Page 29 of The Perfect Love

He glances at me. “You said you’d sworn off guys.”

“Yeah, but—”

He stops and turns toward me. “Do you want to tell me?”

My voice is quiet when I answer. “Not really.”

He shifts his backpack on his shoulder, looking a little sheepish. “I assumed if you wanted me to know, you’d tell me. If you ever want to talk about whatever it is, I’m here to listen.”

And just like that, more of my uncertainties melt away.

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” We start walking again, then he nervously looks at me. “Can I put my hand on your back?”

I let out a whoosh of air and try to keep tears from cresting in my eyes. He’s asking for consent to touch me in a gentlemanly way.

“It’s okay if not,” he says quickly.

“No. It’s fine. I’d like that.”

He moves slowly, his fingers brushing my low back before his hand comes to rest there. I lean into the touch and smile up at him.

After what happened last night, I couldn’t have imagined this. I figured if I saw him again it would be awkward or maybe he’d even avoid me. But he keeps surprising me. And now we have a date planned for Saturday.

How to get a date with the cute boy you’re crushing on? Talk with him for hours, flirt with him, kiss him, absolutely panic, run away, and have zero intention of ever seeing him again.

Chelsea’s Dating Handbook. Coming soon.

We continue our walk in a comfortable silence, and it only takes us a couple of minutes to get to my building.

When we walk in, the lecture hall is the first door on the left, and I notice Rae leaning against the wall, tapping on her phone.

When she looks up and sees us, she smiles brightly.

Trevor grumbles as Rae puts her phone away and strides over to us.

She opens her mouth to say something, but Trevor pins her with a look. “Don’t.” When I look at him in surprise, he narrows his eyes. “She meddles.”

I laugh at that. “From what I saw last night, all of you meddle.”

“Hey, she’s got us figured out already.”

Trevor cuts another look in her direction, then takes my arm and guides me a few feet away. “I’ll text you later? Can I pick you up on Saturday?”

“Yes and yes. Can’t wait.”

His body relaxes and he gets an adorable aw-shucks look on his face. “Me either. Uh… can I kiss you on the cheek?”

The enamored look in his eyes is so genuine it hurts.

“Yes,” I squeak, stomach whirling. My cheeks are red hot, but I don’t care.

And when his lips press against my hot skin, my heart beats erratically, and that same tingly feeling I got yesterday shoots through my body. In a lot of ways, I’m terrified, but I want to see where this can go.

With his lips right by my ear, he whispers, “Have a good day. Text me if you want to talk or meet up. Anything.”

I reach out and squeeze his hand. “You have a good day too. We’ll talk soon.”

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