Page 14 of The Perfect Love

And there are a few—though not all of them—sitting out here.

Manning the grill is a tall guy with long-ish but well-styled black hair and an easy smile. “Hey, nice to meet you. I’m Miles.” He gestures with the spatula he’s holding. “I’m the resident cook around here.”

“Rude! I help!” a thin girl with curly brown hair yells from the far end of the outdoor table. “I’m Mackenzie. Nice to meet you!”

The girl next to her, who has long strawberry blonde hair, smiles brightly. “Hey, I’m Amanda. I’m the most recent addition to crazy town. Hope you’ll stick around and join us. Although, once they have you in their clutches, there’s really no getting out.”

I can’t help but laugh at that. These are my kind of people. The kind I would have gravitated to if I’d met them at my previous college. Fun, relaxed, but wild around the edges. And the love they all have for each other is palpable, even when their words are nothing but sass.

Rae points across the table toward a boy with light brown hair, and I wonder if it’s her fiancé. “And that’s—”

“Well, well, who do we have here?” The smooth, indulgent voice that dances through the air sends a chill up my spine.

Rae spins around. “A new friend, so be on your best behavior.”

“No promises.”

I spin to face him, andholy shit.I thought this house would be the most gorgeous thing I’d see tonight. I was wrong.

The guy I’m praying isn’t Rae’s fiancé is tall and mostly lean, but with defined muscles, especially his arms. A mop of curly brown hair sits atop his head, mussed in the sexiest way, and his brown eyes, so dark they almost look black, meet mine. His expression changes and those eyes light with something like recognition. And happiness. I swear pure joy is radiating off him.

My cheeks heat—fuck, my whole body flushes—and I can confidently say I haven’t felt anything like this in a long time. I haven’twantedto. This butterflies-whirling-in-my-stomach, sugar rush, cotton-candy-in-my-brain feeling.

Anything having to do with guys has been a big hell no for me for a while now, but I think this guy has broken me.

“Hi,” I breathe, still drinking him in. He’s gorgeous, but there’s something else too. Like there’s a tether to my soul, and he’s tugging on it, pulling me closer.

Okay, maybe I’ve been reading too many fantasy romance books.

The concept of mates is fictional, right?

What am I thinking right now? And, oh god. Please don’t let him be Rae’s fiancé. Wouldn’t be the best start to a friendshipwith her if I go all starry-eyed over the guy she’s madly in love with.

He steps forward and holds out his hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Trevor.”

I don’t remember what Rae said her fiancé’s name is, but I know it wasn’t that. She told me about her friends earlier and for some reason, his name stuck out, maybe because she mentioned he transferred here this year too.

My fingertips brush his palm as my hand slides into his and little electric charges dance on my skin before shooting down my spine and then straight to my heart.

What is happening right now?

Is this real?

Am I still breathing?

But his warm hand wrapped around mine feels too real to be a dream, so I snap back to reality, find my brain again, and introduce myself. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Chelsea. Rae said you just transferred up here this semester. So did I.”

His smile goes from bright to downright devastating. He finally lets go of my hand, and while I immediately miss the warmth of it, at least I get to hear his voice again. “Maybe we can get to know campus together.”

“I’d like that.”

There’s a small twist in my gut. I’m not sure if it’s excitement or fear. Would I want to spend time alone on campus with this guy I don’t know? I mean, there’ssomethinghappening between us right now, but I’ve trusted too easily before. Yet, I’m still staring at him, fucking captivated.

Before anything else can happen, though, a very different smooth voice sounds.

“Hey, beautiful.”

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