Page 48 of Finn Rhodes Forever

She paused.

I swallowed, suddenly nervous. “Stay right where you are.”

“Why?” She stood there frozen, eyes wide.

I leaned closer, so fucking slowly so as not to scare her off. I gave her time to lean back and get the fuck away from me if she wanted.

“I’m going to kiss you goodnight.”

Alarm rose in her eyes. “What?”

“You heard me.” An inch closer.

Her gaze dropped to my lips. “Um.” She blinked, lashes fluttering. Her gaze was going hazy, eyes on my mouth. “Okay,” she said, surprising me.

I drew closer, closer, until at the last second I paused a hair’s width from her lips. My chest brushed hers. Her breath moved over my skin, and wide brown eyes stared back at me. I quickly turned and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her cheek. She shivered under my touch.

“Goodnight,” I murmured in her ear.

“Goodnight,” she whispered back before she whirled around and closed the door.

I stared at it, smiling to myself.

Liv still had feelings for me, whether she realized it or not. Now, I had to take her on a date that reminded her why.

19

Olivia

Three days later,I was still thinking about the pastel purple sticky note that had been sitting on my bookshelf when I got home from the diner with Finn.

It was a cartoon drawing of a bird with a choppy haircut. He must have put it there while I was changing out of my pajamas. I’d set it on my bedside table, and when I woke up, it was the first thing I saw.

“Olivia.”

I snapped to attention with a sharp inhale. My head whipped toward Sadie, leaning on the bar with crossed arms and a funny smile on her face. “What?”

“You’ve been drying that glass for five minutes.” She grinned wider, her green eyes shining.

I dropped the cloth and set the glass on the rack above my head. “Just thinking about my research.”

“Right.” She nodded, still smiling. “Your research. And how’s that going?”

I shrugged. “Fine.”

“Mhm.” She leaned in, narrowing her eyes.

Nerves squirmed in my stomach.

“Your shirt is weird.” She glanced at the t-shirt I bought online last week.

It was a murky, unflattering brown, almost like it had been tie-dyed, and smack-dab in the center of my chest was a giant poo emoji.

She gave me a funny look. “What’s up with you?”

I swallowed and shrugged again. “Nothing,” I lied.

“You’re lying.”

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