Page 128 of The Most Perfect Wrong

“Yay!” She claps her hands together, practically bouncing with excitement. “Robert?” she calls out again, her voice ringing through the dressing room.

I smile as Vivian starts explaining to Robert all the things I’m going to quote-unquote’need’. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and I can’t help but laugh softly to myself.

Wiping another tear from my cheek, I feel a deep wave of gratitude—for Vivian, for this moment, and especially for Ryan. Not only do I get to be with this incredible guy, but he’s brought wonderful people into my life. Generous, kind, beautiful friends who make me feel seen and cared for in a way I never expected.

Chapter 38

RYAN

“Oh my God, look what I found.”

I glance over at Cooper. She’s holding up an old journal with a mischievous grin, ready to dive in.

“Don’t read that!” I call out from across the room, quickly making my way over to her.

We’re in my new condo, surrounded by boxes stacked against the walls. It’s been an all-day affair. Leo, Michael, and Adam just left after helping with the heavy lifting. Now everything’s here—we just have to unpack. The new place is a high-rise close to work, a short ten-minute walk.

“Oh, come on,” she teases, flipping the journal open. “Where’s the fun in that?”

She lands on a random page and starts reading aloud, her voice exaggerated with a dramatic flare. “March 3, 2008. Went to a party tonight with Jeremy. Amanda was there. She didn’t talk to me, but we made eye contact.”She pauses to shimmy her shoulders, grinning. “Ooh, eye contact…”

I laugh as she looks for another page to read.

“God, I was so pussy-whipped over Amanda,” I admit. “I bet I beat off to her when I got home.” I pause, then correct myself. “No, I definitely did. I remember beating off to her a lot.”

She raises an eyebrow, grinning. “Did you ever get to touch Amanda?”

“No. Not in the way I wanted to, anyway. We became friends later, but she friend-zoned me.”

“Ouch.” Cooper’s eyes skim over the pages, a sly smile creeping across her face as she stops. “Oh, I found one.”

I lean over to see what she’s looking at. “Shit, don’t read that one. This is possibly the most embarrassing entry in the whole book.”

She glances up at me, grinning. “Well, now I have to read it.”

“God, here we go.” I mutter, chuckling under my breath.

“Come on, it’s fun! This is who you were. It’s endearing.” She clears her throat dramatically before reading aloud. “June 8, 2008. Tonight, I touched a boob.” She rolls her bottom lip between her teeth, waggling her brows at me. “Earmuffs, kids—it’s about to get PG-13.”

I laugh, nudging her as I reach for the journal, but she steps back, keeping it just out of my reach.

“Julie Morrison’s boob,” she continues, pausing for maximum effect, “and it was… awesome.”

I laugh again, standing in front of her now, arms crossed. “It was awesome,” I reiterate.

“It was even better than I thought it would be. I took her out to Applebee’s.” Cooper bursts out laughing, her head falling back as she does. “I mean, I’m definitely putting out if someone takes me to Applebee’s.”

“Shut up. That was the cool place to go back then.”

She keeps reading. “When I was driving her home, she put her hand on my leg and started to rub it.” She pauses, looking up at me. “Wait—‘it,’ as in your dick? Or ‘it,’ as in your leg?”

“Oh, just my leg,” I admit with a puff of laughter. “Yeah, and I almost came in my pants right then.”

Her grin widens, and I can’t stop smiling. This is why I love her. She can always find a way to make me laugh, even when she’s roasting me.

“Then she started kissing my neck, and I thought I was going to crash the car, so I pulled over at a park.” She looksup at me, feigning shock. “Oh my God, is this girl stealing my moves?”

I shrug, letting her continue.

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