Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 87766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
“And Luci?” His eyebrows rose in that way I always loved, his intense eyes on nothing but me.
“It’s a date.”
All I wanted senior year was to go out on a date with him, and I’m getting that now, even though it’s too late.
It’s too late, I tell myself.
It’s too late.
I drive to the center of town, just beyond the high school and the local ballpark. I’m turning right on Main Street as a jolt of electricity shocks me.
I can’t believe I’m going to see him. Again.
I park a couple of blocks from the restaurant and pause before getting out of the car to take a few calming, slow breaths.
Blasts of cold air hit me as I walk towards the restaurant. It’s easily the nicest eatery this small town has to offer, and I can’t help but wonder if I’ll run into anyone else I know. Despite the tiny town, the school district is so large that it’s hit or miss, and a new bundle of nerves washes over me.
Leftover Christmas decorations remain hanging on the street lamps. Snow covers the outside tables, and the way the lights are twinkling inside the restaurant leaves me with an unknown sense of magic, because that’s who Josh Harrington always been to me - a dream.
I take a deep breath and head inside, trying to push away the real reason I know I’m feeling so great right now. It’s not magic; it’s simply him.
I recognize the hostess immediately, and so much for not seeing anyone I know. She says something, but I have no idea what, because I instantly spot him.
He’s sitting at a small table in the very back, and my knees nearly give out. I all but lean up against some stand that’s displaying tonight’s specials, just so I don’t fall over. All the feelings I felt yesterday - my heart restarting, the tingling, the air being pushed right out of my lungs, everything that I thought was no longer in me anymore comes flooding back, drowning me.
I let it.
He shaved since yesterday, the stubble no longer there, and his cheeks and chiseled chin appear smooth and soft. I want to feel to be sure, but I shake my head, compelling the thought away. I take another deep breath, bracing myself to meet his eye, and even my warning isn’t enough to stop the rush I get when I look into them. His blue eyes shine like crystals, like the way I remember them most. Desire crashes into me as I soak him in, blinking hard as I move my gaze towards his dark hair, which is still on the longer side. I do all that I can to take my mind off just how badly I want to grab it and pull. Hard.
He adjusts his tie, and the nervousness in his eyes only lasts a second before they blaze a burning fire that I recognize well. The change in them is like a punch in the gut, mirroring the exact way they used to look at me while he’d hold me against something, anything - the wall, the counter, his chest, the desk, before I’d feel whole again.
Coming here was a bad idea. I can finally think about him and all that’s happened between us without breaking down.
One step forward, five steps back.
His eyes slowly travel up and down my body, and forget this being a terrible idea; it’s an outright slaughter. What am I expecting to get out of this? Am I supposed to sit and talk with him about his family and his life? And what am I supposed to say when he asks me about mine?
I close my eyes and pinch the top of my nose as regret weighs me down. I try to think of my semi-boyfriend’s name. It starts with an L, like my name.
Shit, I can’t even remember his name right now!
He has blonde hair and shit, shit, shit! I don’t know what color his eyes are! Probably brown like mine, or green? Definitely not blue, like his.
His.
No, no, no!
Luke! It’s Luke! My semi-boyfriend’s name is Luke!
I abruptly open my eyes, and I’m in full anxiety mode now, watching as he stands and walks over.
This certainly isn’t Luke approaching me, and I swallow hard.
“Oh,” I register the hostess’s voice in the background; realizing I don’t need a table, because the other half of my party is already here. That’s what she asked me before, if I would like a table! The door opens as more patrons enter, and the cold outside air rushes in, pushing my hair into my face.
Damn, I should’ve gone with the ponytail!
I’m thankful when the hostess immediately begins talking to them, or at least that’s what I think is happening. I don’t know, because my eyes haven’t left his. I hope he can’t hear just how loud my heart is beating, but by the time he stops directly in front of me, I’m sure he can.