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As I go to lie down, I notice the hem of a white undershirt peeking from beneath the bed. In his rush to dress, he must have forgotten to put it on. Again, a chill washes over me, and I slip the shirt on. It smells like him, and I take a moment to bury my nose in the fabric.
Mmm. Dillan.
Reconnecting with Dillan after all this time has been like nothing I could have ever imagined. When we were teenagers, I sometimes wondered what it would be like to sleep with him. I’d even naively hoped he’d be my first. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way. But maybe that was for the best. Maybe we both had a lot of growing to do before we could truly connect on an emotional level.
Thinking back on our first kiss, we’d been so young and innocent, with no idea how the world really worked.
6
LIZZIE
MANY YEARS EARLIER
“Liz! Lizzie! Dillan’s here!”
Oh, God.
Oh, God.
Don’t freak out.
The room was loud, music and laughter constantly assaulting my ears. Everyone around me was letting loose, ignoring the weight of our last semester of high school in favor of partying hard with their friends. At least for one night before we’d be forced to get back to our routine the next morning.
I tried to be subtle when I looked over at the front door, but I knew I wasn’t. Dillan Maxwell always made it impossible for me to be subtle.
He was the hottest boy I’d ever seen.
He was a bad boy with serious swagger.
He was funny and charming and smart. I’d caught myself staring at him in math class on more than one occasion. Pretty sure he’d caught me too.
Don’t think about it. You’ll only get embarrassed again.
Dillan chuckled as he fist-bumped his buddy and waved to someone else across the room. When his eyes scanned the crowd and met mine, I smiled back. His grin widened, and the next thing I knew, he was coming my way.
“Oh, God,” I muttered and directed my attention back to my best friend, Pippa. “He’s headed this way.”
Pippa was well practiced in handling my Dillan-related freak-outs. She reached for me, the dim lights catching the fresh ink on her first tattoo: a four-leaf clover on her forearm. “You’ve got this,” she reassured me. “You can talk to him without becoming a giggling mess.”
“Giggling mess?” I nudged her with my elbow, giving her the side-eye. “I never giggle.”
As if on cue, Dillan appeared by my side. “Hey, Lizzie. What’s up? Didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“Hihi.” To my horror, I couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped before I cleared my throat and pretended to take a drink. Ignoring Pippa’s smirk, I kept my full attention on Dillan. “Hey, yeah, it was a last-minute thing. I honestly didn’t really want to come. Pippa dragged me out.” I nodded to my friend.
“I’m glad she did.” He smiled at Pippa. “Thanks, Pippa. You mind if I borrow her for a minute?”
“Not at all. Be my guest. There’s a bowl of chips over there that has my name written all over it.” Pippa’s grin was wide as Dillan placed his hand on my lower back and steered me away from her.
I didn’t even get a chance to respond. OMG. The butterflies in my stomach were doing somersaults. Pretty sure I even forgot how words worked. Or where I was. Or my name. All I could do was let Dillan lead me away to a quiet corner of the room where a few people had just vacated a squishy sofa. We sat so close our legs were touching, and it was all I could focus on. The firm press of his thigh against mine anchored my concentration, keeping it firmly centered on that one spot. Oh, my God, he smelled so good—like soap and mint.
“We haven’t talked in a while,” he said, his arm draped across the back of the couch and around my shoulders.
Quick, say something cute. No! Say something funny. No! Say something clever.
Bitch, just say something—anything.
“I know, these stupid classes have been taking up all my free time.”
