Page 40 of Love to Prove You Wrong

Justin on the other hand was as relaxed as could be. This was probably not his first time in a helicopter. I was a tad nervous, though, and hoped that disaster wouldn’t strike.

I tried to steer my thoughts away from plummeting to my death and redirected them to the party. It hit me that I didn’t have a gift. How rude was that? Then again, I didn’t even know it was a celebrity’s birthday party up until half an hour ago.

Who was I kidding? There was no excuse for not bringing a birthday present to a party, not in my book anyway.

“We didn’t bring a gift,” I said into my headset.

Justin turned toward me and casually put a hand on my leg. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered.”

I stared at his hand, trying to figure out what it was doing there. Then I reminded myself of all the reasons I hated him, but hardly any came to mind. All I knew was he made my heart skip a beat whenever he was around me, and at night in my dreams.

He followed my gaze and pulled his hand away. “I’m sorry, I know you don’t like that.”

He peered out of the window again. His suit pants touched the bare skin of my leg, and my brain flooded with confusing thoughts.

Why was I on this flight? Why me specifically? Justin could’ve asked anyone to come with him, and yet he asked me. Did that mean he… liked me? I couldn’t wrap my head around that idea. For years he had teased me, made my high school years a true struggle, and now he was all “oh, let’s go on a helicopter ride and attend Alicia Bright’s birthday party together. And while we’re at it, why don’t I touch your leg and have my gorgeous smile make you melt into a confused puddle?”

Ugh. And they say women are hard to read. It’s men who should come with a user manual.

Relief washed over me when we finally touched solid ground again. It had been an amazing experience, but I needed to put a tiny bit of space between the two of us. That helicopter was way too small to contain me and my feelings for Justin.

We stepped into the evening air, a soft breeze playing with the hem of my dress. Justin put his hand on the small of my back and led me to a sleek sports car that had been waiting for us. The driver opened the door, and we both slid into the leather seats.

“So, you got Alicia something from the both of us?” I asked as the car whizzed through traffic.

“I did. We won’t show up empty-handed, so stop worrying.”

I threw him a look.

“What?” he asked.

“I can’t know what we’re giving her?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He laughed. “That’s not what I said. You asked me if I had bought her something, not what it was that I’d bought.”

I sighed dramatically. “Stuff like this is exactly why I go back and forth between liking and hating you.”

He grinned and his eyes started twinkling. “You like me. I told you I’d prove you wrong.”

“I said likeandhate. That’s not the same as full-on liking you. The jury is still out on that one. I can guarantee you the scale will tip back to full-on hating if you keep acting this silly.”

He handed me a cream-colored envelope. “If you must know, I got her a voucher to go bungee jumping.”

I let out a laugh. “That’s it?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Yes. Why?”

“No reason,” I said with a shrug, and handed him the envelope back. “It just seems a bit cheap. Especially after spending eleven thousand dollars on a suit.”

“Two suits. And for the record, just because we’re actors doesn’t mean we go buying private islands for each other’s birthdays. We’re all still normal people.”

I grinned at him. “I wouldn’t call you normal, but okay.”

He turned toward me, his arms crossed over his chest. “What do you think I should’ve gotten her?”

Ah. Such a good question, yet I didn’t have a satisfying answer. “I don’t hang out with celebrities,” I said. “I don’t know what they like. A thousand bottles of expensive champagne maybe?”

Justin cocked an eyebrow, then burst out laughing. “What would someone even do with a thousand bottles of champagne? I don’t want to give her alcohol poisoning.”

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