Page 42

“The guy on the screen walked up to the woman and cupped the back of her head tenderly, love in his eyes. Even that young, I could tell. And he told her she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever met, inside and out, and then kissed her.”
He watches me quietly, waiting for me to finish, the occasional streetlight we pass illuminating the darkness of the car every so often.
“It was the first time I can remember my heart fluttering. To me, it was just the most romantic thing. And I always wanted to have that same kind of experience.”
“What happened next?” he asks after I’m silent for a moment.
“I heard my dad shut the water off in the kitchen and I raced back to my room.”
“What was the movie?”
“I have no idea. I never admitted to my mom I’d secretly been watching.”
“So you’ve never had a guy tell you you’re beautiful?” Gone is the teasing from earlier, his voice now serious.
I shrug, suddenly self-conscious. “I mean, not like directly to me. I guess it was implied.”
“Because you are beautiful, you know.” I glance over, his expression more intense than I was expecting. “Everything about you is.”
I chuckle weakly, glad he can’t see the pink on my cheeks. “You don’t have to say that.”
“I mean it.”
My heart flutters, the same as it did all those years ago watching that movie.
The car stops, my graffiti-covered apartment building right outside.
“I’ll walk you up.”
The seven flights go by too fast as I try to figure out how to respond. He cares about me… and thinks I’m beautiful?
“I’ll see you at the hotel tomorrow?” he asks as we stop in front of my door.
“Yes.” I gratefully latch on to the safe topic of conversation. “And if you like it, we can lock in a date.”
“Got it,” he nods.
There’s a pause, both of us seemingly unsure how to end the night. Coming home from a nice dinner with any other guy would lead to a kiss at the door, maybe even an invitation inside.
But that won’t be happening tonight.
“Goodnight,” I whisper.
“Goodnight.”
I lean forward up on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek, having to balance my hands on his broad shoulders. There’s no imagining this time if I’m the one lingering too long, enjoying the slight scruff on his face, the smell of him this close. I definitely am.
Heat lingers in his eyes as I step back, his body suddenly tight with tension. Like he’s… restraining himself?
Or am I seeing what I want to see? What I wish could happen?
I quickly unlock my door and shut it behind me, needing to get away from him before I do something stupid.
Something that would risk everything.
Where the hell is Serena?
I check my phone again, giving a nervous smile to Tina, the event manager at Haven. It’s time for our tour of the wedding venue, but the bride is nowhere to be found.