Page 39 of Level Up

“He’s never getting either of them back,” Maddy said under her breath.

“Thanks for that,” Ryan said. He gave her a friendly shoulder bump.

“No problem. Weren’t you going to ask Jay something?” Her eyes lit up almost as bright as her pink hair.

“Oh, hah, right.” Ryan scratched the back of his head. He looked so damn handsome tonight. He must have gotten a haircut today because he sported a clean buzz cut that left his dark hair short and close to his scalp. It made his God-given bone structure pop. He wasn’t one to grow a beard, but even any stubble he might have had was freshly shaven. And he must have dug in his closet for his fancy clothes because I’d never seen him in this striped black-and-white button-up, designer letters on the pocket, matching the designer letters on his clean white sneakers.

“Are you free tonight?”

I blinked back my surprise. “Uh, yeah? Why?”

“I wanted to take you out. To celebrate your show going so well.”

“Is that the only reason?” Maddy asked, playful in her tone but sharp as nails in her glare.

“And because I want to spend more time with you.” Ryan chuckled, his cheeks rosy.

For a brief moment, I heard the word “Daddy” in my head, and I almost spontaneously dropped to my knees.

“What did you have in mind?” I asked.

“It’ll be private. So, you know, we won’t be interrupted.” He looked at Timothy, who bounced to an entirely different group, although they seemed as put off by him as I was. “But I want to surprise you.”

My eyebrows rose, my heart skipped a whole handful of beats.

“That sounds fun,” I said. “I love surprises. Let me go change. I’ll meet you outside the theater.”

“Perfect.” He stepped forward, almost as if he was going to lean in and kiss me, but stopped himself. Fuck. I wanted to kiss him. But that interruption by Tim made me feel like everyone’s eyes were turned to us. Maybe it was for the better this way.

Although the sinking feeling in my gut as he left told me that maybe it wasn’t for the better. Maybe this way sucked major fucking donkey dick.

I changed out of my costume in record time, putting on a pair of short black shorts and an oversized T-shirt I’d gotten from a Lana Del Rey concert. It wasn’t the best first-date attire, but I didn’t exactly have tons to work with.

It hit me as I pushed open the stage door and stepped out into the street.

First date.

Holy shit.

That was an interesting development. I really didn’t expect this to be happening, but I also wasn’t exactly complaining. It felt like I was still dancing, every step some choreographed move that pulled us closer and closer together.

There he was, leaning against a light pole, casually scrolling on his phone. His sleeves were rolled up so I could see those sexy forearms.

He looked up as I approached. “There’s the star,” he said.

I waved a hand in the air. “I’m far from the star,” I said, smiling as he wrapped me up in the tightest, warmest, and most comfortable hug I’d ever gotten. His cologne washed over me, making me feel a rush of endorphins.

“Ready?” Ryan asked me. “It’s a little bit of a walk.”

“Let’s go,” I said. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face if I wanted to. Not only was I riding the rush of having an incredible show, but now I got to celebrate it with the man who’d somehow managed to snag my attention and affection even when I had my walls up.

Impressive.

Together, we walked through the streets of FU, the evening air alive with the buzz of excitement from the successful show. Ryan led the way with a confident stride. His hand brushed against mine every now and then, sending sparks of electricity dancing up my arm. He was discreet about it, but that only made it a little hotter. My dick began to react, growing in my shorts.

All from being close to Ryan.

“So, where are we headed?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity as we turned a corner onto a quieter street. We were still on campus but closer to the edge now, away from the theater.

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