Page 101 of Study Buddies

Leaving the shopping cart with him, I went to try it on.

The front and back of the beautiful gown were lower cut than the one for tomorrow, so I was able to zip it up myself. Then I stepped out of the dressing room to see it in the better lighting in front of the three-way mirror.

The dress was glamorous, a form-fitting evening gown in a champagne-toned satin fabric. It had spaghetti straps, so I slid my bra straps down my arms and tucked them into the bodice of the dress. It had a deep V neckline—low enough to feel daring, but not so low that I’d be too shy to wear it. Even if I had been, I doubted I could’ve resisted such a beautiful dress.

Somehow, it both hugged my curves and accentuated them. Delicate silver beading sparkled when I moved. There was a high slit over one thigh that I’d have to be careful about, but theoverall look was elegant, like something out of an old movie. I felt like a combination of a princess and a femme fatale.

A dark shape appeared in my peripheral vision and then Lucas was there, standing behind me like he had before. Staring at the dress in the mirror. He was silent for a long, drawn-out moment. Then he swept my hair back over my shoulder on one side, as if to see the bodice better.

Anxiously, I stared at his face in the mirror. It was so damn selfish to hope he liked it, but I couldn’t help it.

Finally, he spoke. “Tori, you, uh… you look—” He let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, I’ve got nothing. You look absolutely unreal.”

My cheeks heated, but my smile was wide as I stared at him. My body shivered as his gaze swept up and down my reflection. “Is that a good thing?”

“It’s… I don’t even know how to describe it. It’s vintage, and classy, and… wow, you look beautiful. Really fucking gorgeous.” His eyes raked up and down me again. When he spoke again, his voice was low and intimate. “The assignment was to find something you feel sexy in. Do you?”

“Yes,” I breathed. But I didn’t quite know how to explain that the main reason I felt sexy was because of the way he was looking at me.

“Then I guess you’ve completed your dare.” He dipped his head and planted a light kiss on my neck where he’d brushed back my hair. Then his hand slid down my back as he stepped away. “Kyle’s a lucky man.”

Then, as I battled guilt, he told me he’d meet me up front and he walked away.

29

TORI

“Did you like the movie?”Lucas had the hotel card key in one hand, and the plastic bags from the thrift store in the other.

I’d wanted a way to pass the hours without having to think about the wedding tomorrow, so when Lucas suggested a movie, I was grateful. “Yes, I did.”

Neither of us mentioned the movie night back at his house that had ended so badly. Or the fact that we’d held hands for the last hour of the movie today.

Lucas tried several times to get the key to swipe correctly. I hoped we wouldn’t need to go back to the front desk, because they hadn’t been very helpful—at least not in terms of letting me switch the room to my credit card. However, they had at least given us a handful of travel-sized toiletries like toothpaste, deodorant, and toothbrushes.

Finally, the little light turned green, and I went in. Behind me, Lucas hit the lights, and we both continued further into the room—until we stopped dead, staring at the queen bed.

Which was theonlybed.

I sighed. “How hard is it to count to two?” Nothing was going right today, so I probably should’ve expected this.

“I’ll get them to switch it.”

“Don’t bother.” I caught his arm as he turned to leave. “They’ll just tell you no. It’s a big bed, and I’m tired… let’s just stay here.”

“Are you sure?” His cheeks went red, his voice full of concern. For some reason, that made me want to smile. This was the version of him I knew from last year. Kind. Considerate. Slightly shy.

Every so often, I wished Kyle hadn’t moved back into the house and triggered the anger I’d seen from Lucas so often this semester. Except then I wouldn’t have gotten to know Kyle as well, and I didn’t want that. So really, I just wished that they got along, because I liked them both. Thank god neither of them seemed to have a problem with Jayden—we already had enough to deal with.

“I’m sure,” I said.

“All right.” Lucas hovered awkwardly in the middle of the room, glancing around like he wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He drifted toward the desk, picked up the hotel notepad, then put it back down. Meanwhile, I pulled out the thrift store clothes and started hanging them up on the coat rack by the door, smoothing out wrinkles that probably wouldn’t come out anyway.

Lucas plugged in his phone at the bedside table. “Do you mind if I take a shower? That way, we won’t both need to in the morning.”

“Yeah, good idea.” We were going to have to leave fairly early to drive back to Macon in time for the wedding.

While he was in the bathroom, I sat at the edge of the bed, legs crossed, trying to distract myself by scrolling through my phone. But I couldn’t focus on anything I read. The sound of the shower was steady behind the door, and somehow, that madeeverything feel more real. He was in there, hot water hitting his naked body, and soon, he’d be in the bed next to me.

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