Five
The guys surrounded me,discussing weekend plans while I smiled at the ground. I slept at home last night since Dad hadn’t returned, but I stayed up way too late thinking about Gavin. When I saw him this morning in the driveway, my heart nearly exploded. He was leaning against GI Joe and beamed when he saw me.
We probably looked like a scene from a cheesy, teen rom-com, but I ran to him and threw my arms around his neck as he spun me. His lips were on mine before he lowered me, and I clung to him, not wanting to think of the rest of the world.
The buzz of the lunchroom pulled me back. I glanced up and caught him watching me with a small grin. I bit my lower lip, and his cheeks flushed before turning to listen to what Vince was saying.
School was a nuisance. I wanted to grab Gavin’s hand and run back to his car and spend the day alone. His telling me how he felt about me ignited a spark, a desire I’d never known before.
I didn’t want to admit it, but the dream may have been the kindling that got this all started. Kissing and cuddling had been enough for me before.
But now.
Now, I was thinking about how it would feel to do more.
“Ave?” Sky called my name a bit too loudly.
I snapped my head up. “What?”
“I’ve been trying to get your attention for like five minutes.” He was exaggerating, but I didn’t call him out. “Something on your mind?” He wagged a brow, and I narrowed my eyes.
“Nothing in particular,” I mumbled.
“Sleep well?” His wicked grin made me want to run.
“Fine, thanks for asking,” I replied with as little emotion as possible. “And you?”
“Boring dreams.” He dropped his shoulders dramatically. “I was really hoping for something better.”
I gritted my teeth. If he didn’t start acting normal—well, normal for him—the guys were going to ask questions.
“I had the craziest dream. You know the inflatable chicken in front of the dealership on Center? He was chasing me around, and the only thing I had to fight him was a pool noodle.” Vince shook his head. “It was so weird.”
“I bet Freud would have something to say about that,” Luca chuckled.
Noah smirked and lowered his gaze. “Sounds like a personal problem.”
Vince shoved him and started laughing. “I’m pretty sure I’m too young for that.”
I watched them, not understanding, then pulled out my phone. I had a text from CeeCee. She made a group thread with Gwyneth and asked if we had plans tonight and if we wanted to get together.
A: Sure! Let me know where
G: Let’s get dinner and you guys can stay over
A sleepover? Is that what you called it when we were teenagers? It had been way too long since I’d be invited to one. Well, with girls. Excitement built up in my stomach.
A: Sounds good!
C: Meet at le Bistro at five
“We lost her again.” Luca’s voice caught my attention.
“Sorry, the girls were texting me.”
“Oh, really?” Vince asked.
“Yeah, I’m meeting them for dinner then sleeping over at Gwyneth’s.”