Page 24 of Like First Love, Again

Her chest tightened.Oh.

Oh shit.

Mia sat up so fast that it made her lightheaded. Her heart thundered against her sternum like it was trying to break free. Like it knew something her brain was just beginning to process. Like it wanted to look her in the face when it taunted her with afinally, bitcheye roll.

Didn’t all best friends memorize the exact spot on each other’s skin that gave them goosebumps? Being jealous when they had to share them with other people was normal, right? Other people felt electricity dance across their skin when their best friend’s fingers brushed against theirs, she was sure.

She just had never felt like this about anyone else because she’d never had a friendship that close again. But that was just part of getting older. The depth of interpersonal relationships changed.

As if to prove a point, Mia’s mind turned to the bright and undeniablenow. And now… Now her skin tingled every time Tori smiled at her. Her heart still raced when Tori got too close. The urge to touch her was still there, burning under her skin like a fever.

“Fuck,” she whispered into the empty room like some unseen being was waiting to spring forth with answers. To help her understand what was happening to her. What had happened with Tori.

Nothing came.

Twelve

Tori should have been heading to work. As managing broker, she liked to be physically present in the office even if most agents did little more than pass through. There were always problems to solve and staff to manage. Plus, she liked it there. Liked the ritual of getting dressed and driving across town and sitting at her desk. Liked the structure of routine and order.

But then there were Mia’s texts asking her to come over to contend with. Her messages were wildflowers breaking through a manicured lawn. Watercolor bleeding over carefully drawn lines. The uninvited chaos of her touch left the world more vibrant—even if also unsettled.

Tori laughed to herself when she turned down Mia’s street. She was losing her damn mind.

She parked next to the Volvo and strode to the front door. In charcoal trousers and a thin black top, she’d slicked her hair back in a tight ponytail. Picking it up was the only defense against seven-thousand percent humidity.

Even though Mia opened the door immediately, Tori had started sweating the moment she was out of AC range.

“Hi,” Mia breathed, face flushed like she was the one standing in the heat. Her gaze floated over Tori’s body and back to her face. “You just go to work like that? Every day?”

Tori’s pulse stumbled and restarted too fast. “Looking like what?”

“Looking like...” Mia gestured vaguely at her. “That.”

Heat flooded Tori’s skin while she tried not to notice Mia’s bare legs under an oversized T-shirt. Notice the strands of hair that had escaped her messy bun. Notice the unreadable glint in her hazel eyes while she peered up at her.

“Well, I tried to talk the partners into letting me wear basketball shorts and a muscle tee, but they wouldn’t bite.” Tori chuckled to spend the nervous energy that was building up too fast. “You finally going to give me those forms or what?”

Mia’s expression darkened when she stepped back to let Tori in. “Are you seeing clients today?”

Escaping the heat, Tori sat at the kitchen counter. “Why?”

On the other side of the counter, Mia studied her like a human lie detector. “That’s not an answer.”

“Technically it’s an answer, since it’s what you got in response to your question.” Tori’s grin broke free and she had to bite her bottom lip to pull it back. “It’s just not the one you wanted.”

Mia’s energy was blinding. She laughed, throat flushed and bobbing. “When did you get like this?”

“Like what?” Tori teased, afraid she was bordering on obnoxious but she couldn’t bring herself to stop. She loved chasing Mia’s delight. Loved it even more when she was the cause.

With her brow raised and her full lips curved in a way that screameddon’t be such a smartass, Mia crossed her arms over her chest. With just her glare, she pinned Tori down.

Tori happily gave up her power with a chuckle. “A lot has changed in fourteen years.”

The moment Tori spoke, she wished she hadn’t. The light flickered in Mia’s eyes right before it died. It had been the wrong thing to say, Tori knew it instantly. Knew it in the way her stomach dropped and her skin prickled and her mouth went dry.

“I haven’t wanted to bring this up.” Mia dimmed so much, there was nothing left. “Actually”—she shifted her weight in a rare moment of uncertainty—“I didn’t want to bring this up at all. I was kind of hoping you’d say something first.”

Tori tried to swallow, but all the moisture in her body had migrated to the sweat pooling at the small of her back. She didn’t want things to change. Didn’t want to talk about whatever was casting a shadow across Mia’s face.

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