“You changed your hair since the first time I met you. It was different.” I brushed my fingers over his ear without thinking and shivered when my skin tingled in response.
Phoenix licked his lips. “Yes. I went platinum for Puck.”
“I like it. But what does the color of your hair have to do with getting a part?”
“Nothing. But sometimes, it puts me in the right frame of mind. Billy is super masculine, charismatic, and tough, but he’s smart too.” Phoenix shot an appraising look my way. “Looks-wise you’d actually be a perfect Billy. Have you ever thought about acting?”
“Me?” I pointed at my chest incredulously. “Fuck, no.”
“Why so adamant? It’s fun.”
“Theater stuff just isn’t my thing. I play baseball.”
“You can’t do both?”
“Nope. Not me. And I’m not interested anyway.”
He sighed dramatically. “Well…you were a good fantasy while you lasted.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked with a faux scowl.
“Just what you think it means. In my head, I built you into a dream man. Don’t be alarmed. I do that sort of thing sometimes. You really are dreamy, and if you loved the theater, I’d probably ask you to marry me. But you’re probably not ready for my kind of crazy, so it’s just as well. I’m going to have to let you go and remember that you’re a good guy, a decent kisser, and—”
“Decent?” Now the scowl was real.
“Okay, better than decent. You were amazing. A real-life Prince Charming. But we can be friends now and—”
“I don’t want to be your friend.”
“What do you want?”
“I want—” I hesitated for half a second then pulled him against me and crashed my mouth over his.
Kissing Phoenix was better than I remembered. I caressed his jaw tenderly before tilting my head to soften the connection. I didn’t want to overwhelm him, but damn, it took everything I had not to put my hands all over him. I licked the corner of his mouth and groaned. He tasted sweet—like cherries or something. That had to be his lip gloss, I mused before pushing my tongue inside.
We made out slowly at first like we were relearning and reassessing…trying to test a memory. I couldn’t speak for him, but I felt something like physical relief, as though I’d been suffocating for months and I could finally breathe. Our tongues twisted languidly in a sweet and sexy maneuver I could have happily perfected all night long.
When he broke for air, I bit his bottom lip, then stepped back and made a production of fixing his crown.
“For the record, I never wanted to be just your friend.”
“What did you want?” he prodded.
“Everything.”
“Everything?” he repeated.
“Yeah. I still do. But if you just want to be friends, that’s okay.” I paused before adding, “For now.”
Phoenix crossed his arms and let out a long sigh. “I don’t know what I want, Max. And I probably shouldn’t talk about it on an empty stomach. I’m going home.”
“What about the party?”
“I’m gonna skip it. I’m tired and I need real food. Not cheese and crackers. I’ll see you around campus or you can call me for coffee or—”
“Del Taco,” I blurted.
“Huh?”
“Let me buy you a burrito or something and take you home. They have french fries too. You like fries.” I hoped I didn’t sound as desperate as I felt, but I couldn’t let him go.
“I do,” he said carefully.
“Then come with me.”
Phoenix gave me a thoughtful look, then laced his arm through mine and smiled. “All right. Lead the way, Prince Charming.”
We retraced our steps, cutting across the lawn outside of the theater to the lot. He sidled closer for warmth and chatted about school and the homework he’d neglected over the past week because of the play as we approached the parking garage. To be honest, it was “friend zone” conversation and I was pretty sure this was his way of resetting boundaries. Del Taco was cool, but it didn’t mean he wanted to give me another chance.
The second we were in my car, Phoenix fastened his seatbelt and abruptly switched topics.
“Can I ask you a personal question?”
I put my key in the ignition and revved the engine. “Sure.”
“You didn’t break up with your ex because of me, did you?”
I shot a confused glance his way. “No. I told you we were a mess. You didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“Did you tell him about meeting me that night?” he asked, twisting in his seat to face me.
“Yeah.” I checked my rearview mirror and put my Honda Civic in reverse.
“And he didn’t care?” he asked incredulously.
“Like I said, we didn’t have a traditional relationship. Sky wanted the occasional hall pass. With rules. We could make out with other guys as long as we told each other about it.”
Phoenix opened his mouth and huffed incredulously. “Are you kidding me? That’s why you kissed me at Vibes? You got the green light from your boyfriend? That’s so…ew.”