Read Online The Dating Deal by Melanie Marks - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Melanie Marks
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little oily smelling, but no holes in my nylons, so I considered myself lucky.
As I was standing in the chapel doorway, scanning the congregation for my family, my heart sped up about a thousand beats per second because guess who was there, again?! Trent and Wendy! They were sitting in the overflow. When I saw them, I about tripped over a chair. (Graceful entrances aren’t exactly my thing.)
I wanted to go sit with them. I really, really wanted to sit with them. But I couldn’t get my stupid, almost-tripping-over-a-chair feet to move in their direction. Instead, the cowards scurried over to sit with my parents.
It was testimony meeting, and the whole hour was jam packed with spirituality. I couldn’t have asked for a better meeting if I had prepared it myself, telling the congregation, “Okay guys, make it super tear-jerky. This is for my pretend boyfriend.” I kept wanting to look back to see how Trent was doing, what he thought of the spiritual fest. But I didn’t look back, not once. Well, okay, once.
It was when Conner got up on the stand to bear his testimony, which I’d never seen him do before in my life. He actually bore his testimony . Only, I got the feeling he was up there more just to prove a point. Because it was mostly about the pitfalls of dating non-members. And at one point he looked straight at me, saying, “Sometimes you just don’t know what you’ve got until you don’t have it any more. Then you realize how special it is.”
My heart started pounding like crazy. Thump, thump, thump. And he was staring at me in church, from the pulpit. That’s not allowed, is it? It’s like a rule or something. What was he trying to do to me?
I had to look away. I glanced back at Trent. He raised his eyebrows, like “I told you so.”
But after traumatizing me, Conner went on to talk about the church. “It’s special,” he said, “you may not even realize how special until it’s not in your life anymore.”
This wasn’t like Conner, coming to church two Sundays in a row, let alone bearing his testimony. I hadn’t even been sure he had a testimony. He’d always said, “Yours is strong enough for both of us, Megan.”
Either he had really changed, or he was up there for all the wrong reasons. And I had the sinking feeling it was the latter. He was proving a point. It made me feel funny, but I hoped I was wrong. I hoped he was up there being honest. I hoped he really had gained a testimony.
After the meeting, Conner came up to me before I could get to Trent. “I have to go to work,” Conner said. “So I can’t stay. But I hope you understood what I was trying to say up there.”
I looked at him quizzically, saying nothing. I didn’t understand. Did he bear his testimony, or try to woo me? And if it was the wooing, which I got the feeling it was, what brought it on? Seeing that Trent had come to church? Seeing that Conner might actually lose me as his little loyal puppy dog? The one that wagged its tail any time he gave it the tiniest bit of attention, even after it had been kicked around and rejected by him?
I knew I should be an Ice Queen to him. I knew I should be cold, contemptuous. After all, he had hurt me. Hurt me so, so, so bad. But the way he gazed at me melted my heart.
“Look, we need talk,” he said. “I’ll call you later.”
“Uh … okay.”
And then he was gone, out of the church. And I was left wondering, what just happened? I had a strange, excited pang in my heart or stomach or … somewhere. But I knew I was being stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Don’t get excited for his call ! I scolded myself. He dumped you. He hurt you. Don’t be a puppy dog. Be an Ice Queen.
But I didn’t feel like an Ice Queen.
When I found Trent, he was already out in the hall. “You came!” I told
As I was standing in the chapel doorway, scanning the congregation for my family, my heart sped up about a thousand beats per second because guess who was there, again?! Trent and Wendy! They were sitting in the overflow. When I saw them, I about tripped over a chair. (Graceful entrances aren’t exactly my thing.)
I wanted to go sit with them. I really, really wanted to sit with them. But I couldn’t get my stupid, almost-tripping-over-a-chair feet to move in their direction. Instead, the cowards scurried over to sit with my parents.
It was testimony meeting, and the whole hour was jam packed with spirituality. I couldn’t have asked for a better meeting if I had prepared it myself, telling the congregation, “Okay guys, make it super tear-jerky. This is for my pretend boyfriend.” I kept wanting to look back to see how Trent was doing, what he thought of the spiritual fest. But I didn’t look back, not once. Well, okay, once.
It was when Conner got up on the stand to bear his testimony, which I’d never seen him do before in my life. He actually bore his testimony . Only, I got the feeling he was up there more just to prove a point. Because it was mostly about the pitfalls of dating non-members. And at one point he looked straight at me, saying, “Sometimes you just don’t know what you’ve got until you don’t have it any more. Then you realize how special it is.”
My heart started pounding like crazy. Thump, thump, thump. And he was staring at me in church, from the pulpit. That’s not allowed, is it? It’s like a rule or something. What was he trying to do to me?
I had to look away. I glanced back at Trent. He raised his eyebrows, like “I told you so.”
But after traumatizing me, Conner went on to talk about the church. “It’s special,” he said, “you may not even realize how special until it’s not in your life anymore.”
This wasn’t like Conner, coming to church two Sundays in a row, let alone bearing his testimony. I hadn’t even been sure he had a testimony. He’d always said, “Yours is strong enough for both of us, Megan.”
Either he had really changed, or he was up there for all the wrong reasons. And I had the sinking feeling it was the latter. He was proving a point. It made me feel funny, but I hoped I was wrong. I hoped he was up there being honest. I hoped he really had gained a testimony.
After the meeting, Conner came up to me before I could get to Trent. “I have to go to work,” Conner said. “So I can’t stay. But I hope you understood what I was trying to say up there.”
I looked at him quizzically, saying nothing. I didn’t understand. Did he bear his testimony, or try to woo me? And if it was the wooing, which I got the feeling it was, what brought it on? Seeing that Trent had come to church? Seeing that Conner might actually lose me as his little loyal puppy dog? The one that wagged its tail any time he gave it the tiniest bit of attention, even after it had been kicked around and rejected by him?
I knew I should be an Ice Queen to him. I knew I should be cold, contemptuous. After all, he had hurt me. Hurt me so, so, so bad. But the way he gazed at me melted my heart.
“Look, we need talk,” he said. “I’ll call you later.”
“Uh … okay.”
And then he was gone, out of the church. And I was left wondering, what just happened? I had a strange, excited pang in my heart or stomach or … somewhere. But I knew I was being stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Don’t get excited for his call ! I scolded myself. He dumped you. He hurt you. Don’t be a puppy dog. Be an Ice Queen.
But I didn’t feel like an Ice Queen.
When I found Trent, he was already out in the hall. “You came!” I told
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