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“My dad happened,” she replied with an eye roll. “He was supposed to send the tuition money to my grandparents, but it never happened.” She took another sip of her water before adding, “Meanwhile, I never anticipated having to compete for a scholarship to get in—hence the two years at St. Bernadette’s.”
“Whoa,” I mused, intrigued by her backstory.
“Because my skill set rests in music andnotacademics, I had to work incredibly hard to get my grades and portfolio up to a level where I’d even be considered for a scholarship,” she explained, still smiling. “It took a while.”
“But you did it,” I replied, feeling beyond impressed. “That’s pretty fucking badass, Katie.”
“That’s me, all right,” she chuckled, blushing.
All I could do was smile in response.
“Do you want to keep doing this?” Katie asked when I walked her to her door after dinner. “On an exclusive basis?”
Repressing the natural instinct to decline, I forced myself to pause and think this through with a level head andnotfollow my heart. It couldn’t be trusted to make sensible decisions. It couldn’t be trusted to keep me out of trouble.
“I don’t know.” Mirroring her actions, I shoved my hands in my pockets and studied her face. “What do you want to do?”
“I like spending time with you,” she replied softly.
“I like spending time with you, too,” I told her honestly.
“But?”
“I didn’t say but.”
“Yeah,” she laughed softly. “But you have one, don’t you?”
“I’m not sure what kind of a relationship I can offer you,” I admitted honestly. “I’m not exactly back on the horse.”
“Yeah, but you’re getting there.”
Was I?
Maybe I was.
I certainly enjoyed her company. But the thought of going further wasn’t even close to being on my radar.
“Don’t look so stressed. I’m not going to tear your clothes off,” Katie teased, giggling. “I’m nowhere close to being ready forthat, either.”
Feeling relieved, I let out a small laugh. “Good to know.”
“But it would be nice to hold your hand sometime,” she added, nudging my shoulder. “Or who knows? Maybe we could even kiss again sometime before the next New Year’s Eve countdown.”
My brows shot up. “You want me to kiss you?”
She blushed. “I thought I made it obvious.” When I stared blankly back at her, Katie laughed. “You know, for a boy who’s spent most of his life in a relationship, you’re as clueless as I am.”
“Should I be offended?” I laughed.
“No, it’s a compliment.” Blushing, she took a step closer to me. “And a hint.”
Do it, my brain commanded.She’s lovely.
Don’t you fucking dare, my heart protested.You know how it’ll end.
Deciding to go with the organ that hadn’t led me down a decade-long rabbit hole ofpain, I closed the space between us and cupped her pretty face in my hands.
Filled with a fucked-up concoction of uncertainty, guilt, andexcitement, I threw caution to the wind, leaned in close, and pressed my lips to hers.
