Page 87 of X's and O's

X waved at me from the ice cream van following.

Oh my God. He was a murdereranda stalker. He couldn’t just pick a lane?

We made our way slowly back to Saint View, me sneaking little glances to see if he was going to follow us the entire way. When I got off, X had already parked the van and was waiting for me outside it.

I stared at him, my hands finding my hips.

He held his up. “Hey. I respected your message. I didn’t pick you up. But I’m not going to apologize for making sure you got home safely.”

Suddenly, I didn’t have an argument. I just turned around and walked down the street to my apartment, knowing he’d follow.

As usual, there was a bounce in his step that was ridiculously cute, and he talked a million miles a minute. “I ran out of soft-serve cones while I was on Forty-Fifth Street, and this kid threw the biggest tantrum I’ve ever seen. And you know what his mother said? That I was the worst ice cream guy ever and I’d ruined their day! Did she even think how that sort of mean comment might ruinmyday? It’s really not my fault I had to stop by the park to bring Reggie and his friends an apology duck cup.” He glanced at me. “I felt bad about the whole ‘wringing his neck’ thing, you know? But then I searched a wildlife website to see if ducks can even have dairy, anddid you know they’re lactose intolerant? So then I had to give them all my cones instead. It was a whole thing.”

I held the apartment door open for him.

His random babbling cut off. “Wait. Are you inviting me in?”

“Seems easier than waiting for you to climb through the window again.”

He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “You’re the best wifey I ever had.”

He slipped past me, while my stupid heart did backflips at the feel of his lips on my cheek.

Why did he smell so good? Even after sitting in an ice cream truck all day and apparently trying to apologize to wild birds with cone crumbs.

Toby and Devin were on the couch, both of them stopping their phone scrolling to stare at X like he was a museum exhibit. Toby’s gaze flickered to me, but then back to X, doing a long, slow sweep of his body.

X’s smile lit up his whole face. “Hey! You’re the best friend, yeah? Good to meet you! Violet’s told me…well, nothing really, but if she likes you, I like you.”

Toby’s expression turned bewildered as X pumped his hand up and down. “And I’ve heard exactly nothing about you unless…” His face fell, and his gaze flickered over X’s tattoos and piercings. “Let me guess. You’re the prisoner who broke her heart?”

I jumped in before X could explain who he really was. “Nope, different guy. We’re just going to go hang out in my room.”

Words I’d never said about a man.

Toby glanced between us suspiciously, and before he could question us further, I shoved X down the hallwayahead of me. “I assume you remember which bedroom it is?” I asked sarcastically.

“If I get lost, I’ll just look for the purple vibrator.” He glanced back over his shoulder at me and winked.

I shook my head and pushed him along, kicking the door shut behind us. I could practically sense Toby and Devin jogging down the hallway after us. Their ears were probably pressed to the other side of the door.

I leaned across X and flicked on a Bluetooth speaker, then pulled out my phone and hit “play” on the first playlist I found.

Taylor Swift’s “Lover” played through the speaker.

He nodded at it. “My favorite.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Taylor Swift is your favorite? You, with the snake tattoo climbing up his chest and a piercing through his eyebrow?”

“Are people with tats and piercings not allowed to be Swifties?”

I grinned at him knowing that term. “Oh no. We’re very inclusive. You just seem more like you’d lean toward bands with guys who wear eyeliner.”

He shrugged. “Didn’t you have an emo phase?”

Fair call. Toby still had a picture of us the year I’d dyed my hair black. That had been a bitch to grow out to get back to my natural mousy blonde.

I watched him wander around my room, taking great interest in all of my little knickknacks. I was really glad I always kept my room tidy, but even still, I quickly cast an eye around, making sure a bra wasn’t hanging out of a drawer or a pair of panties had suddenly decided to fling itself free of my dirty laundry basket.