Page 110 of How to Kiss a Movie Star
I run a hand across my face, scratching at the week’s worth of beard growth I still need to shave. “I’m definitely in love with her, I’m completely miserable without her, and I’m pretty much consumed with the need to find her, tell her, then tell everyone else how amazing she is.”
“So…like a regular Saturday,” Lennox says, and my brothers chuckle.
“Is this seriously what it’s like to be in love?”
“Yes,” they say in unison.
“At least at first,” Perry says. “The intensity eases up after a while. But the feelings don’t.”
I rub my chest. “It feels…like I can’t breathe right if she isn’t in the room, but then she comes into the room, and it only gets worse.”
Brody nods. “Like she could ask you to do anything in this world,anything,and you’d do it without flinching.”
I nod. “Exactly.”
“I once drove three states over to pick up Tatum’s favorite ice cream,” Lennox says.
Perry takes a swig of his beer. “I spent half my savings restoring a Steinway piano because Lila has always wanted one.”
“You need to tell her, man,” Brody says. “It’s time.”
“I just don’t want to overwhelm her before—”
Brody’s eyes widen and he motions behind me. “Nah, man. I mean you need to tell hernow.”
I stand up and spin around.
Audrey is standing in the doorway leading into the house.
I take in the sight of her. A week without seeing her has only made her seem more beautiful. She’s dressed casually. Jeans. A simple T-shirt. She rocked a red-carpet look, but I think I prefer this dressed-down version of Audrey.
Probably because it’s moreAudrey.
“Hey,” I say, taking a step forward. “You’re here.”
“Nate let me in,” she says. “I hope that’s okay.”
“It’salwaysokay. It’s good to see you.”
Behind me, my brothers are moving, picking up empty beer bottles and straightening their chairs. In a matter of seconds, they’re filing past me, each of them patting me on the back and saying hello to Audrey as they pass into the house. Perry is the last one to leave. When he reaches the door, he pauses and looks at me over his shoulder, his eyes cutting to Audrey for the briefest second. “It’s not always easy. But it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. And it's always worth it.” He taps his hand against the door jamb, then disappears into the house.
Seconds later, the front door clicks closed, and Audrey and I are alone.
I take a step toward her and push my hands into my pockets, resisting the urge to run to her, to pull her into my arms.
“I didn’t mean to break up the party,” she says.
“Don’t worry about it. They were just hanging out. We weren’t doing anything important.”
She nods. “I, um…” She looks up and breathes out a trembling breath. “I had this whole speech prepared, and now I can’t remember anything I wanted to say.” She tucks her hair behind her ear. “Actually, that’s not true. I do remember one thing.”
She lifts her eyes to meet mine, hope shining in their depths, and my heart starts pounding in my chest. “Yeah? What’s that?”
She smiles, her expression tender. “Just that I’m in love with you.”
I close my eyes and let the words wash over me.
“I think a part of me knew, right from the start, that I eventuallywouldlove you,” she continues. “But I was so scared, Flint. Scared of getting hurt. Of feeling overwhelmed. Of getting lost in a world so much bigger than the one I’ve made for myself. All that fear made me push you away, but I didn’t even last twelve hours before I realized that the thought of living without you is so much scarier.” She takes a step toward me. “I want us. I wantyou.”
