Page 44 of Lotus

“Oliver?”

Sydney stands before me in a long t-shirt that barely skims her middle thigh, her hair untamed, her black eyeglasses perched on her scrunched-up nose. “I remembered to knock,” I say, keeping my gaze straight ahead, refusing to let it slide down to her exposed legs. “I wanted to bring you some leftover dessert. I made brownies.”

Her face lights up when she spots the plate of chocolate confections in my hands. “Shit. Come on in.” Sydney holds the door open wide, giving me an exaggerated hand motion. “Chop, chop. I need sugar.”

My smile expands as I step through the threshold. She’s quick to snatch the plate of brownies, wasting no time in peeling back the plastic wrap and plucking one from the top. “Best neighbor ever,” she mumbles through a mouthful. “Way better than Lorna.”

Goodness, she’s endearing.

Sydney pauses mid-chew, grinning around the bite she just took.

Oops.It appears I’ve voiced my internal dialogue.

“Endearing, huh?” She sets the plate down on the side table, licking each finger before she swallows. “I think you meant crude and off-putting.”

“I did not.” I slip my hands into my pockets and rock back on my heels. “Sorry to drop by unannounced. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Just ‘Pants-less Tuesday’. It’s all good.”

“Oh.” I can’t help it this time—my eyes drift downward on instinct, and I swallow. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. I hope you enjoy the brownies.”

Before I make it very far, Sydney has her fingers curled around my bicep, tugging me into the living area. “Sit and get comfy. I’ll be back down in a minute.”

“All right.”

I watch her skip up the staircase to her bedroom, then drop down onto the couch. Merely seconds go by before Alexis hops up and settles contentedly in my lap. I’m growing quite fond of this feline.

“Look at you two,” Sydney announces in a charmed voice, rounding the corner, wearing a pair of fresh leggings under her t-shirt. There’s a strange character on the front of her shirt with a head shaped like a football.

Realizing I’m staring at her chest, I clear my throat and shift in my seat. “I like your blouse.”

“It’sHey Arnold!,” she explains, situating herself beside me. “Do you remember that show? We’d watch it when we were kids.”

For some reason, her proximity makes my skin heat. She’s sitting so close, our thighs are melded together, her stray hairs tickling my shoulder. Why is her presence suddenly affecting me so much? “Oh, uh… no. I’m afraid I don’t.”

Sydney puckers her lips. “We’ll have to have a nineties cartoon marathon sometime.”

“I’d like that. My favorite thing to watch isThe Princess Bride.”

“No, shit?” She cranes her neck back as she turns to look at me. “I love that movie.”

I can’t help the smile that instantly forms. “You do? We should watch it together.”

She places her hands over her heart, voicing dramatically, “As… you… wish…” Her performance is followed by a bout of laughter as she collapses against my shoulder.

My eyes rove over her, drinking in her sweetness, her quirkiness—everything that makes her,her. And when her own gaze lifts to mine, her blue eyes creased with humor, her cheeks lightly flushed… I am struck by an overwhelming sensation. Something unprecedented and startlingly unfamiliar. I feel captivated, enchanted, in the most peculiar way.

“What?” she wonders, her eyes dancing with aqua flecks, her smile still in place. “You’ve got a funny look on your face.”

“Yes… I suppose I do.”

Sydney sticks out her tongue and crosses her eyes, and I think it’s meant to make me laugh, but all I want to do is kiss her.

Oh.

My breath catches when I inhale an abrupt breath. “Fuck.”

She sits up straight, her eyes widening. A beat passes—a horribly long, painful beat—and then, she’s laughing again. “Did you just say ‘fuck’?”

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