Page 15 of Twenty Years Later

"Um, yeah. Just... I don't think I heard you correctly."

Alex chuckled. "Yes, you did. But I'll repeat it just in case." He leaned closer, making the breath leave my lungs. "I had a major crush on you."

Good God. I was going to faint. Alex had a crush on me? Like me? Jayda Jenkins? "Um, me?" I looked over my shoulder. "Are you sure?"

His wide smile did things to my core. "Yes. You. Jayda."

I slid my wineglass away. "Okay. I think I better stop drinking now."

Those eyes of his burned into mine. "Even back then, despite my complete stupidity, I knew you were the whole package."

Utterly speechless, my head started to swirl with his words.

"You had everything. You were incredibly smart and funny. You had the sweetest, kindest personality. And…" He hesitated a moment. "You were absolutely beautiful."

I felt like I was in some alternate universe right now along with the heroine in my books. How many times had I daydreamed about hearing these very words from him in high school?

"W-why didn't you ever—" I stammered, unsure how to complete the sentence.

"I was just too stupid to do anything about it," Alex said, sighing. "But the real reason, ugh, I don't even want to admit it."

"What?"My word, what?I reached for the wine glass again.

"Well, you were kind of a good girl." Leaning away, he had trouble making eye contact. "You know what I mean?"

I laughed out loud, surprising him.

"You think it's funny?" he asked, eyes bright.

"So in other words, you thought I wouldn't give up the goods, huh?"

He shook his head, grinning. "I guess that's one way to put it."

I couldn't stop laughing. This was seriously something right out of a teen romance. Good girls and bad boys. But twenty years later. Just to make him squirm, though, I had to admit something to him. And I had to make it good.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Well, Mr. Hot and Popular, the joke's onyou."

"What on earth do you mean?"

He looked so confused, I took pity on him and decided to be as blunt as possible. Leaning forward, capturing all of his attention, I said, "Well, I had a crush on you too."

Alex swallowed thickly, and I moved even closer.

"And," I continued, savoring this moment, "if you had ever asked me out, I would have done everything,everything, with you."

He released a loud groan. "Are. you. serious?"

"Yep." I smiled. "On the first date probably."

Burying his face in his hands, he let out another noise of frustration. "I amsuchan idiot."

Now, I started to feel a little mean. "Not anymore."

Lifting his head, he met my eyes, his own filled with regret. "Not anymore. Hopefully," he answered.

The air around us pulsed with a weighted silence while we stared at each other, something electric passing between us as our faces moved closer.

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