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“Hey,” a voice says behind me.
I whirl around and find Josh, a tall drink of hunk, smiling coolly at me.
“Hi,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.
“You don’t look like you’re having a good time,” he observes, taking a sip of his drink.
“I’m just trying to get into the party spirit,” I reply, feeling my cheeks flush.
His gaze shifts over to Riley, then back to me. “Well, I’m really glad you came.”
I’m finding it almost impossible to keep eye contact with him. Every time I look into those baby blues, my mind just melts. You could probably ask me my name and I wouldn’t remember it.
“Can I get you a drink?” he asks.
I eye the coolers in the grass. “Uh, is there soda?”
“I’ll see if I can find you one.”
I stand around awkwardly while he roots around in one of the coolers and comes back with a soda. When he hands it to me, I pause.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
The soda is caffeinated, and it’s nearly ten p.m. I never drink caffeine this late. In order to do my best at school, it’s important to make sure my nine hours of sleep are undisturbed.
After picturing myself saying this to Josh, I cringe with embarrassment and accept the can. “Nothing. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He sips from his red plastic cup. “So. You’re gonna be a doctor.”
I nod, feeling proud of my academic achievements. “Yeah, that’s the plan.”
“That’s pretty impressive,” he says, his gaze lingering on me. “I don’t think I could ever do something like that.”
I smile, feeling a sense of pride swell within me. “Thank you. It’s been a lot of hard work, but I’m determined.”
“Your mom must be thrilled.”
I shrug and play with the tab on my soda. “Proud” isn’t the right word. More like happy I’m not letting her down.
Not yet, anyway.
“What about you?” I ask, taking a measured sip of my drink. “You’re gonna inherit your dad’s ranch, right?”
“Yep. That’s the plan.” He raises his eyebrows.
I nod, feeling a twinge of disappointment. Everyone has assumed this about him, but I had kind of hoped he would say something different.
I don’t know why I assumed a guy like Josh would have big dreams and ambitions. Maybe it’s because he’s so confident and charming, and seems like he could do anything he sets his mind to.
“It’s weird, you know?” Josh cocks his head at me. “We’ve gone to school together our whole lives and we’ve barely spoken.”
I laugh because I can’t stop myself. “Well, you’re usually surrounded by a crowd of people.”
He grins, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “True, but I think I could make an exception for you.”
My heart lurches in my chest as I try to process his words. Did he just flirt with me? Or am I reading too much into this?
I can feel the heat rising to my face and it’s not just because of the temperature. I know I shouldn’t be reading too much into his words, but I can’t help myself.
