Page 56 of Wish You Were Mine (Kings of Eden Falls #3)
LUCY
The train rocked gently beneath Owen and me as we headed toward New Haven, the hum of conversations and the occasional squeak of wheels on tracks filling the quiet space around us.
“I had the best time tonight,” I murmured, curling into Owen’s side and letting my head rest against his shoulder. “Your brother and Elyse are seriously so cool. I was so nervous to meet them, but they were…just easy to talk to. It felt like hanging out with friends.”
“I’m glad you liked them,” he said, his voice low and relaxed. “I’m pretty sure they liked you, too. Which is good…” He paused, his gaze dipping down to mine. “Because I kind of like you a lot, too.”
“Oh, really?” I asked, a slow smile pulling at my lips.
“Yes.” He looked down at me, the intensity in his brown eyes making my stomach flutter. “Definitely.”
“Well, good.” I snuggled closer, letting the weight of his arm and his steady presence melt away the last bits of anxiety I’d been holding onto. “Because I’m quite fond of you, too. ”
He chuckled under his breath, his fingers brushing lightly along my arm. “Looks like we’re the perfect match then.”
“I think we are.” I shifted just enough to look up at him.
And when our gazes locked, a quiet understanding seemed to settle between us.
Like we both were feeling the same things.
That what started as a flirty night at a New Year’s Eve party had turned into so much more.
Not a fleeting crush, not a fun escape, but something real . Something that might even last.
“Thanks for coming back with me tonight,” I said, rubbing his forearm that was bracketed over my chest. “I know you originally planned to spend the whole week with your brother, so…it really means a lot. I was slightly terrified of the prospect of traveling home alone this late.”
“I’m happy to come back with you,” he said, the sincerity in his voice telling me he meant it. “I wanted to make sure you got home safely. Plus, this way I get to see you tomorrow night, which is always a treat.”
“Don’t forget you get to help me with that lab I missed tomorrow afternoon,” I said, smiling as I peeked up at him.
“How could I forget?” He smirked. “An afternoon with my cute little chemist? Talk about a fantasy come to life.”
“So, the safety goggles and lab coat really do it for you, huh?” I laughed, arching a brow.
“You have no idea,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.
“Good to know.” I gave him a playful look. “Maybe I’ll add sexy chemist to my Halloween costume idea list.”
“As long as I don’t have to return the favor by wearing one of your leotards, I’m all in.”
I snorted at the mental image of a tall, broad-shouldered Owen trying to squeeze into a spandex leotard. “Pretty sure it was you in that fitted black T-shirt that hooked me at first sight.”
“Guess I better put more of those back into the rotation.” He chuckled, and I felt his thumb trace a lazy line over my hand.
“Speaking of us looking our best…” I reached for my bag with a grin. “Do you mind if we take a quick photo together?”
“Right now?” he asked, glancing around with a smile. “On a train?”
“We forgot to get one earlier,” I said, unlocking my phone. “And I mean…you’re looking so hot, and I spent all that time finding the right outfit…”
“Of course I want a photo with you,” he said, his tone softening before he pressed a kiss to my temple. “I want to remember tonight.”
I pulled up the camera app on my phone and switched it to selfie mode. As I leaned in, Owen shifted closer until our cheeks brushed, and I snapped a few photos.
I zoomed in on one of them, studying it with a little grin. “Our first photo,” I said, showing it to him. “Don’t we look so good together?”
“We totally do.”
I tucked my phone back into my bag and leaned into him again, settling in for the rest of the ride.
When we reached the train station in New Haven a while later, we climbed into my car and drove back to Eden Falls.
The roads were quiet at this hour, and by the time I pulled up in front of Owen’s apartment, the silence between us had settled into something warm and full—like neither of us needed words to know how good tonight had been.
He glanced over at me with a soft, contented look that made my heart flutter. “I’m really glad we did this,” he said. “Tonight was kind of perfect.”
Then he leaned across the console, his hand finding my cheek, his fingers warm against my skin. And when his lips met mine, the kiss was sweet and slow. I melted into the moment, eyes falling closed, my fingers curling lightly around his wrist as I let my lips and tongue explore his.
When he eventually pulled away, I blinked, slightly dazed, trying to catch my breath.
“Hey, before I forget,” he said, a little smile tugging at his lips as he met my eyes in the dark car, “can you send me that photo you took? I’d love a copy.”
“Of course.” I reached for my phone, tapping the screen. Nothing . I hit the power button, but still no response. “Uh…well, maybe not since I guess my phone died.”
“Sounds about right,” he said, an amused look in his eyes.
“I’ll get some charge in it when I get home and text it to you,” I promised.
“Sounds perfect,” he said. Then he leaned in for one more kiss, slower and deeper this time, making my stomach swoop.
“Gosh, I could just kiss you all night,” he said, pulling away with a quiet groan.
“Me too,” I said, letting him go even though I didn’t want to.
If it weren’t already so late and I didn’t have practice in the morning, I probably would’ve asked to go inside with him.
But I needed to be responsible.
Even if spending time with this gorgeous man was way more fun than sleeping.
“I’ll see you in the lab tomorrow afternoon,” I said instead.
“Okay,” he said, opening the passenger door to climb out. “See you then.”
“Someone looks happy,” Nora’s voice sounded in the doorway of my room after I’d gotten home and changed into my pajamas. “ I’m guessing your Broadway date with Professor McDreamy went well.”
“It was so good,” I said, looking up at my best friend after putting my phone on my charger so it could come back to life. “It was just so nice having a real date with him. One where we could just have fun and relax and not worry about who might see us.”
“I bet,” Nora said, stepping farther in to sit on the chair I had in the corner of my small dorm room. “Did you get to meet his brother?”
“I did,” I said, smiling as I thought about how that had gone. “He’s awesome. Both him and his wife are. Just really cool and down-to-earth.”
“That’s awesome.” Nora smiled. “Too bad you guys couldn’t stay longer, though, right?”
“Yeah,” I said, thinking that twelve hours of downtime with Owen wasn’t nearly long enough. “But we’ll have to take another day trip like that again soon.”
“Maybe take Theo’s sister-in-law up on that hotel stay she offered.” Nora wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“Ahhh,” I said, covering my cheeks as they instantly flushed with her implication. “I really shouldn’t be thinking about that.”
Nora laughed. “You don’t want to spend the night with your sexy professor?”
“No…” Then shaking my head, I said, “I mean…yes…” I shook my head again. “I mean…I don’t know. I guess with everything feeling so forbidden with us, taking that step just…” I let my words trail off, not really knowing what I was trying to say since I wasn’t really sure what my thoughts were.
“You’re just a little confused?” Nora said for me.
“Yeah,” I said. “I mean, I’ve definitely been tempted to go there already since our chemistry—no pun intended—” I laughed at my own accidental joke. “Is definitely off the charts and I’m sure it would be amazing with him.”
“It’s okay to take things at a pace you feel good about, though,” Nora said. “And I’m glad he’s not, like, pushing you into anything, since you know how guys can be sometimes.”
“Oh yeah, he’s definitely a gentleman,” I said. “If anything, I’m probably the one who has been pushing things further in that direction.”
“Well, at least one of us is having some fun with a guy,” Nora said, and I caught a hint of disappointment in her tone.
“Things with you and Cash not going anywhere?” I asked.
“No,” Nora said, shaking her head. “I mean, he seems flirty in our study group, but aside from that, we’ve just been texting. And I kind of feel like we’ve landed in that no man’s land where maybe we’re just texting buddies and he’s not actually interested in anything more.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said, sympathy tugging at my heart. “That sucks.”
“It’s okay.” She let out a long breath and sank deeper into the chair. “Maybe I’m just not meant to have a boyfriend this year.”
Just then, my phone lit up on the nightstand.
“Sorry, I need to send something before I forget,” I said as I reached for it, the screen finally alive with a gentle glow.
I quickly opened my photo app to the photo I’d taken on the train, then clicked the arrow to send it to Owen.
After typing out a quick message, thanking him for the magical day and that I hoped he’d sleep well, I hit the send button.
Then, setting my phone down again, I turned back to Nora.
“Well, if the guys at school aren’t working out…” I said with a sly grin, “then you should copy me and try going for an older guy. Turns out, they’re kind of the best. ”
Nora laughed. “Is this your sneaky way of trying to set me up with your brother?”
“Not necessarily,” I said. “But…he is still looking. And I’m pretty sure I caught him smiling while you were playing that game with Charlotte at his surprise party.”
“You’re funny, you know that?” She let out a soft chuckle.
“Just saying.” I shrugged.
“Well, I better get to bed.” Nora stood and stretched. “I’m glad you had such a good night.”
“Thanks,” I said, watching her go, my heart still full from the day.
Once the door closed, I reached for my phone again and tapped the screen, just in case Owen had responded. But there was nothing new.
Still, I couldn’t help smiling as I set it down.
As I headed into the bathroom to wash my face, my body still buzzing from the perfect night, I couldn’t help but feel that after everything I’d been through last year, life was finally falling into place.
And for the first time in a long while, I wasn’t waiting for the other shoe to drop.