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“Ah, interesting,” I said. She was so close to the big reveal and I was trying to tamp down my excitement so it didn’t show on my face.

“You know I could absolutely look all of this up if I wanted to,” she said.

“I know. But you won’t. It’s more fun this way.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

Only a short time ago I’d decided that I couldn’t see her anymore and now here she was, next to me on the couch and I didn’t want her to leave.

This was a serious problem that I was going to solve. Tomorrow.

“I have a question for you,” Sophie said, her eyes locked on the screen and her face a brilliant shade of red.

“Go ahead,” I said, wary. If she was blushing this hard, there was no telling what it could be.

“I was, um, I was thinking. I did pretty well at Sapph. Better than I thought I would and so I’m going to need some more…practical advice.”

Where was she going with this?

“Practical advice?” She still couldn’t look at me. “I’m going to need you to be more specific.”

“Well, um,” she squeaked. “I was hoping you’d be willing to maybe, um, kiss me. And tell me if I’m doing it right.”

There was no way that Sophie could hear the sirens that were blaring in my head, but I could. So many sirens and warning bells and flashing red signs that said DANGER on them.

This was the exact opposite of what I’d decided before she’d knocked on my door.

“Reid?” she asked after I couldn’t speak for a long time. I literally couldn’t decide what to say.

“Yeah, I’m, yeah,” I said, shaking my head. “Sorry, you want me to kiss you and tell you how it is?”

“Uh, yes? I’ve only ever kissed guys and I have no idea if I’m good at it or not. I don’t want to be a bad kisser. That would be even more humiliating than asking you to take pity on me.”

She risked a glance at me, and she was so cute and so red, and I didn’t know how to say no to this outrageous request.

I had to say no, right?

Obviously I had to say no.

The only right answer was no.

“Crap. I shouldn’t have asked. I was just thinking about it today and I know it would be safe with you because you don’t think about me that way. It would be really quick, I swear.”

I closed my eyes and wished I was someone else. Anyone else who wasn’t in this predicament.

Sophie kept talking, and I could see she was stressed about asking me, so I reached for one of her hands where she’d been cracking each one of her knuckles in succession.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’ll do it.”

Her eyes went wide with shock.

I would? This was news to me. My mouth had a mind of its own, apparently. And it wanted to introduce itself to Sophie’s mouth. As soon as possible.

“Wait, are you sure?” she asked, looking so adorable and nervous that I knew that I was going to give in.

“Yes.”

Chapter Twenty