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“Shut up! You didn’t!”

I groaned. Admitting this was even more painful than I’d thought it would be. Zoey was completely freaking out with excitement.

“Are you messing with me?” she continued.

I slowly lifted my face from my hands to look at her. “No, I’m not messing with you. We kissed, and I think I want to do it again.”

She squealed once more, and I quickly lowered the volume on my phone. Her voice could probably be heard from Rosalind and Herb’s house across the street.

“How did you not tell me this the moment we started talking?” she asked when she finally managed to get herself under control again. “How did it even happen?”

“Well, after spending all this time with Aiden, I’ve finally started to get to know him. He’s kind of sweet and not at all like I imagined. I mean, he’s still annoying as anything and has the world’s worst pickup lines, but I actually kind of enjoy our banter. He told me he liked me last night, and it made me realize I had feelings for him too.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m dying here! This is the best lockdown news ever. I knew he liked you, and I knew you guys were perfect for each other. I knew it.” She placed a hand against her chest as she continued. “I feel like my life is complete now. My little Clarissa James has herself a boyfriend. So, tell me everything. Is he a good kisser?”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I quickly corrected her.

“Not yet, but he will be.”

I didn’t argue. It seemed pointless when I knew Zoey wouldn’t listen anyway. A part of me hoped she was right though. That Aiden and I would end up in a relationship.

“And you didn’t tell me about the kiss,” she continued.

I slowly smiled as I remembered the moment. “It was pretty amazing.” Describing the kiss as amazing didn’t seem to do it justice though. It had been out of this world, but I was worried Zoey would think I’d turned completely sappy if I actually admitted that.

“And…”

“And that’s all I’ve got to say,” I said. “Who knows if it will even happen again.” I muttered the last part, finding it difficult to say it aloud.

“Of course, it will happen again. You told me he said he likes you.”

“Which could just be another one of his moves,” I replied. “Now that we’ve kissed, he probably wants to move on to someone new, just like he does with all the other girls.”

Zoey was silent for a moment as she looked at me. “Well, I don’t believe that’s the case. But there’s only one way to find out for sure.”

“Which is…”

“You need to talk to him about it.”

It wasn’t the advice I wanted to hear, but I knew she was right. I couldn’t hide in my room and hope for the best. I was going to have to face Aiden and ask him how he felt. I blew out a breath and nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“Aren’t I always?”

“Don’t make me answer that,” I said with a laugh. “Anyway, I should probably get up and fetch myself a coffee. If I leave it any longer, I’ll get a withdrawal headache.”

“Iscoffeejust code forkisses with Aiden?” She wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively.

“It’s not.”

“Are you sure?”

“Bye, Zo.”

She was laughing as I hung up the phone. Sometimes, it felt like my bestie enjoyed irritating me as much as Aiden did. She hadn’t been totally off base when she’d suggested Aiden was code for coffee though. The thought of seeing him again ignited the same jittery feeling I got whenever I needed another caffeine fix. I suspected the sensation was only going to get worse when I was face to face with him.

I checked myself in the mirror before slowly making my way downstairs to get some breakfast. I’d never been so nervous to leave my room. Aiden could be anywhere in the house, and a part of me was hoping I could get a coffee and return to my room without bumping into him. The other part of me wanted to see him more than anything though. My feelings were totally messed up.

When I reached the kitchen, I hesitated by the door. Aiden was already sitting at the kitchen counter. The nervous feeling twisting my stomach intensified, and my body refused to move forward. It wouldn’t move backward either, so I was stuck in the doorway.