Page 46 of Love in Focus

As if on cue, I lose my balance, nearly toppling onto the floor.

“Whoa there!” Celeste catches me just in time, pulling me back on my feet so we’re almost nose to nose.

I want to kiss her. So bad. I close my eyes, too drunk to care about anything else.

But instead of making out with me like I want her to, Celeste coughs. “Gem, your boss is watching.”

“Huh?”

I straighten up, my vision blurring from the sudden movement. As soon as I’m able, I search the dance floor. No Evelyn in sight.

“I’m kidding,” Celeste laughs. “I have no idea where she is.”

I laugh, too, but my heart squeezes with disappointment. I was clearly about to kiss her when she pulled that little trick. It makes me wonder if she hasn’t been feeling the same tension I’ve been feeling between us all night.

Weareexes, after all…I remind myself. But I’d be lying if I said I still hold the same resentment and bitterness I felt toward her when we first ran into each other last month.

“Okay!” the DJ exclaims. “The time has come! Lift your champagne flutes and get ready to ring in the New Year! Ten… nine…”

Celeste gently but firmly hoists me up so I’m standing straight again.

“Eight… seven…”

I look up at Celeste, and she peers down at me, the faintest smile on her face as she hands me my champagne flute.

“Six… five… four…”

We squeeze each other’s hands.

“Three… two… one… HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

Confetti explodes all around us as people raise their champagne flutes high in the air.

“Happy New Year, Gemma baby,” says Celeste.

She kisses my forehead, and fireworks explode inside my chest.

We’re getting into our Uber when I realize that I left my keys on the kitchen counter of my friends’ apartment. I’d been so distracted and nervous about the night ahead that I left for the party without them. Luckily, the front door locks automatically, so I don’t have to worry about a New Year’s home invasion. But unfortunately, that also means I’m very much locked out, and my friends aren’t coming back until this afternoon.

“Shit,” I say, leaning my head back against the car seat. My mouth is parched, and my head’s pounding already. I forgot to drink water the entire night. I’m trying to figure out what to do, when Celeste says, “Let’s go back to my place. It’s closer, anyway.”

She changes our destination on her phone before I can protest.

Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it—I’m sobered up by the time we reach Celeste’s apartment. Unlike the last time I ended up here, I’m not blissfully asleep, so when the front door clicks closed behind us, leaving Celeste and me alone in the darkness of her apartment, I awkwardly stare at her, unsure what to do.

After we take off our shoes, Celeste stares back at me for a moment before flicking on the lights and making herself busy by bringing me a towel, toiletries, and everything elseI’d need for the night. She even gets me a pair of silky soft pink pajamas.

“So you don’t have to sleep in a scratchy Christmas sweater,” she says with a slight smile.

“Thanks,” I reply, genuinely grateful for her hospitality. It’s not the kind of treatment I’d ever expect from an ex. “Sorry, can I also have a glass of water?” I ask. “I’m so dehydrated right now. I accidentally forgot to drink some all night.”

Celeste groans. “Suddenly, we’re back in college again,” she says as she pours me a glass. “Remember how I had to always remind you to drink water whenever we went out? Sorry I didn’t do that this time around. I was too focused on everything that was going on tonight.”

I wince. “It’s not your fault. Or your responsibility. I led you into a lion’s den.”

“It was fun, though,” she says. “Really. Quite a memorable way to start the New Year.”

Our fingers touch as she hands me the glass. It’s the briefest moment of physical contact, but it still makes me shudder with pleasure. Hoping the water will cool me down in more ways than one, I gulp down the entire glass. But when I finish, I catch sight of Celeste staring down at my now wet lips.

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