Page 63 of Love Unexpected
“Did anything else happen after I went to bed?” Marley asked.
I bit my lip and avoiding answering long enough for Marley to gasp. “Something did happen! What was it? Did you kiss? Did you—”
“Marley, stop,” I said, dragging her a few steps back down the hallway. Isaac’s music wasn’t that loud. If she didn’t dial it down, Isaac would hear us.
“Sorry,” Marley whispered. “What happened?”
“We kissed,” I finally said.
Her eyes lit, but I shook my head and they immediately dimmed again. “It wasn’t good?”
I scoffed. “It was amazing. But...that didn’t stop him from regretting it anyway. He was all worried about his fans, about what they would think, about disappointing them if the road trip didn’t happen as planned.”
“Dude. He would not be disappointing his fans by dating you. After your video last night—you were adorable, by the way—the comments have been full of love for you. I’ve been reading them all morning. They love your vibe.”
“Really?” Gearing myself up to be in the video had been hard enough. There was no way I’d ever intentionally go read people’s comments.
“Yes, really. Tons of people have declared themselves Team Rosie. You even have your own hashtag. I mean, there is an equally vocal contingency that’s rooting for the mystery girl at the end of the road trip. But still. Generally speaking, fans would not be disappointed.”
“That’s just it,” I said. “I don’t want it to even matter what fans think. I don’t want Isaac to like me only because I’ve got a vibe his fans love. I don’t want it to be about his fans at all.”
She leaned against the wall across from me and folded her arms across her chest. “So what are you going to do?”
Good question. I’d spent over an hour debating that very thing before falling asleep last night. If not for Shiloh’s steady breathing on the other side of the room, I might have even panicked a little. But Shiloh’s presence had kept me grounded. “I don’t know, honestly. See this thing through, I guess? See how he responds when he realizes it’s me?”
She studied me closely. “How’s your heart holding up?”
I shrugged dismissively. “What do you mean?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Rosie. You just kissed a man you’ve loved from afar for a very long time. A relationship with him is actually within reach. You can’t tell me you’re fine and have me believe you.”
Unexpected tears welled up in my eyes and I shook my head, trying to clear them away. “It’s... overwhelming. Being around him in person, spending time with him. He’s exactly the same, of course. And I knew he would be. The person he is online is exactly the person he is in real life. But thinking about a relationship with him is different now. Now that I’ve kissed him, I realize how amazing it could be. Howrightit feels when we’re together. But I never thought about the repercussions. The invasion of privacy, of sharing him with millions of viewers.”
“Honey, he’s never kept his relationships private before.” Marley put her hands on my shoulders. “How did you never think about this part?”
“He hasn’t datedthatmany women. And why would I have thought about this part? I didn’t think we would ever actually date. I dreamed about it, sure. But in those dreams, I always just imagined Isaac inmylife. I never really spent much time imagining myself in his because I didn’t think it would ever actually be possible.”
Marley nodded in understanding. “But now itispossible, and you’re terrified. Because after all this effort, what if it isn’t what you want?”
I nodded. “It isn’t a question of whether or not I wanthim.”The memory of his hands sliding across the skin on my lower back flitted through my mind. But it wasn’t just the physical chemistry. I also loved the way he made me laugh. The way we talked about music. The way he just made me feel good. Whole. Happy.
“I wouldn’t give up yet,” Marley said. “You’re a pretty stellar human, Rosie. If he cares about you, he’ll be willing to change.”
“No, I don’t want him to change. You can’t start a relationship expecting someone to become someone they’re not.”
“But you can want boundaries,” Marley said. “You can ask him to build some better ones.”
I shrugged. “But will he?”
She squeezed my shoulders. “For you? I bet so.”
Footsteps approached and we both turned toward the kitchen. Isaac appeared from around the corner, spatula in hand. “Oh. Hey,” he said. “Good morning.” I waited for his gaze to meet mine, but it almost seemed like he was making an intentional effortnotto look at me.
“Good morning,” I said. Regardless of what he was capable of, I couldn’t take my eyes off the man. Isaac hadn’t shaved that morning, and light stubble covered his jawline. He wore a fitted white t-shirt under the purple apron he’d apparently found in Marley’s pantry. His hair was mussed, though that was pretty typical, and he was wearing glasses. I’d never seen him in glasses. Ever. It totally worked. He’d nailed the sexy professor on a Saturday morning vibe perfectly. “You wear glasses.”
“Oh.” One hand flew to the side of his glasses and he touched them self-consciously. “Yeah. I normally wear contacts. Dani is trying to convince me to wear these more.”
“You should,” I said, my voice cracking just slightly. I cleared my throat and tried again. “They look...”Sexy. Amazing. Perfect. Sexy. “Nice,” I finally managed to say.
