Page 89 of Even Beneath the Stars

Xavier barks out a laugh. "Wha-What?"He leans in, dragging his teeth across his lower lip, eyebrows both arched."Makeoutsville?"

"Hit the fast lane to PDA Central with zero pit stops?" I offer.

He drags his knuckles along his jaw, still staring, lips parted. His expression is a cross between taken aback, amused, and concerned about my mental health.

"Go from casual convo to a full-blown Passionflix makeout montage before the popcorn’s even done popping?"

"Okay. Think I get the idea."

"I've got more, if you want."

He shakes his head slowly. Twice.

But I hit him with one more, just for good measure. Also, because, this is kind of fun. "Accelerate from witty banter to ‘whoops, we’re horizontal’ like a rom-com that skipped Act Two?"

His fingers rake through his wavy locks. "Yeah, okay. I may be known to… skip the slow-burn romance and jump straight to the director’s cut." He grins at his own decent addition to my impressive list of one-liners. "But usually, it's different. With other girls. I'm not invested or anything, and they know that. Just like I know I'm basically… a conquest or something, for them." He drops his hand, and picks up the beanie again, turning it over in his lap. "It's just… a distraction? I guess?" He shrugs a little self-consciously, peering up at me through his dark lashes.

"And now?" I push, tampering down the fireflies fluttering in my chest.

"Now? It feels different." His eyes meet mine again, something in his gaze more solid this time. More intense. Then he adds, "Now… I'm invested."

Oh. Wow… I wasn't expectingthat.

"This is better," he says motioning toward the lake… the flask on the log between us…me.

I inhale a shaky breath. Becausethis feels like a big deal—for him to admit that an afternoon adventure with me with zero physical intimacy is better than a full-on romp between the sheets with almost 'any hot girl he wants'.

He shrugs again, but there's something vulnerable in the gesture. After a moment of silence, his voice drops lower. "So…do you still want to go on a second date?"

Our eyes meet, and my heart stutters. The usual swagger is gone, replaced by something softer. Real. More relatable than anything else about him.

"I definitely do." I smile. "These past few hours were amazing, Xave."

His shoulders relax slightly. "Yeah?"

"Amazing," I repeat, and then more softly, "And I know what you mean… I feel invested, too."

He presses his tongue against the inside of his cheek. "First time for everything, huh? We're actually on the same page."

"Yup." I laugh. "And I'll plan the next date." I bump his shoulder with mine. "But just so you know, I'm not even going to try to top this one. It was perfect."

"And you're surprised?" The smirk is back.

Only it doesn't annoy me anymore. It does still affect me, but in an entirely different way.

"You're so arrogant," I scoff.

"Confident."

"Arrogant."

"Agree to disagree."

I flick his chest. "Bossy biscuit."

Chapter Thirty-Five

Xavier

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