Page 101 of The Enemy of My Enemy Is… My Fake Boyfriend?

I was forced out of my reverie by another round of toasts. And that was just the beginning it seemed, the Stratton family on such a roll we closed down the place, especially because we'd succeeded in getting Annalise out of her funk. Finally. There was no way we could send the birthday girl home in a cloud of melancholy.

Annalise's arms loaded down with gifts, a smile lighting up her face, we said our goodbyes outside, Astrid going with her to spend the night at her place.

My parents left in their car as well, leaving Ethan and me to wait for our ride. No motorcycle tonight. Not in this little skirt.

Ethan pulled me aside, away from the bustling sidewalk, next to a secluded alcove, a textured brick wall at my back.

"What are you doing?" I asked with a giggle, staring into his very serious eyes, realizing he hadn't taken in nearly as much alcohol as I had.

"I need to kiss you."

And then I was drunk on Ethan, his lips, the sweet way he caressed the sides of my face with both hands, like he couldn't get enough of me. Well, the feeling was mutual. I couldn't get enough of him either.

When we finally broke apart, I tried to catch my breath, and I tried to find the words to explain to him just how much he meant to me.

"You're so hot," I began, "I'd guzzle down your bathwater."

Even with the dim lighting from the streetlamps, I could see the amused sparkle in his eyes. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah." I struggled to think of more. "You're so hot... I'd, um, I'd happily massage your feet... after a marathon."

"Uh, thanks?"

"You're so hot..."

Just then our car arrived, and Ethan grabbed my hand, leading me toward it, then opening the door for me like the gentleman he was.

Once we were seated, Ethan pulled me into his side, his stubble tickling my cheek, his breath near my ear. "Finish that sentence, please, darling."

"What sentence?" I asked, only slightly slurring my words. "Ohhh, that sentence."

His low chuckle encouraged me.

"You're so hot, I'd pick up your used chewing gum, chew it myself, and then treasure it forever."

He laughed, then kissed the crap out of the side of my face. "That's really gross. And I fucking love you."

And this was why I loved him so much... he accepted me for me, all my weirdness, all my so-called faults.

As we took off into the night, the city's lights flashing by, alive, always so damn alive no matter the time, I had that familiar surge of emotion in my heart again, this new happiness that I wore still overwhelming to me sometimes.

Especially because this newfound love we had wasn't just about passion or fleeting desire, it went much deeper than that, to trust and companionship through the highs and lows life threw at us. And with Ethan, I knew I had finally found my true place in this world.

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