Page 74 of Anyone But Her

She rolls her window back up. "Are we still going to the sushi place?"

"Yeah. Cal said they just remodeled it. He and Luke went there last night after golfing."

"Cal still doesn't suspect anything, right?"

"About Luke and me? No. But I really haven't seen Luke since that night we were sitting by the pool."

After I came in the house that night I ran up to my room and called Birdie and told her what happened. She agreed I needed to cool things down between Luke and me, at least when we're at the house.

My phone dings with a text. It's from Luke. I need to see you.

I smile and text back, When?

Could you meet me in a half hour?

"What does he want?" Birdie asks.

I look at her. "Who?"

"Luke."

"How'd you know it was him?"

"From that smile on your face. You've really fallen for this guy."

It's true. I have, and it started that day I saw him at camp. I didn't even know his name and yet I couldn't forget him. When I saw him last year at parents' weekend with my family I was immediately drawn to him. I couldn't stop thinking about him after he left, which was good because it meant I could finally stop thinking about that guy I saw at camp and focus on this new guy. Except they were the same person!

"I forgot to tell you, I just found out I met Luke years ago when Cal went to that golf camp."

She huffs. "You mean the one where I met that asshole who gave me a fake name?"

All these years later Birdie's still angry about Fake Steve, mainly because she doesn't understand why he did it. He could've just told her he wasn't interested but instead he makes up a fake name. When she found that out she immediately blocked his number from her phone so he couldn't call her.

"I didn't realize it at the time but the other day when Luke was talking about that camp I finally put it together. He was the hot guy I saw driving by when we were talking in the parking lot."

She glances at me. "Hot Car Guy? Luke is Hot Car Guy?"

That's what we called him because we didn't know his name.

"You were obsessed with that guy! For years!" She slows down as we approach a stop sign. "And this whole time it was Luke? Are you sure?"

"Positive. I just never put it together. But now when I think back I know it was Luke. I didn't get it at first because he looks so much different now. He's a lot more muscular, and he doesn't have that boy face anymore. He has a man's face and a man's body."

I feel a tingle run down my core just thinking about Luke and how he looks now that's he older. He lifts weights a lot and did physical labor during his teen years which has given him a hard, lean, muscular body.

"You okay over there?" Birdie teases. "You need me to pull over? Give you some alone time?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're all hot and bothered from just thinking about Luke. I can only imagine what it's like when you two are in the same room. I see why it's so hard to live with him."

"I'm not hot and bothered. I just spaced out for a minute."

"Because you're thinking about having sex with Luke."

"I wasn't thinking about that," I insist, although truthfully I was totally thinking about that. I've only had sex with one guy, my high school boyfriend, and it wasn't that great. I have a feeling sex with Luke would be a lot better. If the way he kisses me is any indication, sex with him would be amazing.

"So what did he want?" she asks, and I realize I never responded to his text.

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