Page 85 of Dungeons and Drama

“I had to do something. You put too much into this to let it all go without a fight. Like you said, this is what you love most in the world. I needed to help you get it.”

He gives me a small smile and I practically swoon. We ended things so horribly at the dance that I was worried he’d never fully forgive me, despite his earlier text about Dad, but now I can see how wrong I was. I smile back at him, trying to pour every bit of emotion I have into it. We stand for a few moments, grinning and staring at each other like goofballs.

“So, uh…,” he says, breaking the moment. “I’m glad to have helped, but I’m getting itchy from being at school too long.”

I laugh lightly.

“And we never got to take that drive after the dance. Can I take you back to the hospital…the long way?”

My heart swells. “Yes. Please.”

We leave the auditorium, our steps slow at first before picking up speed. We’re practically running by the time we get outside. I throw myself into the passenger seat of his car and he does the same on his side. We turn to each other.

“Riley—”

“Nathan—”

We both stop and laugh. Omg, this is awkward. I have to get the words out now before they’re lodged in my throat forever.

“I’m totally crazy about you,” I blurt out, and lean back to gauge his expression. His eyes crinkle at the corners and he doesn’t try to stop me, so I push on. “I have been for…I don’t even know how long. You’re going to homecoming with Sophia, and I don’t know what that means for us, but I need you to know that I’m out of my mind over you.”

The last sentence comes out in a rush and I swallow hard, my nerves about to snap and unravel.

Nathan cocks his head. “You stole my speech. I’m out of my mind overyou.”

His voice is so calm that it takes me a second to comprehend. He shifts closer to me. “I had no idea what was happening at the dance. One moment I was kissing you—finally,after wanting to kiss you every day for weeks—and the next moment you were running away and hiding in a bathroom and acting super awkward.” He shakes his head. “I thought I must be the worst kisser in the world. Or that you somehow still had a thing for Paul. You can’t imagine how sick I felt when you said his name right after kissing me.”

I drop my head in my hands. “I’m so sorry. I saw him watching us and I convinced myself that the kiss was fake. That’s why I freaked out like that.”

“I know that now. Lucas and Hoshiko explained it to me this morning when they found me moping in the hall. But I promise you, he was the last thing on my mind that night. I didn’t even know he was watching us until you pointed it out.” He puts a finger under my chin and lifts my face. “Nothing I ever did was for his benefit. Well, okay, it was fun making him jealous. But really, he was just an excuse to spend as much time with you as possible.”

“And Sophia?”

He slumps back. “She was a mistake. That whole thing was messed up from the beginning. I should never have agreed to go to the dance with her. I left you in the gym Saturday, came back to the car, and called her to break it off.”

“But you were so mad at me when you left the dance.”

“I was just…hurt. And angry at myself for bunglingeverything so horribly with you. Either way, I knew I had to end things with Sophia.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“You were trying to protect yourself. I get it.”

I take in his face, and his huge green eyes, and his glasses that have fallen down his nose again. Today has been so full of every possible emotion that I’m barely holding it together. My whole body is shaking and tears are building behind my eyes. Nathan scoots against the driver’s side door and tugs me onto his seat with him. I lean my head against his backrest so I can look up at him.

“I love your glasses,” I whisper. I gently lift them back up his nose, and he catches my hand in his. He lifts it to his lips and chuckles like I’ve just told a joke.

“You know, I started hoping Sophia would come to the store every night just so I could do this.” He brushes my hair behind my ear. “And this.” He presses a kiss to my temple.

I shuffle so I’m even closer to him. It’s glorious to be next to him without worrying about faking anything. “Okay, I have to know—how long have you felt like this? How long have we been keeping each other in agony?”

“Since that night you kissed me on the cheek when I was looking for dice,” he replies immediately. “You walked away like it was nothing, but if you’d turned around, you would have seen it was like you flipped my whole world upside down.” He shakes his head. “I thought maybe I’d get over you once Sophia made it clear she was interested, but that didn’t happen. All it did was make me realize how much I wanted to be with you, except I wasn’t sure how you felt. You always talked about being such a good actress—whichyou are—so I figured everything going on between us was just made-up on your end. I was so scared of getting crushed. And…well I’m not proud to admit this, but I decided having something fake with you was better than having nothing at all. I would have faked it forever rather than give you up.”

“Nathan…” I put my hands on either side of his face. “I am so into you. Embarrassingly so. If I could spend every minute of every day just kissing you and talking about Pop-Tarts, it still wouldn’t be enough.”

He pulls back slightly. “Kissingandtalking about Pop-Tarts? Is that possibility on the table? Because I’d like to start doing that right now.”

I sit up, grinning. “Can I add in musical rehearsals? Because it looks like I’m going to have a lot of those comingup.”

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