AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I panic for a second, as if I actuallydohave a shrine in my closet and he’s known about it this whole time!
Then he shakes his head and laughs. “The poster of the glacier,” he says, pointing at the series of framed prints I keep over my bed, right beside my bulletin board.
“That’s actually my mom’s picture! She took it.”
He eyes me skeptically.
I smile gleefully while I nod. “For real. My parents are marine biologists. They travel all over. For a while my mom dabbled in photography as well, just for some extra cash. She doesn’t do it so much anymore, but yeah, that one is hers. She’ll be happy to know you liked it. I’ll tell her.”
“They know about me?” He seems surprised by the idea.
I nod.
“Like they know about Blaze?” he continues with a slight edge to his tone.
Oh god. My cheeks redden. Why’d he have to go and bring that up?!
“I only ever hadoneconversation with them about Blaze, and the connection was spotty. My mom thought his name was Blake the whole time. Anyway, they ... know that wasn’t really going anywhere.”
He doesn’t hide his smile. “Oh, interesting. It’s just ... the way you went on about it seemed like they were practically planning the wedding.”
“Yeah, yeah ... listen, all’s fair in love and war, right? It’s not like you didn’t use every weapon in your arsenal too. What about that time at the pool when you were flirting with Tamara right in front of me?”
My blood boils just thinking about it, but Cole frowns like he’s having a hard time remembering what I’m talking about.
“The day you intimidated Blaze, Tamara strolled right up to flirt with you.”
“If she was flirting with me, I didn’t even realize.” He shrugs. “She was just talking about work, if I’m recalling the right conversation. I don’t know, I talk to a lot of employees every day.”
“So it was barely a blip on your radar?” I step closer. “AmIjust a blip on your radar?”
His eyes rake over me, and I swear dangerous thoughts are swirling behind his gaze.
“You’re something else entirely.”
He drags a hand through his hair and looks away, likely trying to cool himself off. I love that I have this effect on him.
“So you’ve told your parents about me?” he asks, circling us back to a neutral topic.
Oh god. This is embarrassing. “Yes ...” He rears back, worried. “But not in the way you’re thinking,” I hurry to amend, reaching out to grab his forearms. “They think you’re my friend.”
“Iamyour friend,” he reminds me.
“Yes, but well ... they think you’rejustmy friend, plain and simple. None of the other complicated enemy stuff. I didn’t want to worry them with all the ways we tormented each other, and also, a part of me had hoped this whole time that maybe ...” My voice lilts here, like I’m still too self-conscious to admit the truth. “I wasn’t actually lying to them, you know? That eventually you and Iwouldfigure out how to happily coexist.”
He likes this. “Well, you’ll have to call and tell them the truth now, won’t you?”
“What?” I ask lamely.
He grabs ahold of my waist and hauls me up against him, shaking me as he delivers a Jane Austen–esque monologue. “Turns out, Mother, I was blind to my own feelings! He was never my enemy! Not truly. And now I’ve found—I’ve found I love him madly!”
Okay, Matthew Macfadyen from 2005’sPride and Prejudice.
“Ha ha.”
He leans down to kiss me, unbothered by my sarcasm. “I really have to run. I’m going to be late.” He’s already walking backward to the door. “Tonight, six thirty! Meet me in the lobby, and I’ll walk you over to my house. It’s a date.”
A date.
