“It’s slippery out there. You must have lost your footing,” I commented.
“And my self-respect. That’s what I get for showing off,” he griped.
I chuckled. “Who were you showing off for?”
“You, of course.” He signaled to his friends that he was okay, then turned to me with his hand outstretched. His winning smile immediately faded as he widened his eyes in disbelief. “Max?”
Oh. Wow.
I opened my mouth and shut it like a fish out of water as a flood of memories hit me like a rogue wave: dancing close to sexy music in a dark club in LA, his sweat-slicked torso pressed to my chest, his fingers in my hair as he sucked on my bottom lip, twisting his tongue alongside mine. Over and over. All night long.
“Phoenix,” I whispered.
The corner of his mouth lifted in amusement. “You remember.”
“Of course, I remember. Um…what are you doing here? It’s been a while, but I thought you lived in West Hollywood or something.”
“I did, but I was accepted to Chilton’s film and television program. I started last month and I’m loving it,” he gushed.
“Uh, that’s cool. Did you tell me you were transferring here?” I asked in confusion.
“I don’t know. Do you go here too?”
“Yeah…I thought I mentioned it, but—”
“You didn’t. But don’t beat yourself up. It was months ago. I have a hard time remembering what I ate for breakfast, let alone what I told a stranger I met at a club.” In spite of his cheerful intonation, his smile dimmed.
“No. It’s not like that. I remember everything,” I blurted. “Your name is Phoenix Bell. You like Lady Gaga and Pink. The artist and the color. You talked about your family too.”
“Well, that’s embarrassing,” he said with a laugh. “Did I really?”
“Just a little. You have a twin sister and a brother. You love french fries and you’re a great dancer. And an even better kisser. Oh…and you’re twenty-one. Did I forget anything?”
Phoenix smiled. “No. But I’m twenty-two now. My birthday was last month.”
“Happy birthday.”
“Thank you. I remember you too. You’re a sports guy, right?”
I chuckled. “Yeah. A baseball sports guy.”
“That’s right. The one with the sexy pants.”
“I guess,” I agreed with a half laugh.
His mischievous grin was really fuckin’ cute. Hell, he was really fuckin’ cute. Phoenix was maybe five nine, lean and toned in all the right places. He had twinkling blue eyes, high cheekbones, and full lips. And though he wasn’t classically attractive, there was something magnetic about him. He exuded a joyful yet sophisticated vibe I’d found seriously appealing the night we met. And now.
He shivered when a gust of wind whistled along the wide corridor. “Fuck, it’s cold.”
“Yeah, it is. You should go inside, and I should get to practice. What were you doing out in the rain anyway?”
“I’m a fairy,” he said as though that explained everything.
“O-kay.”
“Not that kind of fairy. Actually, I am that kind of fairy too,” he assured me with a sassy wink before continuing, “I’m Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We finished rehearsal just when it started raining and I couldn’t resist.”
“Even though you’re freezing?” I touched his elbow to point out the goose bumps on his forearm.
Fine. It was just an excuse to touch him again. Memory morphed into déjà vu, like my body remembered him on a whole other level. We hadn’t done anything crazy that night. We’d just danced and made out. It was hot as fuck, but I’d wanted so much more.
Unfortunately, I still had a boyfriend back then. And no, that’s not as douchey as it sounds. Sky and I had been exclusive, but we gave each other permission to play if we weren’t together. The main rule was honesty. I was allowed to make out with another guy if Sky wasn’t with me and vice versa, but nothing more. Our “You can look and maybe touch as long as the other party knows every detail” rule had been Sky’s idea to keep things interesting and give us a dose of freedom within a committed relationship. It worked for a while, and then it just felt…cold. We were at the finish line the night I’d met Phoenix, but not quite done. Walking away that night with nothing but the scent of Phoenix’s cologne on my shirt and a phone number I couldn’t call had been pure torture. I’d thought about him nonstop for weeks after. Running into him now felt surreal.
If we weren’t on school property, I might have thought the universe was giving me a cool do-over. But the timing was almost worse than it had been when I was trying to salvage my rocky relationship. Between Christian’s public coming-out and Sky’s abrupt departure from the baseball team after our private but volatile breakup, I had more eyes on me now than ever. And let’s face it, a hot make out session a few months ago didn’t necessarily translate to something special…like a second chance.