Page 57 of Undeniable

“It just seems wrong.”

“And you don’t think he’s searched for you on the internet?”

I didn’t even have to think about it. “No. I actually don’t.” I trusted Connor.

She sighed. “Are you sure about the picture?”

I rolled my eyes. “Positive.”

“You’re no fun. Why can’t you take one? Just one?” She held her hands together in prayer.

“No,” I said more firmly, even as I tried not to laugh.

“Well then, ask him to take one with you. You know—to commemorate the fact that you actually met.”

I laughed, though the idea was tempting. “We’ll see. Besides, you’ll get to see him soon enough.” At the panel in a few days.

“True.” She wound another piece of my hair around the barrel. “But you wouldn’t make your best friend wait that long, now would you?”

She batted her eyelashes at me, and I laughed.

“I make no guarantees.”

We fell silent for a minute, her concentration on my hair. I’d never expected this day to come and now that it was here, well…

“So…how are you feeling?” She set down the curling iron and picked up the hair spray. I closed my eyes and held my breath as she spritzed it over my hair.

“Nervous. Excited. Like I might throw up.” I held a hand to my stomach.

“You’re not going to throw up.” She nudged my hand aside. “That’s just the butterflies.”

I wasn’t so sure. Though, Connor did make me believe that the things we read in romance novels weren’t as mythical as I’d once believed.

Finally, she stood back, admiring her work in the mirror. “There.”

I moved my head from side to side, watching the curls as they bounced. And trying to ignore those pesky butterflies, as she called them. Because right now, they felt like they were trying to make a break for it. “Gorgeous. Thank you.”

“Wow.” She leaned her hip against the bathroom counter. “You’re actually admitting that you look good? This is big.”

I rolled my eyes, even though I knew she was right. “I’ve been working on it.”

She wrapped an arm around my shoulder and squeezed. “I’ve noticed. And I’m glad. You’re beautiful, and it’s time you realized that. It doesn’t hurt to have a hot guy interested either.” She winked.

“Yeah, well…it’s not like we know whether he’s hot.”

Even if he wasn’t, his friendship had certainly boosted my confidence. Connor was… He’d never seen me, yet he was still interested in talking to me. He always made time for me. I didn’t need to see him to know I was attracted to him. I often wondered if he felt the same. And I only hoped the image I’d built of him in my head would match up to reality.

“Do you think this is the right outfit?” I asked, agonizing over my clothes for the millionth time. It was the first time Connor and I would see each other in person. It was important.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “We’ve been over this.”

I sighed. “I know. I’m just second-guessing everything. I mean, is this even a date?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes.”

“He said he was taking me out. So, not technically a date. Besides, he invited me to get coffee.”

She blew out a breath, brushing some of her hair aside. “He probably just picked a coffee shop so it would be less pressure. Besides, it’s not justanycoffee shop—it’s the coolest bookstore on the planet. And one of your favorite places.”

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