Page 23 of Fangirl

Me: Maybe we could do a video call? So you can explain everything to me.

I press send.

I slide my phone across the table like it might explode.

One minute turns into five and then ten. My stomach twists.

Oh my god. He’s ignoring me. What does Maya know, anyway?

I groan, dropping my head onto my arms?—

My phone rings. I jolt upright, my pulse skyrocketing.

His name is on the screen.

My fingers tremble as I reach across the table. I hesitate. What if he’s nothing like I imagined? Worse, what ifIam?

I take a breath and press the green button. A second later, his grinning face fills my screen.

My breath catches. His grin is wide and easy, the kind that reaches his eyes, lighting them up with something intense and knowing.

His jawline? Unfairly sharp.

The deep green of his eyes is ridiculous, like the Scottish Highlands after a storm.

He’s not cute like I’d imagined. He’s… so much more.

"Hi, Fangirl. I’m so happy to finally see you." His voice is deep, gravelly, and unfairly attractive.

A flutter rises behind my ribs.Me too, Eli. Me too.

The man ishot.

I didn’t expect him to be the hot, boy-next-door nerd type, but as I stare into his green eyes, I suddenly become painfully aware of my makeup-free face and messy hair.

He has unruly black curls tucked under a baseball cap, a straight nose, a strong jaw, and thick lips.

A little pale for an LA guy, but maybe he’s just as indoorsy as me.

I push my glasses up my nose, momentarily pleased that he wears some too, until I realize his glasses give him a Clark Kent effect that would make any girl melt, while mine just make me look dorkier.

Life is unfair.

Then he grins, and I catch it—a small, adorable gap between his front teeth.

Damn!Even his imperfections make him perfect.

“Sorry for taking so long,” he says. “I was just getting out of the shower, and I didn’t think it would be suitable to show you all the goods on our first date.”

He winks.

My brain short-circuits.

First date?

I know he’s joking, but my stomach still does a stupid, giddy flip.

Maya is going to weaponize this moment for the rest of my life.