Page 17 of Fall Into You
I do hate the fact that her current outfit is hiding all of her curves, though, but it’s okay.
She bites that beautiful lip of hers and waves for me to come over.
No need to ask me twice.
I keep my eyes on her as I weave through the people waiting for a table. I can’t believe she’s actually here. I can’t believe we’re actually going to have our non-date. The anticipation is building in me, and suddenly, I’m nervous, my stomach turning, my heart racing.
After what seems like ages, I finally reach Liza, stopping right in front of her.
Do I hug her hello? Do I lean down and kiss her on the cheek? Handshake?
God, what is wrong with me?
“Hey,” she says all breathily.
Hey it is, then.
“Hey,” I hear Vinny’s voice practically grunt beside me.
I do a double-take.
Fuck.
I try my very best to control my expression when I look at him, try my hardest not to show exactly how disappointed I am to see him standing here, crashing my “chance” encounter non-date.
Did she ask him to come? Did I misunderstand what this whole thing was?
“What are you guys doing here?! This is such a coincidence!” My voice is too high-pitched, shaky. I feel like it’s betraying me savagely.
“Uh, having brunch?” Vinny says as if I were dense.
“Cool, cool, cool,” I say, bobbing my head, completelynotbeing cool. I start playing with the keys in my coat pocket with my free hand.
“What about you?” Liza asks cheerily.
“Was just getting coffee. Maybe brunch, I don’t know.” I shrug nonchalantly.Just casually in the same place at the same time after spending the entire week pining away at you.Is it stalking if she told you where to stalk her?
“Do you want to join us?” Vinny asks.
I’m momentarily taken aback by his invitation. It’s not like we haven’t spoken since last weekend, because we have. I even stopped by his house for dinner on Wednesday. But it’s the fact that we’re with his sister, who he deemed as completely off-limits, that shocks me. Is he just being polite? Or are we really back to being cool about his sister? Does he really think that, after that one conversation, I would never go near her in that way again?
Dude, you are so wrong.
But I take whatever I can get.
“Sure! If you think there’s room,” I say. I catch Liza smiling hopefully up at me.
“Lemme check with the host. We actually have a reservation,” he says before disappearing in the crowd toward the host stand.
“What the hell, Liza?” I whisper-yell. “You didn’t say your brother was coming!”
“Um, I didn’t know he was coming until yesterday. I was supposed to meet him later today, but he wanted to eat before. And I don’t have your number, remember? So there was no way I could warn you.” She giggles. “But I’m glad I didn’t tell you—you wouldn’t have come otherwise.”
I shrug. “To be honest, I’ve thought about you so much since I last saw you that I don’t think there is a single thing in the world that would have kept me away from you today. Not even your overprotective brother.”
Her breath hitches, and she stares at me, eyes wide, lips slightly parted.
“Look at me, trying and failing to act cool.” I laugh nervously, scratching my beard. This really isn’t going as planned. I’m being too intense.
