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“Is this more of that humblebragging you were talking about?” Drew asked.
“Admitting that I was a plain Jane back in high school? No, that’s just accepting the truth.”
“Wait.” His forehead furrowed. “You thought you were plain in high school?”
She shrugged. “I wasn’t into makeup or any of that other stuff. My focus was on getting into my top pick undergrad program. Being popular and getting attention from guys never mattered that much to me.” She paused. “Okay, maybe it did a little. I lost my virginity to Malik Perry because he always kept a seat open for me on the bus after band practice.” Her mouth fell open. “And he played the snare drum! Fucking drummers. Thereissomething to that shit.”
“London.”
She stopped short at the odd, awed look on Drew’s face. “What?”
“I’m trying to figure out if you’re being serious right now,” he said. He stopped dancing and guided her to the edge of the plaza where they’d first stopped to listen to the band. “Wereyou being serious a minute ago?” Drew asked.
“About?”
“London, how can you…” He looked up at the dusky sky and released a tired laugh. “Do you not realize that you drove me out of my mind when we were in high school?”
“Well, yeah. And I told you why. It’s because I was so upset that you gave me so much competition when I’d had the top spot in the class locked in since freshman year.”
“No. I mean, you drove me out of my mind because I was so infatuated with you that I could barely breathe when I was around you. The main reason I worked so hard is because I saw how smart you were and thought it would impress you. And, then, when I realized that you really did hate me and it wasn’t just some ploy to get me to like you, well, then I did it to piss you off.”
London’s thoughts scrambled as she tried to determine whether she’d heard him correctly. Based on the way he was staring at her, she had. Which made absolutelynosense. There was no way Drew Sullivan was into her back in high school.
“But you could get any girl in our class, Drew. You probably could have convinced a couple of the teachers to sleep with you if you’d tried.”
“Yet the one girl I wanted more than anyone told Mr. Bailey that she would rather staple her fingers together than partner with me for the science fair,” he said.
“You’re kinda blowing my mind right now,” London said. “I had no clue.”
“Would it have mattered if you did?” Drew asked.
She thought for a moment, then answered honestly. “I don’t know. The truth is, I really did hate you so much back then that I can’t imagine what I would have done if I knew you liked me. Youlikedme?” London asked, unable to hide the incredulity from her voice. “Likedme, liked me?”
“Fantasized about you every single nightlikedyou,” he answered.
“Holy shit,” she whispered. She stared at him in disbelief, completely floored by his revelation. “Well, if it’s any consolation, you’re getting much better than Malik Perry got. I learned a few things in college.”
He grinned. “Why don’t we go back to my apartment so you can show me?”
20
No matter how hard he tried, Drew couldn’t get his heart rate to slow down. It hammered against his rib cage, reminding him of that time he drank six shots of espresso while cramming for a final. Evidently he didn’t need caffeine to get this effect; all it took was unintentionally admitting to London how he’d felt about her all those years ago.
Why was he obsessing over this? Fifteen years had passed. They’d both gone on to build successful careers and live separate, fulfilling lives. It shouldn’t make one bit of difference that he’d finally owned up to the fact that his teenage self had been in love with her.
So why did his damn heart still feel like a tambourine inside his chest?
The Uber that Drew had insisted they take back to his apartment pulled up in front of the entrance. A line of people wrapped around the building, no doubt waiting to get into the noodle restaurant on the ground floor. Drew didn’t understand the hype, but apparently some celebrity had talked about it on Instagram or TikTok. That was all it took for an unknown commodity to become a household name these days.
“Maybe next time we should just come back to your place and order some of these noodles,” London said as they walked past the line. “Although we probably wouldn’t eat until midnight.”
“As a resident, I have a direct line to the building’s concierge.” He waited for several people to clear the door before he and London entered the building. “I can have food from any restaurant on the property delivered right up to my apartment and bypass the long lines and wait time.”
“Hmm,” she murmured, sounding impressed. She leaned closer and whispered into his ear, “You. Me. Noodles. Naked. That sounds like a date.”
“That is not a date,” Drew said. “Thatwillhappen, but it would not count as a date.”
“Does a date with Drew Sullivan end with us getting naked?”
