Chapter Twenty-two Summer #2
“Yeah. I don’t really feel like being out tonight either.” Not when the alternative is kissing him. “Let me talk to Charlotte and Jill.”
I weave through the party. As I approach, Charlotte spots me. She throws her arms up and runs to me, hugging me around the neck.
“Sum!” she yells as she rocks us side to side.
“Having fun?” I ask with a laugh.
“So much. You might have to drag me out of here tonight.”
“I hope not, but if I do, then it might need to be sooner rather than later.”
She tilts her head to study me.
“Will you be terribly disappointed if I ditch our sleepover?”
Now her gaze moves from me to Rowan, or where I presume he’s still standing, waiting for me. Slowly, the surprise and excitement registers on her face with a huge smile and wide eyes.
“You’re going home with him?”
I bite the corner of my lip to contain my grin.
“Does that mean you two talked?”
“We did.”
“And you’re a real couple??!!”
I nod and then think back to exactly what we decided. We aren’t faking it anymore and we’re still hanging out and he invited me over… I think that makes us official.
“Aww. I’m so happy for you. He’s hot and sweet and really funny.” She laughs like she’s remembering something he did earlier, which is likely since he had her and Jill both in stitches.
“Thank you.” I motion with my head over her shoulder. “And will you be hooking up with one of the twins tonight?”
“No. Not tonight, but I did give the one in blue my number.”
“That’s Eddie.”
“Right.”
Another soft laugh leaves my lips. “Might want to figure out how to tell them apart if you’re going to date one of them.”
“Wise advice from Miss Relationship.”
My stomach swoops and flips. “I love you. Thank you for braving enemy territory to come tonight.”
“For you? Anything.”
I hug her again.
She pulls back first. “Now go home with your man and text me in the morning or I’ll be forced to try to get it out of you on the field tomorrow.”
The image makes me laugh. It’s going to be bizarre enough tomorrow playing against her, but I can almost picture her trailing me all around the field and peppering me with questions about Rowan.
“Take my car.” I give her the key. “Rowan and I are going to catch a ride and then he’ll take me to your place in the morning.”
She’s grinning like a fool at me.
“Are you sure this is okay?” I ask again.
“Positive. Go.” She shoos me. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks.” I’m happy for me too.
* * *
Anticipation builds on the Uber ride to Rowan’s house. We’ve been alone before, but tonight feels different.
He knows that Amanda is single, and he still wants to be here with me. I feel light and airy, like I’m floating.
When we pull up outside his house, Rowan thanks the driver, then pulls me out after him. We stand there, watching the taillights disappear down his driveway. My stomach flutters and my pulse races.
Rowan turns to face me. He’s still holding one of my hands in his much-larger one. His smile is cocky but sweet.
“I can’t believe you’re here.”
“What, like you don’t have girls sleep over all the time,” I joke.
“Never,” he says, causing another intense fluttering sensation to zip through me.
“Not even Amanda?”
“Nope.”
It feels impossible that they could have been together for so long and not had this opportunity. But I’m secretly thrilled to be experiencing things with him that no one else has.
“Well, I’ve had boy sleepovers plenty of times.”
His brows lift. “Yeah?”
I stifle a laugh. “Silas’s friends would sometimes stay over. That counts, right?”
His eyes narrow and his glare is playfully annoyed. “Brat. Here I was all jealous.”
I don’t know how he could be jealous of anyone. Not when the way I feel about him is so far beyond anything I’ve felt before. It’s incomparable in every way.
He tugs me against him. His heat envelops me as his arms circle my waist, and I nuzzle into his chest. His heart beats rapidly in sync with mine.
“Wanna watch a movie?” he asks, still hugging me.
I gasp, smiling even though he can’t see my face. “In the big, comfy chairs?”
“Yep. You can even pick what we watch.”
* * *
Fifteen minutes later, I think Rowan is seriously regretting his last decision. His family owns an impressive number of movies, everything from romantic comedies to horror. I picked She’s the Man, which was basically an excuse to stare at young Channing Tatum for two hours.
Rowan sits in a lounge chair next to me. Our feet tangle together on my recliner.
“How can you like this movie?” He groans at a particularly cringe scene where Viola, the main character, is pretending to be her brother—fake sideburns, wig, and all.
“It’s one of the few movies about soccer and…” I wave my hand toward the screen to Channing.
“The dude is like fifty now.” His tone is glum and, dare I say, jealous.
My laughter tinkles out. The giddy sensation that fills my chest is so all-consuming I wonder how I’m going to sleep tonight.
Channing takes his shirt off in the next scene and Rowan groans again, muttering something about old dudes. Giggling, I climb over the arm of our chairs into his lap.