Page 55 of We Met Like This
“I thought it worked. It says delivered on my screen. Is it delivered?”
“Let me check.” I slowly walked to the door, trying not to anger my pounding head any further, and opened it. I let out a surprised yelp when a man was standing on my front porch holding an In-N-Out bag. He was backlit by the sun and I squinted against the light.
“What’s wrong?” Mom asked.
“Nothing. It’s… it’s here. Thank you.” To the man, I said, “Hold on.” I spun around, walked to the couch, and plucked the two five-dollar bills off the floor.
“Glad you got it,” Mom said. “Enjoy.”
“Mom, wait.”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry I haven’t been to see you more lately. You were right, I have been… unhappy. But I’m working on things. I’m going to visit soon.” I walked back to the door and held out the cash for the delivery guy.
Over the phone, Mom said, “Yes, I heard about how you’re working on things. Audrey told us! We’re so proud. Call me after you eat so you can tell me all about your new position.”
I was stunned silent. Before I had time to respond, the phone went dead. The bills in my hand were still extended in front of me. Only now that my eyes were adjusted to the sun, I could see that it wasn’t a delivery guy at all.
It was Oliver.
CHAPTER 17
Oliver was on my porch. Even after that look he’d given me at the restaurant yesterday. Even after I was certain he wouldn’t want to see me again.
“I’ve decided that somehow you know when I look my worst and magically appear,” I said, stepping aside and opening the door wider for him to come in. Unlike me, he looked amazing.
“On two out of the three occasions you’re referring to, you invited me. Somagicisn’t really the right descriptor.” He handed me the bag of food.
I raised my eyebrows at the money I still held out for him.
He shook his head with a smile and took the cash from me, only to pull me forward by the pocket of my sweats and tuck the money inside. The way my downstairs region reacted to that simple, yet intimate, gesture surprised me.
I gripped the In-N-Out bag tighter and tried to say as casually as possible, “I invited you today?”
He chuckled, stepping inside.
“I’m scared to know.”
“You were really drunk.”
“Don’t hold it against me. Yesterday was a bad day and Sloane is a bad influence.” I closed the door and locked it.
“That isn’t from me, by the way.” He pointed to the fast food in my hands. “It was on the porch.”
“My mom.”
“Nice mom,” he said.
“It’s not a hangover gift.” I peered in the bag to see several orders of fries and at least three burgers. “It’s a promotion gift.”
“I see,” he said.
“She thinks…”I was actually promotedwas how I should’ve finished the sentence, but I didn’t. The lie I’d told my sister had now spread to my mom. My head hurt too much to think about the conversation I needed to have with her.
He walked past me to the living room, his scent filling my senses. He looked at the empty Bad Decisions jar on the ground.
“You smell good,” I said.
