Prologue
DYLAN
I was in love with my sister’s best friend.
It wasn’t a crush and not the kind you just outgrow. It was something bigger—too shallow for it to truly have a word for how I felt about her. Katie Martinez. The woman of my dreams and the love of my life.
My throat went dry as I watched her across the living room.
The bass of the music thumped so hard the framed family photos rattled on the walls.
Amanda had invited everyone she knew to our house for the prom after-party.
It was filled with drunk teenagers, red cups littering every surface, couples pressed against walls, making out and laughing loudly.
I sat at the kitchen counter nursing my apple juice. Amanda had threatened me before the party even started. “Only soda or juice, Dylan. I’m not babysitting you if Mom and Dad find out.”
So there I was, sober and miserable, watching Katie grin at her boyfriend.
I hated him. Loathed him. The guy’s hand was glued to her waist, and every time she leaned in to hear him over the music, jealousy made my tongue bitter.
Only if I was older. Taller. Hotter.
She would be looking at me instead of that guy who just wanted to get in her pants.
I couldn’t blame him though. She was hot. Not just beautiful in a girl-next-door way, but in a hot-chemistry-teacher way, who would give you a stern glare that would make my pants feel a little too tight.
She was intimidating. Even when she wasn’t trying to be.
And I loved it. Because I tried to tease her by getting the solution of a math problem wrong whenever she came over to tutor me so she would glare at me that way.
But in that tight red dress, she looked like a dream. Even better than my fantasies.
Even though she smiled and nodded along to whatever her boyfriend said, her smile didn’t reach her hazel eyes. I knew her well enough to see that. She was pretending to be happy and he must have fucked it up somehow.
When she entered the house, she had ruffled my hair before passing by. My heart had nearly exploded, my breath getting choked just by a mere glance. As if she was a Goddess who had noticed her supplicant for the first time.
With a sad sigh, I retreated to my room. And the only place in the house that didn’t smell like spilled beer and cheap perfume.
My desk lamp cast a warm light over my laptop as I lost myself in a video game, ignoring the muffled thump of music.
Hours passed as my fingers moved over the keyboard, killing the enemies. When I finally stretched, my neck was aching. Maybe I should walk around and see if Amanda hadn’t blown up the house.
Just as I was about to open the door, someone knocked on it.
I unlocked it and there she was. Katie. Her makeup was smudged, eyes glassy with tears, hair tumbling around her shoulders.
What the fuck happened? Who made her cry?
“Hey,” she whispered, her voice slurred. “Can I…hide in here for a bit? Amanda’s busy hooking up with someone in her room.”
Shit. She is drunk.
My heart leapt to my throat. “Uh… yeah. Of course.”
Fuck. Does my room look okay?
I looked around the room, making sure it didn’t look too boyish or childish when she brushed past me and sat on my bed. She had been in my room before, tutoring me in math, sitting at my desk scribbling equations. But this felt different. She was drunk. And crying.
I had no idea what to do with my crush suddenly in my room, on my bed, being vulnerable while there were drunk teenagers humping downstairs.
“What… what happened to your boyfriend?”
“We broke up.” Her mouth trembled. “He’s too busy making out with someone else.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
Even though I was jumping around with glee on the inside, I felt sad.
I grabbed a water bottle from my nightstand and handed it to her. “Here.”
“Thanks,” she mumbled before taking a sip. “God, I’m so unlovable.”
“No you’re not,” I blurted.
She looked up at me, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Thanks, Dylan. You’re really sweet.”
“Oh… thank you,” I said, heat crawling up my neck.
“Do you think I’m a robot?” Her words slurred again.
“Of course not,” I swallowed, glancing at her body. “I don’t think robots can pull off that dress.”
“This? Yeah, it’s a bit too skin-tight and itchy.” She looked down at herself and frowned, her fingers holding the hem of her dress. “Let me remove it—”
I crossed the space between us quickly before she could start stripping. “No no, please don’t!”
She blinked at me and pouted. God why does she look so fucking adorable? “Why not?”
Because I’ll combust. Because I’ll never recover. Because you’re everything I’ve ever wanted and you’re drunk… You will regret it in the morning, and I don’t ever want to be the reason for your troubles.
I went to my closet and yanked out the baggiest clothing I owned. A worn-out hoodie I wore during my swim competition.
“Here. You can change into this.”
“Thanks, Dylan. You’re a lifesaver.” She looked at me as if I had handed her the moon and not a hoodie.
I turned my back immediately, slapping a hand over my eyes. Behind me, I heard the faint rustle of fabric, the zip of her dress and her soft sigh of relief.
Jesus Christ. Hold it in. Be strong. You’re the man.
“I don’t think you’re a robot,” I said quickly. “Because you look really lovely whenever you try the food you like… especially cheesecake. Or when I get good grades in math. Or when I win a medal. You smile and it’s like…” I swallowed hard. “Like the sun’s coming up and it feels warm and soft.”
The room was quiet except for my raging heartbeat and the muffled music from downstairs.
“I… I want to keep making you smile like that, Katie,” I whispered. “Only if you give me a chance I will—”
I turned around but stopped.
She was asleep.
She had curled up on my bed, my hoodie swallowing her frame, her long legs tucked up beneath her. Her makeup looked smudged from crying, her cheeks pink from the alcohol, but she looked peaceful. Cute even.
My heart pounded in my ears.
I knelt, carefully slipping off her heels and keeping them aside. I folded her dress neatly, setting it on the desk. I pulled my blanket over her and tucked it around her shoulders.
“I like you so fucking much,” I whispered, brushing a lock of strand behind her ear. “I promise I’ll become your type. A handsome nerd who earns a lot.”
I sat back, watching her for a while before leaving my room and sitting against the door. I didn’t mind that the party was still going on, I’d sleep on the ground so when she wakes up next morning, she doesn’t freak out.
Despite everything, my chest felt oddly warm. I couldn’t wait to grow up and date her.