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“I’m listening,” she says, almost smiling now.
“I’m sorry about what I said to Landry and for embarrassing you in front of everyone. But I want you to know I wasn’t trying to set you up for a joke or anything like that. I only meant to mess with your brother, because I hate the way he always makes you feel bad, and things came out wrong.”
She looks down at her hands. “Oh. Thank you for that.”
“And, for the record, I wasn’t ashamed of being with you, and I wasn’t just trying to brag about what we’d done in the pool house.”
She nods quietly, and I continue.
“The truth is … I was actually really into it, and not just because I was anxious to get my first kiss over with. I kind of had a small crush on you after that.”
“You … liked me?” She blinks at me in surprise.
I shrug and smile coyly. “Well, yeah. You’re different. How many thirteen-year-old girls would have taken charge the way you did? Not only did you make me an offer I couldn’t refuse, but you also helped me one-up my little brother for once.”
“Most people don’t exactly see being different as a good thing, so I always figured you regretted wasting your first kiss on me.”
This time I’m the one reeling back. “You thought Iwastedmy first kiss on you? Loren, you couldn’t be more wrong.”
Her cheeks darken. “I wasn’t sure you’d even enjoyed it.”
I snort. “Seriously? I’m pretty sure I was thinking of asking you to marry me after you did that thing with your tongue in my mouth.”
Her face turns even redder, which makes my heart speed up. “Is that all it takes to get a ring from you?” she says, shoving me with her shoulder and making me laugh.
“At thirteen, it was more than enough.”
“I guess a girl would have to do a little better than a spit swap to get a commitment out of you these days,” she remarks.
“Hey, I’ve had a couple of girlfriends since then, thank you very much.”
She glares at me. “Not that I keep tabs on your love life, but you don’t exactly project long-term relationship vibes, Blake.”
I frown. “Maybe I didn’t think it was fair to get into anything serious knowing that I’m leaving for college in a few months. And maybe I just haven’t found the right person.” She doesn’t say anything after that. “As far as I know, you don’t have a boyfriend either. I assume you’ve been waiting to dip your toes into the UL dating pool?”
“I don’t know if you remember this about me, but, uh, scary football coach for a dad and overprotective big brother?” She raises her arm and points down at herself. “So, no, not many guys have been willing to bother with little, old Loren Reed.”
“Oh.”
I wonder whether that meant she was still relatively inexperienced. A scenario in which I returned her favor by making her a friendly first-time offer flashes in my brain, but I quickly force the inappropriate thoughts out of my head.
“Yep,” she says, emphasizing theP. Then she looks down again and speaks softly. “And you’ve been to my house before. You know things aren’t easy with my mom, especially since my sister left for college.”
Until now, I hadn’t realized just how difficult her home life must have been all these years. I slide one of my hands over hers where it rests on the floor, and she stiffens beside me. “I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with all that. I imagine it must be a lot harder than you’ve made it look, taking care of your own parents when they’re supposed to be raising you.”
She sniffles quietly, then pulls her hand back to wipe her cheeks. “Thank you,” she whispers, her voice thick. She glances down at her watch. “It’s getting late. I really should go home.”
“What’s wrong, Reed? Conversation too deep for you?” I ask, not even bothering to hide the disappointment in my voice.
“As a matter of fact, it is,” she agrees without looking at me. “And now that this project is finished, I can get out of your hair and head back to my place to watch my mom pass out on the couch while my dad continues avoiding us by going out of his way to help every other kid in town. And you can get back to your perfect life.”
“Loren, wait,” I begin. “Don’t go.”
“Why? What do you want from me, Blake?” she asks. “Because for the life of me, I can’t figure it out. Am I your physics partner, your friend, or just the competition?”
“I thought we were at least friends.”
She snorts. “But only when the door is closed, right?”
