I roll my eyes. “That’s the most overused and non-useful advice ever.”
“I know, but it’s true. I know you and Josh, and you’re both great people. It’ll work out, I promise.”
“Hey, what do you think dressing casual means? Jeans and a shirt?”
“Is it for your date tonight?”
“Yeah, Josh texted me saying to dress casual. I have no freaking idea what that means.”
She chuckles. “Anything will work, trust me. Jeans will be fine.”
“Why did you say it like that? Do you know something I don’t?”
“Possibly,” she says in this way that definitely means yes.
“You know where he’s taking me? You have to tell me! It’s girl code!”
“Not when the secret is super adorable, I don’t. Trust me, you’ll be happy.”
I sigh. “Not even one whole date yet and my best friend has abandoned me for her boyfriend’s friend.”
Maddie giggles. “Wait until the date is over and then tell me if you’re still mad I kept the secret. If so, I’ll apologize, but I’m pretty sure you’ll be psyched. Trust me.”
***
“You look beautiful.”
My eyes roll slightly as I wait while Josh opens his passenger door for me. “You already said that.”
“I know, but it needed to be said again.” Josh looks ridiculously hot in a black button up shirt, the sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms, revealing the taut muscles underneath. His jeans fit snugly against his thighs, making his butt look really cute. I never really knew I liked guy’s butts until now. Maybe it’s just Josh’s.
He’s wearing a spritz of cologne tonight, and the scent is even sexier than his normal coconut shampoo smell.
I pause before climbing inside his truck, and lean forward, kissing him quickly. His hand wraps around my waist and tugs me close as he deepens the kiss. I pull away after a few seconds to catch my breath. “If we start this, we might as well cancel the date right now.”
His eyes sparkle in the moonlight. “Now that’s an idea . . .”
I playfully punch him in the chest. “I went through the effort of straightening my hair and putting on lip gloss for this date, so I’m not about to let it get ruined by making out before the date’s even begun.”
He chuckles, and runs a hand through my hair, letting it slide through his fingers. “I’d hate to mess up this pretty hair,” he says, his voice low and gravely. “I’ll wait until the date is over to get it all tangled up.”
Chills prickle down my neck and heat rises in my belly and the mere thought of making out with him later. I take a deep breath and climb into his truck.
“I can’t believe you talked to my grandma that long,” I say, shaking my head as I relive the moment from a few minutes ago. I’d been getting ready, watching the clock, and wondering why Josh was five minutes late. Then I heard Grandma’s big belly laugh and realized he was already here. He’d been chatting with her the whole time.
“She’s cool,” Josh says, his eyes fliting to me while he drives to our mysterious date location. “She really loves you a lot.”
“Don’t most grandmothers love their grandkids?” I say.
He nods. “I guess you’re right. Still, she’s really nice.”
“I think you impressed her,” I say as I watch the road carefully, trying to guess where he’s taking me.
“Think she likes me better than your old boyfriends?”
It’s a simple enough question, but my answer lodges in my throat. Josh looks over at me, frowning. “Bad question?”
I shrug. “No, it’s just. Well, I’ve never really had a boyfriend. Not, you know, technically.”
