Page 65 of The Spring in My Heart

The makeup artist comes to shake my hand. “Be careful. She’s a succubus. Nice to meet you, man.”

I finish up and then head downstairs ten minutes later. Lux is in her kitchen, in joggers, a sweatshirt, and a freshly scrubbed face.

How can she be so pretty with makeup or without?

How can she be so hot in this plain sweatsuit?

I need to check my hormones. I’m acting like a teenage boy.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

She nods. “Glad it’s freaking over. Just hope it all turned out well.”

“Are you kidding? You were great. You’re going to get a lot of likes.”

She pauses in front of a cabinet. “Really? You think so?”

I nod. “You’re a natural.”

“Thanks. I’m making hot chocolate. Would you like some?”

I nod. “Thank you, but shouldn’t you be drinking champagne?”

She snorts. “I’ll be doing that tonight apparently.”

“You don’t seem enthusiastic about that.”

“I would rather celebrate with those closest to me. But the crew deserves this. They worked really hard.” She sets a kettle with water on the stove and takes out a fancy tin of chocolate.

She’s going to mess it up.

She catches me staring. “You make your hot chocolate with milk, don’t you?”

“How did you know?”

“You have that same look on your face that Lauren and Adri do when we go to a restaurant and it’s made with water.”

“We, Dominicans, are really particular about our hot chocolate. When it’s made with water, there’s a science to it and a specific type of chocolate. With milk, it is easier to get it right for others.”

She steps back and waves me in. “Be my guest.”

I smile at her. “Do you have evaporated milk, sugar, ginger, and cinnamon?”

She goes to grab them. Then, I wave her to the chair.

She chuckles and sits. “It better be as good as Lauren and Adri’s.”

“Listen, Ayla loves my hot chocolate, and kids are the worst when it comes to stuff. They never like anything.”

“Okay. I’ll let you know.”

I mix everything and serve it in the mugs. She sits on her couch, and I take one of the armchairs across from her. I don’t trust myself to be closer, not when she’s blowing over the steam ever so slowly. Her puckered lips should look cute, but it’s just uncomfortable for me. It brings back memories.

I shift on my seat. “How come you said yes when you don’t want to go tonight? Just because of the crew?”

She nods. “If it were just Mimi, I would probably find a way to say no, but I like my glam squad.” She takes a sip, and her eyes close, her expression turning into pure bliss.

My mouth dries, but I find my voice. If I keep talking, it won’t be awkward. “Good, isn’t it?”

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