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The image of her was seared into my memory. The way she glanced back at me as he guided her across the room, the way her eyes looked almost cat-like in the hazy, strobing light.
“So . . . I’m confused. She left you, then went back with Luca? Do you think she’s into you, then, or . . .?”
“No. I don’t know. Maybe?” I grabbed my head in my hands, digging my fingertips into my skull because I’d thought about it so much on the ride over it hurt. “There wasn’t a super romantic lead up to the kiss. It just happened, and once it did . . .” I shook my head, at a loss for words. “It was fire. There’s no other way to describe it, and I know she enjoyed it based on her reaction. You can’t fake that kind of chemistry. Just like I’m pretty sure she’s not into Luca anymore. My guess is she went with him because she didn’t want to be rude. Or maybe because she needed to think over what happened between us and he caught her off guard. But even if she isn’t into him anymore, I’m still not convinced she sees me as more yet.”
“Then there’s only one thing to do, right?” Scarlett asked.
I glanced at her, waiting.
“Stick with the plan,” she said, like it should be obvious. “Finish your makeover. Then follow through at the masquerade ball. It's the only way.”
I nodded, thinking it through. At the end of the day, Ella still wanted her Prince Charming. She still needed someone to storm the castle, and that someone would be me. I was now sure, more than ever.
ELLA
All weekend, I mulled over what I’d say to Barry when I saw him on Monday. To say the kiss we shared was a surprise would be an understatement. And maybe I never should have made a move, but when I found out he’d never been kissed, I’d had the insatiable urge—an inexplicable desire—to be the first.
Who knew what started out as an innocent lip lock would quickly turn into something much hotter? It was the kind of kiss that left you breathless. The kind that made your heart pound out of your chest and turned your limbs to mush. The kind of kiss that made your head spin. And it took me the better part of the weekend to decide what I was going to do about it, if anything.
The way I saw it, I had three options. Ignore it and pretend like it never happened, no big deal. Bring it up and tell Barry I just wanted to be friends. Or pursue our obvious chemistry and see where it led us.
A week ago, the latter wouldn’t have been an option because I’d been hellbent on hooking him up with my sister, but now . . . He’d flat out told me he wasn’t interested in her, and Mia certainly made it clear she wasn’t interested in him. So didn’t that make him fair game?
The only question I had to ask myself was:Did I have feelings for Barry Glick?
I pressed my fingers to my lips, remembering the warmth of his mouth on mine, the soft pressure of his lips, and the way he quickly took control of the moment.
A riot of butterflies swarmed my stomach, and I smiled.
Chapter 18
ELLA
Theairoutsidewasthick with moisture from the coming rain. Gray storm clouds dotted the sky, and when I stepped into the balmy spring air and lifted my head from our stone walkway, I halted in my tracks.
I sucked in a breath, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. As much as I’d like to say it was from the coming storm, I knew better. Instead, it had little to do with the ominous state of the sky and everything to do with the boy standing in my driveway.
“Adam . . .” My voice trailed off, so shocked to see him I couldn’t form a coherent sentence.
One of his secret smiles touched the corners of his lips, the kind that made a girl feel special. A smile I used to lie awake at night and dream about. “Hey, Ellie Bellie,” he said. The familiar nickname he used for me made my stomach clench.
He stepped forward, reaching out, the movements so familiar they could have been choreographed. If the past was any indication, he’d close the gap between us and intertwine our fingers before he lifted our arms, fusing us together as he drew me into his chest. Then, he’d stare down at me with his brilliant green eyes and lean in for a kiss.
But I was no longer his girl, and the same moves no longer worked like they once did, so I took a step back, placing more distance between us, because the farther apart I was from him, the better.
He hesitated. A flicker of doubt drifted over his features, like it just occurred to him for the first time, I may not be happy to see him.
“What do you want?” I rasped out. It took everything in me to keep my voice from trembling.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “I want you back, Ella. It’s that simple.”
I glanced away from him, unable to look him in the eye any longer. Months after we broke up, I ached to hear those words, prayed he’d come around and realize what he gave up, what he was missing and ask for forgiveness. But all I’d gotten was radio silence.
But now it was too late.
I ran my tongue over my teeth, thinking about all the things I wanted to say, all the ways he hurt me. It had been months since I last saw him. Months since I heard anything from him. But it may as well have been a lifetime for how we left things.
“Why now?” I asked, turning to face him again.
