“This is another story, I guess. Like the one when you were going out in the red dress.”
“I’m all ears.”
He traced the curve of the right one, fingers drifting lower to cup my cheek. Instinctively I lifted my face for a kiss, but he only ran this thumb against my jaw, closer, closer to my lips. I parted them, hardly able to breathe. My pulse went crazy.
“Seeing you at Thanksgiving...” He let out a slow breath. “It was like we came full circle. I remembered how you used to follow me around, but in November, you didn’t even look at me, like I was a nonperson in your eyes.”
It hurt to say this out loud. “That’s because you were with Avery.”
“One of the reasons I was with Avery was because I didn’t think I’d ever have you. And that’s not a good reason, you know? So I tried my hardest for her because my heart wasn’t in it.”
“You feel guilty about that, too,” I realized aloud.
He nodded. “For you and me, this has been years in the making. It’s not too much to ask for us to wait a little more, just to make sure Avery’s okay, right?” Now that I understood everything, I could give him all the time he needed.
“Sure.” For five minutes or so, he just held me, though his erection didn’t subside in the slightest. Part of me felt bad about what seemed like incredible temptation, but if Rob could handle it, I could, too. At last he let go and set me on the floor, the banked smolder in his eyes like dry lightning on a hot summer night. I could almost forget there was snow on the ground outside.
Rob exhaled slowly, as if clinging by a thread to his self-control. Then he changed the subject and put some physical distance between us. “Any word on karaoke?”
It took me a minute to catch up. “Oh, tomorrow night. Can you make it?”
“Absolutely. I said I would, didn’t I?” Rob kissed the tip of my nose. From anyone else, the move probably would’ve irritated me. I didn’t do cute with the guys I dated. But then, Rob and I weren’t officially there yet.
“Let me call Krista and Avery while I’m thinking about it.”
“You’re inviting Avery?” Rob tilted his head, grinning. “This should be...interesting.”
Relief bubbled up. Though I’d told him I would befriend her even if he objected, it helped that he was such a good guy. A weaker man would let the regret keep him from facing her.
Getting out my phone, I dialed and got Krista on the second ring. The convo was short and sweet. “Yeah, I’d love to come. Pick me up?”
“Around six.”
After hanging up, Rob programmed Avery’s contact info into my phone. Hopefully she wouldn’t be too pissed at him for giving it to me or over the invitation in general.
As expected, she was a tougher sell than Krista. “Who is this? How did you get my number?”
I girded my loins for battle, nudging Rob away from my shoulder. If he kissed me, Avery would hear it in my voice. “It’s Lauren. A bunch of us are going to karaoke tomorrow night, and I wondered if you want to join us.”
The pause stretched out so long, I thought maybe she’d hung up. Finally, she asked, “Why?”
“Because it’ll be fun. Maybe.” Generally speaking, I enjoyed karaoke, though the company made all the difference. In that moment I missed Nadia more than ever. Maybe I hadn’t been fair. I mean, I was secretly mad at her for not sensing things about me—she was supposed to be my best friend, after all—but she wasn’t a mind reader. I shouldn’t be so conflicted when I was the one who’d shut her out.
“Who’s ‘us’?” Avery sounded suspicious, like this might be a trick.
“My mom, her boyfriend, Krista, Rob, me—”
“You seriously expect me to go out with my ex?” Her tone was a mixture of disbelief and amusement.
“No, he’ll just be there. Look, what better way to prove to people that you’re fine? Come on, we’ll have a blast. Don’t be stubborn.” She hesitated, so I added, “If you hang up, I’m calling back. I’ll bother you until you say yes.”
Finally, she sighed. “Fine. When?”
“Tomorrow at six-fifteen. We’ll pick you up. See you then.” I ended the convo before she could argue with me.
“You just got Avery to agree to karaoke? Wow. What’s your next miracle?”
Making the rest of the world see you like I do.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
That night, I edited the video and posted to the channel “At Home with Rob,” then I uploaded it. A few finishing touches, then presto. I published. I had credits with a few services, so I used them to get some views on his videos, and then I went to bed. In the morning, I did a little more promo and sent in my college application. The cool part was that I could use Rob’s website as part of my portfolio. Though I wasn’t going into design, it wouldn’t hurt my chances.
By half past five, I was ready when Rob picked me up. My mom and Stuart had already left, planning to meet us there. Though I doubted Stuart’s concern about getting a big enough table would be a problem in Edison on a Sunday night, it was sweet of him to care. I bounded out the door, and Rob grabbed me like it had been more than twelve hours. Even through our coats, I admired the strength of him as he lifted me for a kiss. I’d never dated a guy so unabashedly physical. If we had time, he’d probably put me on the hood of his truck and make it last ten minutes. The urge flickered in his eyes, but it passed, and he let me climb into the cab on my own.
“Are you almost done teasing me? Death by sexual frustration will be superembarrassing on the coroner’s report.”
“I don’t think I can hold out much longer,” he admitted.
I grinned. “Best news I’ve had all day. Here, check this out.”
He took my phone with a curious look, then his eyes widened. “Holy shit. I’ve got almost a thousand views.”
“And forty comments.” Most of which said how fucking hot he was, but that was beside the point. I knew the internet would love Rob.
“That’s insane. You posted everything last night?”
“Yeah. I still need to set up the email to forward to your inbox. Or you can just tell me what password you want, and I’ll text you the log-in to webmail for your site.”
“I have no idea. Do whatever’s easiest.”
“Gotcha.”
It didn’t take long for us to get to Krista’s house. She was already waiting on her front porch, bundled up against the cold in a cute red knit hat and matching scarf. Rob got out to help her in back. His truck had a double cab or I would’ve given her the front seat—no making pregnant ladies clamber behind the seat.