get some study time in before class.”

  Bex throws her arms in the air and huffs loudly. “It’s always an excuse with you. Whatever. I’m just glad I didn’t waste any more time on you. Go back to Debbie. I’m not interested.”

  Adam gathers his half-eaten lunch and tosses it in the trash. “Yeah? Well, that makes two of us! See you later, Tris.” He storms off toward the gym, leaving me with his non-girlfriend.

  “Your friend is a real piece of work,” she mutters as she watches him disappear through the crowds of fellow lunchers.

  “Actually, Adam is a good guy, and Debbie is a crazy bitch who showed up at his house and forced herself on him before he could tell her to get lost . . . which he did as soon as he escaped from her evil clutches.”

  Bexley laughs, and I swear it radiates down to the pit of my stomach. I’ve never talked to her one-on-one before, but she’s even cuter up close. Too bad she dated Adam because now she’s off-limits.

  “Evil clutches? That’s great.”

  I shrug but flash her a smile of my own. It feels good to smile for a change. “I wasn’t her biggest fan. You were definitely an upgrade. Still could be, if you go talk to him and give him a chance.”

  “You’re Tristan, right?” she asks softly.

  “The one and only.”

  She crinkles her nose, and for some reason, I want to kiss it. “Are you always full of jokes?”

  “Not sure about jokes, but I’m good with comebacks most of the time.”

  Bexley takes me in from head to toe. “You’re tall.”

  “And you’re not.”

  “Jeez, thanks for that.”

  “Just thought we were pointing out the obvious.”

  She flashes me a grin. “Well, in that case, you’re pretty cute, too.”

  “Thanks,” I reply, and she slugs my shoulder.

  “You need to work on your skills, Romeo.”

  That’s not exactly true, but she doesn’t know that, so I play along.

  “Fine. You remind me of Rapunzel.”

  Her brows furrow, and the smallest little wrinkle appears between them. It’s cute, but I probably should
n’t point it out.

  “I’m not blond.”

  Without a second thought, I reach forward and pull one of her curls through my fingers. “Nope, but you still have awesome hair.”

  She looks down at her feet and then meets my eyes. “We should be friends. I mean, I should get something good out of this dating disaster.”

  That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time. Hell, aside from Adam, this is the longest conversation I’ve had in at least a month.

  “You think I’m something good?”

  She blushes. “Well, you’ve made me laugh more in the last five minutes than Adam did during our entire seven dates. I’m not even sure why I kept going out with him. I pretty much knew by the third date it was going to be a disaster.”

  The bell rings, and I grab my backpack. “How did you know?”

  She hikes her bag over her shoulder, and we start walking. I’m following her lead even though she’s heading in the opposite direction of my class. I’m going to be late, but I don’t really care. It doesn’t matter anymore anyway. “When a guy doesn’t make you laugh, it’s a big indicator you shouldn’t be with him. At least that’s what my mom says, and she’s pretty smart when it comes to relationships.”

  I don’t think I’d want to date someone who didn’t make me laugh either. Plus, she might be onto something. In the last five minutes with her, I’ve smiled more than I have in weeks. “Okay, we can be friends, but we can’t date. Bro code and all.”

  Bexley stops in her tracks and grabs my arm. “First rule of being my friend: learn that a girl can just want to be friends with a guy and not want or expect to date him.” She pulls out a pen from her pocket and grabs my hand. “Second rule: I like to talk on the phone. Voices are so much better than texts. See you later, Tris.”

  She pauses and bites her lip before meeting my gaze. “I know I might seem bossy, but it’s just my mood today. I could really use a friend. Don’t disappear on me, okay?”

  Her words are like a punch to the gut. She couldn’t possibly know what I’ve been thinking—no one could. Swallowing over the newly formed lump in my throat, I nod. “Promise. I could use a friend too.”

  And that is the absolute truth.

  She flashes me the biggest grin and waves before walking away. I stand in the quickly emptying quad until the tardy bell rings. I’ve never been experienced so many emotions all at once. Not about life and certainly not about a girl. I pull out my phone and enter her number before it comes off my hand in basketball. Adam messed up; Bexley is the kind of girl any guy would want to date.

  The sun peeks out from behind the clouds as I head toward the gym. It hits me that I have the opportunity to become friends with one of the coolest chicks I’ve ever met. No awkward feelings will ever come between us since she’s already dated Adam.

  Meeting her today was a sign I desperately needed. It’s like a guardian angel delivered her straight to me when I needed a friend more than ever. And who knows what could happen? She might even end up becoming one of my best friends all because Adam has a horrible track record with girls. Us being friends might upset him at first, but he’ll get over it—he’s cool like that. The one thing I know for sure is that Bexley makes me happy, and I haven’t been happy in a very long time.

  Six years later

  “Tris! We did it!” Bexley runs into my arms, and I swing her around in a circle.

  “College graduates. Now what do we do with the rest of our lives?”

  She slides down my body slowly until her feet find purchase beneath her. The smile she flashes me has been the highlight of my day for the past six years. “You’re going to make millions off your video games, and I’m going to become one of the best financial analysts in the country. Until then, we move into our new apartment. You and Adam will carry all the heavy stuff, and I’ll delegate where it goes while I get ready for my date.”

  As I release her from my arms, I take a step back. “You have a date the first night in our new place? What the hell, Bex?”

  She lowers her head and looks up at me with puppy-dog eyes. “Don’t be mad. We’re on date five, and I don’t anticipate being out long.”

  Groaning, I wrap my arm around her shoulder. “What’s wrong with him?”

  The sheepish look on her face tells me I likely don’t want to know. “Don’t laugh.”

  “Oh, this is going to be good.”

  “Come on, Tris. Please.” Bex draws out the please and bats her eyelashes at me.

  “I’ll try not to. Let me guess . . . he puts ketchup on his eggs?”

  She scrunches her face and shudders. “No, that would get him booted on the first date. Everything was great until he picked me up to go swimming at his friend’s house. He was wearing socks with sandals.”

  I release a surprised gasp. “Say it isn’t so!”

  She crosses her arms and glares at me. “You said you wouldn’t laugh.” She pouts, and if she were any other girl, I’d kiss her, but she’s not. She’s my Bex.

  “I said I’d try. I’m curious though; he committed a cardinal sin in dating roulette. How come he’s getting another date?”

  “Stop calling it that. I’m dating, not playing a game. I can’t help it if I have standards that no man has yet to pass.” She bends down and takes off her heels as we walk through the grass to meet our parents. “But to answer your question . . . it was his birthday, and as much as I value honesty, I couldn’t break it off.”

  “Who knows? Maybe it was a one-time thing.” I’m always defending these men to her as if I have an allegiance to them, but really, it’s the opposite—I just want to see her happy.

  “I thought that too, and I even thought I could let it slide as a birthday gift—against my better judgment. Then one of his longtime friends showed up late and laughed and joked with him about his awful habit of socks and sandals.”

  I reach for her wrist and halt our progression. “Bex, I adore you, but don’t you think some of the reasons you break up with these guys are pretty superficial? I mean, what are you going to say to this guy? ‘Sorry, but last week you wore the wrong footwear, and it’s still bugging me?’”

  Her lip quivers, and she blinks back tears. “Tris, I can’t help who I am. I know what I’m looking for, and I know when it’s not there.”

  “Bexley, you have never once since I’ve known you been out with the same person on more than seven dates. Usually, it’s less than five. I’m a guy; I shouldn’t even notice these things.”

  “You notice because you care about me.”

  “Exactly, and because I want you to be happy.”

  “I am happy.” Her emphatic reply doesn’t fool me.

  “I could be mistaken, but I don’t think happy people block themselves from emotional connections. You fuck random strangers—which would be fine if you threw a boyfriend into the mix every once in a while, but you don’t.” I take a deep breath. Fighting with Bex today was not on my to-do list.

  “I can’t believe you, of all people, are judging me!”

  “Are you kidding me? I’m not judging you; I’m worried about you! Me wanting more for you isn’t enough — you have to want more for yourself.”

  Her chocolate eyes meet mine as tears begin streaming down her cheeks. Shit. The last thing I wanted to do was make her cry. As I pull her into my embrace, she sobs. “You don’t think I want more for myself? Why do you think I do this? I’m not going to settle for just anyone, Tristan. I can’t.”

  As I kiss the top of her head, I murmur, “What are you trying to find?”

  She doesn’t look up at me, but she squeezes me tighter. “The one. I can’t explain it, but I’ll know him, and it won’t take more than seven dates to find him. He’ll be the one who makes me feel butterflies, he’ll be the reason I smile, and God, Tris, he’ll make me laugh like no one else can. At night, he’ll wrap me in his arms and tell me how much I mean to him, and he’ll make love to me and fuck m
e in equal measure. I know it sounds stupid to you, but we give away so many firsts to random people. I want the rest of my firsts to be with him. I want the man I’ll eventually marry to be the only one I ever love. The only one I ever make love to, say I do to, and build a life with.”

  I pull back and tip her chin until our eyes meet. “You don’t sound stupid. If anything, I wish more women were like you—confident, determined, and driven. You’ll find him one day, and when you do, it might break my heart to lose my best friend to him, but it’ll be worth it to know you’re happy.”

  A brilliant smile lights her face. “That’s a date-seven question and the final test.”

  “What is?”

  “Can whoever he is handle you being my best friend. Because, Tris, you’re non-negotiable. I’m never losing you—we come as a package deal. And honestly, you need to be adding this caveat to your dating specs too. I’m not letting you ditch me for some girl.”

  “I’d never ditch you, Bexley.” I whisper the words, and she rewards me with a small smile.

  She reaches for my hand, and we walk silently toward the spot where my parents and hers are supposed to be meeting us. One day, she’ll realize there’s a deeper reason she won’t let herself connect to her dates. Until then, I’m happy living in the now and watching as she finds the most random flaws in these perfectly normal guys. Bexley is an enigma, but for the time being, she’s my enigma.

  Present Day

  “What time is your date?” Tristan glances over at me quickly, then looks back at his game.

  “He’ll be here in about ten minutes. I wish I knew where we were going. ‘Dress nicely; it’s a surprise,’ is all I got out of him.” After spritzing on some of my favorite perfume, I join him on the couch.

  He shrugs, eyes still on the game. “Maybe he’s trying to make it special.”

  “Probably. I’m just tired of being kept out of the loop by my dates. Everyone wants to take the lead, but no one ever thinks to ask what I might enjoy.”

  “Sounds like that’s an indicator you’re picking the wrong men. This is date number three, right?” He tosses his controller down and gives me his full attention. Tris tries hard to suppress a grin, but I can see the twitch in his cheek where his dimple resides.