Page 86 of You Float My Boat

‘Yes … I just … can we talk about something?’

‘Of course,’ he replied, his eyes filled with enough concern that it was making me feel like I was blowing this out of all proportion.

No. Focus, Violet.

He was still staring at me as I rubbed my clammy palms over my jeans. ‘Um … Evie’s not here.’

In the space of a split second, his entire body tensed, his eyes flared and he snapped around again to double check I was telling truth before finally relaxing back into the position he’d been, except with a small frown on his face.

‘No, she’s not here.’

‘And the other day when you kissed me, I don’t think she was around either.’

‘She wasn’t,’ he replied simply, matter-of-factly,ignoring the confusion that was definitely present on my face.

‘Well … then I guess my question is about rule one. Kissing when appropriate. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining because … you know … I just … um … you’d originally said no kissing, and I’d said it wasn’t realistic and now you’re kissing me … so … I’m kind of confused.’

He nodded slowly, understanding flashing across his face, and then, just as I had, he took a breath. ‘She wasn’t around, you’re right. I’m sorry. It crossed a line. I would have talked to you about it yesterday, but then Oz was drunk and I wanted to do it in person, but I couldn’t leave …’

My eyes opened wider the longer he rambled, ‘Oz was drunk?’

He nodded slowly. ‘Yeah … he broke up with his girlfriend. It’s messy …’ He pushed his hat off, scratching through his thick hair with a soft sigh before replacing it and sitting up straighter. Sitting up like he meant business; firm, direct, a look in his eyes that was equal combinations intimidating and possibly the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. I didn’t know what he was about to say but I was all ears. ‘Anyway, the kiss. Our kiss.’

It was the way he saidourkiss, like it was a complete story with a beginning, middle and end that had my entire body thrumming.

‘I’m sorry, Violet, I’ve been doing this all wrong. Or maybe right … I dunno … maybe there’s no other way it could have happened.’

I was trying to focus on him, but as he sat up, his hand inched forward and now his thumb was swiping over my knee – back and forth like a metronome and just as hypnotizing. So much, in fact, it took me a second to realize he’d stopped talking, and from the look of it he was expecting me to say something.

But God, if this is how I rambled no wonder people got annoyed with me.

‘Charlie, I’m not following.’

‘Yeah … I’m not very good at this. What I’m trying to say is, Violet, I like you.’

‘You like me?’

‘I do.’ He smiled.

I opened my mouth to speak, but honestly my brain could not compute what was happening. I was working at the speed of sound when everyone else was zooming past on light. Charlie Masterson was sitting in front of me, in a situation I’d literally dreamed about since I was fourteen, telling me he liked me, yet I’d never got as far as imagining how I would answer.

Was this shock? Was I in shock?

Possibly, seeing as the only response I could come up with was, ‘What do you mean you’ve done it all wrong.’

‘Well,’ he grimaced, ‘just because of the way we started spending time together.’

‘You mean because of Evie?’

He nodded, ‘Yes. And I really wish it hadn’t been the case, but I also know that if I hadn’t asked you to be my fake girlfriend, then I’d have never spent this time with you … I’d have never realized how much I enjoy spending time with you.’

‘Um …’

‘But,’ he continued, like I didn’t have my mouth open to speak. ‘I know you only agreed to help me because it would be good practice for your acting. In which case, let’s just pretend I never said anything, and normal behaviour will resume.’

I was still staring at him, slightly open mouthed, when two thoughts occurred to me.

One. Stella had been correct. I’d managed to fake-relationship my way to Charlie liking me.

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