Page 12 of Face-Off with my Childhood Best Friend

She searches my eyes, as if trying to decipher the sincerity behind them. After a moment that seems to stretch into eternity, a small smile tugs at the corners of her lips. “It was always you too,” she concedes. “But we—”

“Are meant to be together. Spend some time with me while you’re here. Let me prove it to you.”

While our hands are still clasped and our gazes locked, the sudden click of a camera beside me breaks the silence. As I twist to the sound, I catch a glimpse of a paparazzo lurking in the shadows, intruding on our moment.

Nadia pulls her hand away, a flicker of panic in her eyes. The sudden change in her demeanor ignited a surge of anger within me.

With a swift motion, I stand and grasp the camera. “Delete the pictures of us. This is private.”

There’s fear in his eyes. “I can’t man, everything is automatically uploaded to the server.”

“It’s okay, Oscar.” Nadia’s hand lands on my back. “Let’s go.”

I hastily grab a stack of bills from my wallet and fling them onto the table as I chase after her, but I spot the server along the path. Shaking my head, I say, “Not cool, man. You didn’t even give us the chance to eat.”

His face reddens, but he’s the least of my worries, and I rush out of the restaurant and toward Nadia. “Would it be too forward of me to invite you back to my place and order in?”

A grin forms on her lips, causing her eyes to twinkle with delight. “Do you invite all the girls back to your place without kissing them first?”

“I don’t kiss … and I’ve taken no one home.”

As her green eyes lock onto mine, they widen in surprise. “You don’t kiss?”

“Not since you…”

“Oh!”

I stride to her. “Tonight I’m making an exception.”

Chapter 5

Nadia

A cool and crisp breeze fills the air, while the twinkling city lights add a touch of magic to the scene. I should be furious with Oscar. Twice in one day he’s lost his temper. But both times, it’s protecting me.

How can I be mad at him?

He rushes out of the restaurant and to me and I’m expecting some kind of apology. “Would it be forward of me to invite you back to my place and order in?”

I quite like that he didn’t.

“Yes.” I smile. “Do you invite all the girls back to your place without kissing them first, Oscar?”

His pale blue eyes stare at me as he says, “I don’t kiss … and nobody goes home with me.”

I gasp. “You don’t kiss?”

“Not since you…”

My heart races as I gaze up at him, my eyes filled with nervous excitement.

Leaning in close, his warm breath tickles my skin. “Come home with me.”

As I stand there, I can’t help but feel a shiver travel down my spine, causing me to shudder. “But what about your teammates? They live with you.”

A wide grin spreads across his face. “You know a lot about me.”

A burst of laughter escapes from me, echoing through the air. “Mom told me.”

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