Page 14 of Make It Without You

“This is really good pizza.”James praises between bites.

It really is. “It’s from this hole-in-the-wall place that my parents found one day. They took me there and I was hooked. Now anytime we get pizza, it’s from Frank’s.”

“I agree. Best pizza I’ve ever had.”

We continue eating in silence until I tap out. “I’m done. I can’t eat anymore.”

James sends a victorious squirrel-like smile my way. “I was wondering when you were gonna stop.”

“Who said this was a competition?” I challenge him.

“I grew up with four brothers. Anything to do with food is a competition.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

A comfortable silence washes over us. I take a moment to study James. He’s devastatingly, boyishly handsome. He still has some of the baby fat that most fifteen-year-olds have. Have I mentioned how much I love how much taller he is than me?

“Do I have something on my face?” James asks as he wipes at his face with a napkin.

“Oh no. You don’t. Sorry. Do you want to watch a movie or something?”

He eyes me warily before getting up and walking to the couch. He plops down and pats the spot next to him, leaving his arm against the back of the couch.

This boy.

I walk over, swipe the remote, and plop down next to him pulling my feet up onto the couch.

“What do you wanna watch?” I ask James and will my racing heart to slow way back down.

“Anything with Paul Walker?”

“You’re a fan of theFast & Furiousseries?” I ask him, hoping that the answer is a resounding yes!

“Who isn’t?”

“Exactly! Probably one of the best series ever!”

“A girl after my own heart.”

I blush at James’s words and press play onThe Fast and the Furious. Do I lean back on the couch and lean into James? What should I do? James answers that by pulling me into his side.

“That’s better,” he says.

Calm your freaking racing heart, Emily!!

After mentally telling myself that our feelings for one another are mutual, my heart rate finally slows down. I take in everything. The movie. James sitting next to me.

In a flash, I see the future and he’s in it. Scary. We’ve only been “dating” for like twenty hours. And it’s impossible for me to know that James could be the only boy for me. Right?

I mean, my mom and dad met when they were in high school so it’s not totally impossible. Although they never talk about their past, they must have such a deep-rooted history that they stand by each other’s side through thick and thin.

Emily

The First Date

“So you two are going to get ice cream?” The sound of the turning page of a magazine comes from my bed.

I see Kamryn in the mirror's reflection behind me. She’s laying on her stomach with her feet swinging back and forth and came over when I told her James asked me out for an ice cream date. We’ve been “dating” for about six weeks. When really our dates consist of hanging out between our houses since neither of us can drive.

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