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“Is it you wrapped up in a big bow?”
“Not even close, but we’ll see. You never know, I might let you unwrap me. It’ll be a good gift.” He glanced over at her and winked.
“Look at you, showing off like that. You never know, I may want to unwrap you.”
Drake gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I don’t want you to feel pressured.”
“I know. I’m not feeling any pressure. I’m getting hungry. What about you?”
“Yeah, I’m starved. Another twenty minutes and I’ll feed you.”
He focused on the road and tried not to think about the girl sitting beside him. Every now and then, he chanced a look at her, but she kept looking out the window.
None of his friends had even asked him what he had planned for this coming weekend. He’d been ditching them as often as he could. The time he wanted to spend with Pru was far more important to him than any time spent elsewhere.
“So, er, is there anything specific you’d like to do for your birthday?” he asked.
“Not really. Is it corny if I say I just want to spend it with you?”
“No, not corny at all.”
She leaned over and rested her head against his shoulder. “I find it strange that I really do enjoy being with you, Drake.”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment.”
“You really should because that’s how I meant it.” She glanced up at him. She opened her mouth to speak but all of a sudden, her stomach growled and he laughed. “Damn, that’s embarrassing.”
“It’s cute. Don’t worry. I know what to do. I need to feed the beast.”
She chuckled. “I can’t believe this.”
“I’m starving as well.”
He saw the diner he was looking for and pulled in. There weren’t a lot of cars around, and so he found a parking space easily.
He climbed out of the car and Pru did the same.
They came together inside, holding hands as they made their way into the diner. He loved being able to hold her hand, to be close to her. It was moments like this that Drake realized how much he actually hated being in school. He couldn’t hang out with her. He had to sit in each class watching Sean sit with her, or she was on her own. Rarely did anyone else sit with her, and he hated it.
Lunchtimes, she would either sit in the cafeteria or outside, and he found himself finding her, watching her. Sean was always with her, and it only served to remind him of what he didn’t have, what he could never have. They both knew this was going to end at the end of the high school year, but it didn’t make it any easier.
Entering the diner, they found a small booth, and he let her go to sit on one side.
“What do you think is good here?” she asked.
“Anything. I’m paying.”
“You don’t have to pay for everything,” she said. “I can pay.”
“This is my treat. Consider it a treat for your birthday.”
“When did you get so sweet?” she asked.
“It comes naturally to me. You know you find me adorable because of it.”
She giggled. “This is nice. I like this—”
“I don’t like seeing you hanging out with Sean,” he said.
“Drake, don’t do this. I thought we were past this.”
“I did as well, but clearly not. This bothers me. Can’t you see that?”
“What do I have to do? We can’t change what our lives are about.” She grabbed his hand. “There is nothing going on between Sean and me.”
“I know there’s not.” When it came to Pru, he didn’t doubt her. It was her best friend he doubted, but they were going over the same ground they’d been covering for a while now. He wasn’t going to spoil her weekend because of his own anger issues when it came to her best friend.
Chapter Seventeen
I want this
Drake’s family owned a lot of houses and because of this, he could go anywhere he wanted in the world. Pru didn’t care about his money. Never had. What she cared about was the time spent with people she loved and cherished.
As Drake let them into his old country beach house, she was a little nervous.
This was her first time away with a guy. She hadn’t told her family anything. No one knew she was away with Drake, not even Sean. Her best friend had been willing to stay behind, but she’d told him not to. Instead, she’d told him to go and take his time and that she was just going to relax for her birthday, and not really do a whole lot.
Drake flicked on the light and the beach house came into view.
“I had no idea you had a beach house.”
“This one is rarely used because it’s quite small and when my parents want to go away, they like to do so in style, if you know what I mean.”
