Page 66 of Up All Night

I looked over to see Kate standing in the open doorway. “There you are.”

Did she know she had interrupted a crucial moment? Her face didn’t hold any sign of an apology or a look of mischief at knowing what we had been about to do.

“Everyone wants to make one more toast before they go,” she said.

Right. We were in the middle of my celebration. How could I forget?

Oh, I know. A gorgeous and thoughtful man had been about to kiss me.

I swallowed down my disappointment and forced a smile. “Yeah, sure.”

I glanced over at West, who wasn’t looking at me but was rubbing the back of his neck as he looked out over the parking lot, a look on his face I couldn’t decipher.

Was he regretting what had almost happened? Or had he just been embarrassed about being caught having our first kiss? Or both?

I followed Kate back inside, where everyone was waiting for me. She handed me a glass of champagne, and although everybody’s eyes were on me, I couldn’t keep from glancing to West as he closed the sliding glass door, his back turned to me.

What was he thinking? Was he annoyed we had been interrupted? It was driving me crazy not knowing.

He turned to face the group, Kate handing him a glass as well. I took in his features, but his expression gave nothing away. Maybe he hadn’t been affected by our almost-kiss like I had.

Everyone raised their glasses. “To Halle!”

They all cheered, but when my eyes landed on West’s, the smile on his face didn’t reach his eyes.

20

West

I’d spent the last two days researching for my planned day with Halle. I’d made several different itineraries, but finally decided on one. I’d texted the itinerary to her last night, feeling good about my choices.

7:00 a.m. - Morning run

8:00 a.m. - Shower and get ready

9:00 a.m. - Breakfast at my apartment

10:00 a.m. - Botanical Gardens

1:00 p.m. - Wine Tour and Tasting / Lunch

4:00 p.m. - Set sail to cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge

6:00 p.m. - Get ready for dinner

7:30 p.m. - Dinner reservations

Of course she’d had a comeback to my well thought out plans.

Halle:What about if I have to go to the bathroom? I don’t see bathroom breaks in the schedule.

To which I’d responded with an eye roll emoji, which had her sending the laughing emoji.

We hadn’t spoken since the night she’d challenged me on the balcony at her party two nights ago, and I was grateful she seemed to be her normal self—at least through text—after our almost-kiss.

The kiss I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about even though we hadn’t actually kissed.

The kiss I had wanted more than anything.

---