Page 30 of Unforgettable

“This is yours?” he asks in amazement. “You have over twenty thousand followers.”

When I don’t respond, he raises his eyes to meet mine, only to drop them back down. He opens his mouth and I’m surprised when he starts reading out loud. “Meals and Melodies. Just a guy who’s discovering music and food, one taste and tune at a time. DM me for suggestions or requests.” He eyes me with wonder, and for the first time ever, I was proud to put that look on somebody’s face. “Does anybody know you do this?”

I shrug. “Just my sister, Maddy.”

Putting my cell down, he reaches for his, tapping away at the screen.

“What are you doing?” I ask

“Following you, of course.”

“Ah, you don’t need to do that.”

“Don’t be stupid. When you’re traveling the world and you’re rich and famous, I’m going to tell everyone I knew you first.”

I quirk an eyebrow. “Knew me first?”

He smiles at me. “I could tell everyone I slept with you, that might be a better claim to fame.”

I place a hand over his screen. “Nobody is getting famous.”

Reeve tugs the phone from underneath my palm and keeps tapping and swiping at his screen. “You can pretend this is no big deal, but this is exactly what you’re looking for.”

“What are you talking about?”

“This.” He slides my cell across the table. “Look at this, Oz. This following you have. The time and effort it takes to have your photos and the layout look like this. This is what your parents need to see.”

The thought of my parents knowing anything about this little hobby of mine makes me want to break out in hives. I shake my head and take my phone, sliding it back into my pocket.

“It’s nothing. I started it on a whim, and it’s only for fun.”

“Work can be fun,” Reeve argues. “In fact, it should be. What’s that saying?” He clicks his fingers. “‘Do a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life?’ I mean, this is a genius idea, Oz. Pairing songs and bands with food and beverages. You’ve planned a whole night out in one Instagram post.”

I wave my hand at him in dismissal. “It’s nothing.”

“Oz,” he chides. “Stop that. I know it’s not a degree in medicine or an eight-year residency in one of the best hospitals in the country, but you don’t want that life anyway,” he reminds me. As if he’s known me my whole life, something about the certainty in his voice has me paying attention.

“This,” he implores. “This is effort. Dedication. This is passion and commitment. Oz, this is everything that proves your parents wrong.” He describes me with reverence and expectation and like the man I wish my family could see. “This is perfectly you,” he finishes, and I preen at being understood, acknowledged, and praised. I revel in being that man who has dreams and ambitions and a future that’s different but so perfectly him.

Even just for tonight, I let myself be unapologetically me.

8

Reeve

The two weeks that follow the dinner Oz and I shared have been full of fun, innocent flirting and laughter, and a blossoming friendship that every part of me is undoubtedly underprepared for.

Oz Walker is the perfect package. And there isn’t a single day that my body and mind don’t recognize that. He gives me smiles, he sends me texts, we chat about ideas for his blog. Slowly, he’s letting me into his world, and I can’t help but do the same. We make plans the same way Murph and I do, but it doesn’t feel the same as what Murph and I have.

If I let myself think hard about it, I would acknowledge it’s the complete opposite. What we have has alarm bells ringing and warning signs written all over it. It’s dangerous and scary, but despite the fear and anxiety, I’ve grown well and truly addicted.

Just like I predicted I would be, I’ve become addicted to him.

Being around him is like a breath of fresh air. Whether intentional or not, he’s showed me all sides of himself, despite the insecurities. He lets himself be an open book around me, and it was exactly what I need to let myself feel that way too.

He’s passionate and considerate, and the truth is, his presence alone lit me up from the inside out. But it’s the constant, undivided attention he gives me that has me feeling like an absolute king.

Around Oz I feel confident. I feel sexy. I feel exactly like the man I could've been had I not gotten caught up in my parents’ expectations and a relationship that wasn’t the right fit for me.

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