Page 97 of The Show

“Holy fuck! This is huge! Congrats, buddy. When?”

“Next week.” Rafe smiled nervously. “She’ll get her bar results, and I’m going to take her back to school, to the classroom we met in. I spoke to the Dean, and in exchange for taking ten students as summer interns next year, he said I can have the classroom for the evening. Penn, I need you to keep Beulah busy with work on Friday so I can sneak off to her parents for the day so I can tell them. Take her around the stadium or give her a baseball pop-quiz or something. And then can you give her next Monday afternoon off?”

“I’m giving her a lot of free time....” I grinned widely, which reopened my wound. I grabbed a fresh wipe to stop a trickle of blood running down my cheek. “Course I can, buddy. Congratulations, this is amazing news. I’m really happy for you.”

“Thanks,” he looked nervous again, which wasn’t an expression he wore well, nor did it suit him. “You think she’ll say yes?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely she will! That girl’s as obsessed with you as you are with her. You have it in the bag.” I grabbed him into the bear hug he’d given me earlier. “Ah, buddy, I’m so happy!”

“Thank you.”

“Fuck, the bachelor party is going to go offffffff!” cried Murray, joining the hug until the three of us were jumping around with joy, and I was bleeding again. “Okay, stop. Penn’s injury is getting on me.”

“Yeah, come on. All three of us have women to get home to. Perfect, brilliant women. Even Pennington,” Rafe grinned.

I laughed. “Before we go, can one of you help me with my hoodie?”

Murray rolled his eyes, but once again did his dad-duty.

* * *

I was so buoyed up I could barely feel the throbbing in my eye as I walked back to Lowe’s. I’d been so raring to see her that I’d almost forgotten about it until she opened the front door and gave a little squeal as she saw me.

“OHMYGOD! Why are you bleeding?”

“I was kind of hoping it didn’t look as bad as it felt.” I flinched as she brushed her thumb over my cheek. “You wanna be my nurse?”

She frowned deeply but took my hand and I followed her into the kitchen where she removed an ice pack from the freezer, then guided me up the stairs to the bathroom.

“Sit.” She pointed to the chair in the corner, handing me the ice pack wrapped in a cloth napkin. “Hold this.”

I did as I was told while she rummaged in a drawer until she found what she was looking for and came back, kneeling in the floor in front of me.

“What happened?” she asked, gently pulling off the ice pack, replacing it with a Betadine-soaked cotton pad.

“Fuuck,” I hissed through my teeth. “That stings.”

“You’re a big boy, you’ll cope.” She wiped around the wound, then replaced the pad with a fresh one. “Hold this, and tell me what happened.”

Once again I did as I was told, this time she grabbed a tub of Epsom salts and turned on the tub faucets, a heavy flow of water whooshed in. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying the level of care and attention I was being served. I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying the sight in front of me, even if it was currently out of one eye, because right now she was bent over the bathtub, the tight globes of her peachy ass peeking out through the very short shorts she was wearing, and looking mouthwateringly incredible. My dick thumped in agreement.

“Penn? Tell me.”

I didn’t want to tell her. I didn’t want to ruin our time together this evening by bringing Bryce Wexler into the conversation. I didn’t want his name in her head. And I really didn’t want to get a scolding for punching him, or to be told that I should have known better.

I’d had one narrative in my head when I marched over here, and it didn’t involve Bryce fucking Wexler. Rafe was getting married, Murray wouldn’t be far behind, and here, kneeling in front of me, was the girl of my dreams. I loved her with all my heart, and I needed her to know.

“It’s nothing, we were playing basketball.” I stilled her hand, before it reached my wound again. “I need to tell you something.”

She knelt back on her haunches, a little crease forming in her brow, and I ran my finger over it to smooth it back out. Her face was clean and bare, tiny pleats fanned out from the corners of her eyes, permanent reminders of how much she laughed. I fucking loved her laugh.

She was so fucking beautiful.

“I love you.”

I waited a second for it to sink in. She didn’t move, she didn’t blink. I could only see the tiny flicker of a pulse beating its tempo under the delicate skin on her neck.

“I know you keep saying it’s only been a week, but for me it hasn’t. For me it’s been almost a lifetime. Lowe, I’ve been in love with you since I was five years old.”

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