Page 103 of Anyone But Her

"I'm good. This is all I had planned for tonight."

Does that mean he wants to go out after this? Just him and me? If he asks, I'll turn him down. He can go hang out with Cal and Alecia. They all know each other. He'll have more fun with them than with me.

Birdie gets up. "I have to use the restroom."

That's code for she wants to talk.

"I think I'll go too."

I stand up and follow her to the restroom. It's the kind that's only for one person. We go in there and lock the door.

"What is it?" I ask. "What's wrong?"

"You two have got to stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Having foreplay under the table!"

"It's not foreplay. Our legs just touched. It's a small table. How did you even see that?"

"I didn't, but I can feel it, which means your date probably can too."

"He probably thinks it's you and Luke, not Luke and me."

"It doesn't matter. It's too risky. You gotta stop. Get out your phone."

"Why?"

"Text Luke and tell him to meet us back here."

"Why are we meeting him here?"

"We're not. You are. And not in here. You'll meet him in the hall and go out the back door to the alley."

"What?"

"You two need to go make out for a minute or two to get it out of your system or the rest of this dinner is going to be a disaster."

"It already is a disaster. Noah is boring and Alecia is mean."

"She's a bitch. I hate her. Why would Cal date a girl like her? She's not even that pretty." Birdie glances at the door as someone tries to open it. "Hurry up. We're running out of time. Text Luke. I'll stay here while you guys do your thing so Cal won't think anything of it. He'll just think we're taking forever." She opens the door and shoves me into the hall.

I text Luke, Meet me outside the restrooms.

He doesn't text back. He just shows up.

"What's going on?"

"Come with me."

I take him outside to the alley, then say, "I need to kiss you."

He smiles. "God, I love you." He freezes. "I mean, not that way but—"

"Yeah, I know what you meant. Now kiss me!"

He does, and the kiss is just what I needed. What I've been craving since the last time we kissed, which seems like forever ago.

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