Page 55 of Once Upon a Boyband
I look over at Freddie. “We should get going.”
He nods and shakes Percy’s hand. “Hey, nice to meet you, man.”
Percy fumbles his way through saying goodbye and asking for a photo while I think, for a second time, about leaning down and kissing Laney, goodbye this time, instead of hello.
“Okay, well,” Laney says, shuffling her feet before leaning toward me. At first, I think she’s coming in for a kiss, so I bend down to meet her, but then her arms open like whatshe’s looking for is a hug, and we end up just bumping into each other, an awkward tangle of misdirected limbs and overcorrections as we both try to figure out what the other is aiming for.
Finally, Laney backs up a step and holds out her hand. “You know what? Let’s just do it this way.”
This way.She wants to just…shake my hand?
Embarrassment washes over me, made only worse by Freddie and Percy, who are watching like this is the most entertaining thing they’ve seen all day.
“Right,” I say, taking her hand in mine and giving it three firm shakes. “Probably better. It was good to see you.”
As soon as we’re outside, Freddie looks over at me like I am the stupidest man who ever lived.
“Seriously?” he says. “That’s how you’re going to say goodbye to her?”
“It’s not like you helped with all the staring.”
“Who cares if I was staring? Do you like this woman or not?”
I stop on the sidewalk. He’s right. What am I doing?
I turn on my heel and walk back into the office.
“Laney,” I say, catching her just before she disappears into the back.
She turns and waits while I walk toward her. As soon as I reach her, I lift my hands to her face, cradling her jaw as I press a long kiss to her lips.
She sucks in a breath of surprise, but she doesn’t stop me, instead lifting her hands to my shoulders as she leans into the kiss.
“Sorry I didn’t do that earlier,” I say, still close enough to feel her breath fanning over my cheek.
She smiles and bites her lip. “I can’t believe I shook your hand.”
“We’ll get better at this,” I say. “And we won’t always have a captive audience.” I glance over her shoulder to Percy, who coughs awkwardly into his fist, then disappears into the back, mumbling something about test results he needs to check.
I lean down and kiss Laney one more time. “I’ll text you?”
“Yes, please,” she whispers.
Freddie is leaning against the SUV clapping for me when I make it back to the parking lot.
“Much better,” he says. “For real, man. I was worried about your game for a second. I mean, the FaceTime serenading probably scored a lot of points, but I’m not always going to be around to be your wingman. Should we practice a few things before I leave town?”
I roll my eyes. “Shut up and get in the car.”
“I know you said the engagement wasn’t real,” Freddie says as I pull out of the parking lot. “But you know that’s where you’re headed, right?”
I grip the steering wheel a little tighter. “We just started dating.”
“Who cares? When you know, you know.”
“Says the man who's had how many serious relationships?”
“I’m not claiming I’m an expert,” he says, lifting his hands. “I’m just saying. It looks like you’ve found something real.”
