Page 57 of I Saw Her First

“Then let me cook for you.”

“I’d love that.” His hand finds mine on the counter and squeezes.

“Will you come to my place? My roommate is out of town for a couple days visiting her sister.” I’d anticipated some quiet time at home alone, binge-watching something on Netflix, but that was before… well… this. “It’s not fancy,” I add hastily, glancing at the huge, six-burner stove and marble countertops in Weston’s kitchen. “And my room isn’t—”

“It sounds perfect.” The warmth in his eyes tells me he means it. “I can’t wait.”

I grin, grabbing another slice of pizza, wondering what I’ll cook as I chew. Wes wipes his face with a napkin, sliding the pizza box away when we’re done. He eyes the lemon cake, and I smile.

“Go on. Have some.”

I watch as he removes the candles from the frosting, then cuts us each a slice, but I can’t eat until I know he likes it. As his lips close around the cake and he lets out a little moan of satisfaction, I finally let myself take a bite.

“This might be the best lemon cake I’ve ever had,” he murmurs, almost to himself. It feels like there’s a meaning to his words I don’t quite understand, and I lean my head on his shoulder as he eats. He sighs. “Thank you, Daisy.”

“You’re welcome.”

We finish our cake, then he tugs me into his side, our legs dangling off the kitchen island. I close my eyes, my belly full, my body sleepy and satisfied. I desperately want to continue what we started before dinner, but as I glance at the blackness outsidethe kitchen windows, a yawn sneaks from my mouth. It must be late.

Wes presses a kiss to my forehead. “Let me order you an Uber.”

I furrow my brow, glancing away. He’s trying to get rid of me?

“I know you’ve had a long day,” he murmurs, gently tilting my chin back to him. “I have too.”

I sigh. He’s right, but I can’t deny that I’d hoped he’d ask me to stay, that now he’s finally given in to this, we’d go up to his bed and make love.

But as Weston removes his arm from me to pull out his phone, I know that won’t be happening.

And even though I know it’s not logical, a tiny part of me wonders if I did something wrong.

I reluctantly slide from the counter, avoiding his gaze as he walks me to the front door. I’m not sure if I should kiss him goodbye, but he pulls me close and brushes his mouth across mine, lingering.

“Thanks for the pizza,” I say when we part.

He smiles sleepily. “Thankyoufor making my birthday so much better than I could have imagined. I’m looking forward to tomorrow night.”

“Me too.”

I climb into the Uber and watch the streets pass as it winds through Brooklyn, telling myself that tomorrow night it will happen.

24

Daisy

Idon’t know what I was thinking, inviting Weston to my apartment. It seemed like the right thing to do in the moment, a gesture to show him how much I care for him, but as I pull our chipped plates from the cupboard and survey the mess I’ve made in our tiny kitchen, I can’t help but think it was a mistake.

The only godsend is that Denise is out of town. If she saw the tomato sauce splattered on the counter, she’d flip her lid. And I’d have to spend the evening arguing with her, instead of losing my V-card to Weston.

The buzzer sounds, and I wipe my hands on a dish towel, removing the stained apron from my waist and quickly checking my hair. I’m wearing my favorite black dress with the white and yellow daisy print, because I always feel confident in it. Plus, I saw the way he looked at me in this last time.

I let Weston into the building, and a moment later there’s a knock at the door. My heart flutters wildly as I glance one last time around the apartment, making sure I haven’t left dirty underwear on the floor, or tampon wrappers in the bathroom, or something else that might freak him out. But it’s not just that;suddenly the entire apartment feels too small, too messy, too run down. I think of Weston’s grand house on Fruit Street and grimace. What if he takes one look at this place and leaves?

His knock comes again, and I force a deep breath, shaking the thought from my head.

“Hi,” I say, pinning on a smile as I tug open the door.

“Hello.” His eyes are a bright blue shimmer as they meet mine, sweeping over my dress before landing back on my face. “You look beautiful.”

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