Drew squeezed me closer to his side. "I didn't care about any other girls. I was too enchanted by you to see anyone else."
I went still. "Really?"
Drew turned so we faced each other. "I almost kissed you that night, too." He pushed some hair that had come out of my ponytail behind my ear then slowly traced his fingers along my jaw. "I was just counting down the days until you graduated, so I could ask you out."
Nerve endings I'd forgotten about buzzed with electricity as his fingers traced along my ear. He moved closer, and all my thoughts fled as he leaned his forehead against mine, sending more tingles through me. His hands found their way to the back of my neck and gently moved up and down the base of my scalp, tremors of pleasure rocketing through me.
He breathed in a slow, shaky breath.
This is affecting him, too.
I was falling so hard for this wonderful man. Falling for him more every day.
I tilted my head up to close the distance between our lips.
Then my mom's voice cut through the silence. "Is everything okay up there?"
We broke apart, and my face flamed. Drew's eyes narrowed into focus as if he’d been coming back from a daze. He staggered backward, bumping into Aiden's desk.
I cleared my throat. "Yeah, we're just fine." I wiped my hands on my jeans and tried not to let my disappointment cripple me as I left the room.
I forced a happy tone into my voice when I found my mom in the kitchen. "Are the brownies done?"
"The timer just went off. I can pull them out if you want."
Why didn't you just do that in the first place instead of ruining the moment Drew and I were having?
"I can do it. You go back to your book."
"Are you sure?" Mom eyed me, and then Drew, who was right behind me. If my mom noticed how frazzled we both were, she didn't say anything.
"Yes, go ahead," Drew said.
Mom took a step back toward the living room. And when Drew wasn't looking, Mom mouthed "sorry" to me.
So she had noticed something was going on.
After pulling out the brownies, Drew and I went to work hulling and slicing the strawberries. Though we didn't say anything about what had almost happened, we did bump into each other a few times, our arms brushing against one another as well. I almost cut my finger off when Drew's shoulder grazed mine.
Something was happening between us. Things were changing quickly. And with each stolen touch, the charge went up. I could only imagine that when we finally did kiss again, there might be an explosion.
The electricity stayed all through dinner. Drew's chair was right next to mine, and every now and then his knee bumped against my leg. I tried to avoid looking at him every time it happened. Finally, after the third time, I kept my leg there and let it rest against his. I glanced at him to gauge his reaction, and the corner of his lip quirked up as he listened to my father talk about the cruise he and my mom were planning to take in March.
Feeling encouraged, I decided to have a little fun. I knew the sides of his leg were super ticklish, so I reached over and tickled it for a second. His hamstring flexed, as if he was fighting the sensation. So, of course, I did it again, this time watching his face. His lips pulled into a tight smile that told me he was totally fighting it.
I was about to try again when suddenly he grabbed my hand and held it hostage in his.
His grip felt secure, reassuring, and I didn’t want to let go. The warmth of his touch felt amazing as our fingers intertwined. There were calluses on his skin—proof that his money hadn’t kept him from honest labor.
I fought off the goofy, happy smile I was feeling inside, not wanting to give Drew and myself away to my parents. Drew gave my hand a little squeeze, and I reveled in the fact that his hand fit so perfectly with mine.
"Well, here you are,"I said as I pulled into the studio's parking lot where Drew had left his truck on Friday.
"Yeah, here we are," Drew echoed. The air had been just as charged on the drive as it had been at my parents’ house. It was dark now, and the moon glowed full in the sky. "I guess I'll need to grab my bag out of the trunk." He put his hand on the door handle but hesitated.
"Yeah, I guess so." I tried to keep my disappointment out of my voice. I'd really been hoping tonight would end with a kiss. But I popped the trunk with a push of a button.
Drew waited a moment longer before climbing out. He ducked his head back in my car. "Thanks for the ride. And for everything." He gave me a meaningful look before shutting the door and going to retrieve his bag from the back of my car.