Page 32 of I Can't Help It

“Well, at least I’ll have some peace of mind now.” Sloane lets out a lengthy sigh. “And how are things going with Luke? Does he have it bad for you or what?”

I cringe at her wording and silently hope Luke can’t hear her big mouth.

“I’m not sure yet.” I sneak a glance over at him as he holds his phone up toward the trees, probably to take a picture. “There’s been some…moments.”

Like the one she interrupted.

I’m going to slug her once I’m back home.

“AND?! What kind of moments? Details, woman, I need details!”

Ah, so today is a #TeamLuke day.

“Sloane, I can’t exactly discuss this right now.”

A gasp. “Wait, is he there with you?”

“Mmhmm, so maybe—”

“Why are you still on the phone with me?” she cuts in with a curse. “Go strut your stuff and text me later!”

Strut my stuff? What am I, a freaking peacock? Do female peacocks even strut?

I don’t think so.

“Okay, I’m gonna start my yoga,” she continues speaking. “Which means I won’t be available for at least forty-five minutes. Although, it might be longer if Harvey starts messing around and—”

“Ew! No, Sloane!” I gag before she can even finish. “Just no. I’ll text you later! Byeeeee!”

She cackles while shrieking, “I love you, mean it! Good luck, babes!”

I’m not sure which one of us hangs up first, but I repocket my phone once the call is over, and then I walk toward Luke without an ounce of hesitation.

“Sorry about that,” I apologize, trying to stand a little closer to him again. “It was just Sloane, my best friend, checking up on me.”

He cracks a grin. “It seemed like a pretty intense phone call.”

“Sloane is a middle school drama teacher, so there’s never a dull conversation with her.”

But I don’t want to keep talking about Sloane, I want to talk about—

“Are we still heading over to the creek?” Luke asks, nodding ahead of us. “That wooden arrow says it’s close.”

The creek isn’t exactly high on my priority list anymore, but it could be a nice setting for a confession of feelings from BOTH parties.

“Yeah,” I say, doing my best not to stare at his chin dimple, “I want to see it.”

So, we continue strolling in that direction. And since I don’t want to freak him out, I don’t grab his hand again. Instead, I settle for our arms brushing against each other.

It’s not a horrible substitution, but my fingers are aching to be intertwined with his.

I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a guy so badly. As much as I did care about Wyatt when we were dating, what I feel for Luke is so much stronger and deeper. I can’t even begin to describe it.

Which is why it’s going to ruin your life if he turns you down.

But maybe he won’t. Stay positive, Ava!

We reach the creek within a few minutes, and it’s just as stunning as everything else here. The water reflects all the warm autumn colors from the surrounding trees, and the fallen leaves floating in the creek just adds to the breathtaking scene.

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