Page 43 of Like First Love, Again

“You’ll see,” she teased before grabbing her things and heading outside where the Volvo was packed with three huge coolers and several grocery bags.

Mia was already sitting in the driver’s seat and waiting when Tori stepped out. She looked exactly like an older version of her high school self. Toned arms visible in the tee and hair pulled back, Tori was literally jaw dropping.

“Are you going to tell me now?” Tori asked when she slid into the passenger seat.

Mia answered by grabbing Tori by the back of the neck and kissing her so hard, she busted her own lip when their teeth banged together. The metallic tang was a small price to pay.

Tori’s hand found her hip, and for a shattering second, Mia thought she was going to pull her across the center console. That she was to make Mia straddle her lap and devour her in the driveway. Instead, Tori gave her a squeeze and smiled.

“What was that for?” Tori pressed her forehead to Mia’s like she couldn’t stand to stop touching her either.

Only the sound of ice shifting in a cooler kept Mia from dragging Tori inside the house. She pulled away just enough to look into her mesmerizing brown eyes. Inhaling so deeply that her chest burned from the expansion, Mia didn’t have an answer. Didn’t have the words for everything swirling in her body.

“I like you in basketball shorts,” Mia replied because it was true even if incomplete.

Tori chuckled before dragging her teeth over her bottom lip in a way that made Mia want to let a lot of good food go to waste. “I guess I’ll wear them more often.”

Mia wanted to reply with something cool and flirty, but everything sounded so stupid in her head. She kissed her instead.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

Tori connected the freckles scattered over Mia’s arm using her fingertip. Everywhere Tori touched sent lightning branching over her skin. It restarted her brain and made her throw the car in reverse.

“So impatient,” Mia replied with a grin.

Twenty minutes later, Mia was pulling up to the park where a dozen of their high school friends were already waiting. To avoidlugging the overstuffed coolers, Mia drove through the grass and up to the pavilion she’d rented next to a basketball court.

“I’m sorry, are we crashing a child’s birthday?” Tori gripped the door handle as if Mia were taking hairpin turns down a ravine instead of rolling slowly over a clearing.

“Please forgive me for forgetting the piñata,” Mia joked before shifting into park between the pavilion and the barbecue.

Still openly confused, Tori laughed when she recognized the people walking toward them. “Mia, what the heck did you do?”

“I set up a basketball playdate,” she replied like it was obvious.

Tori’s eyes were incandescent while she beamed at her. As if Mia had presented her with some precious jewel rather than a silly gathering at the park. It had only taken a few days to gather most of her old basketball team and some extra friends so there were enough people to play. It wasn’t a big deal.

“And you even invited Ashley Mora.” Tori’s grin was bright enough to guide ships to safety.

Mia rolled her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek and still failing to keep a straight face. “Yeah, well. It’s not like I had a lot of options,” she lied.

Tori looked like she was going to lean in and kiss her, but they were mobbed by helpful friends opening doors and grabbing supplies from the Volvo. For the first time, Mia considered whether they’d tell people they were dating. They hadn’t discussed it yet, mostly because they’d never left Mia’s house as a couple. Until now.

Something about that made Mia’s stomach clench. She didn’t have time to ruminate on it before she was standing at a communal grill sweating her ass off. While people chatted and music blared, Mia pushed hot dogs around the foil she’d set down and wished Daniela was back from her honeymoon.

It didn’t feel out of fucking nowhere to tellherabout dating Tori. But everyone else? Was she supposed to make an announcement? It all felt so new. So fragile. Like one wrong move and what they were building would cave in under its own weight.

Her gaze drifted to where Tori was holding a basketball above her head and looking to pass. Mia was too far away to hear what she was shouting, but she looked so intent.

She chuckled to herself. Tori’s skin was flushed, her hair dark with sweat. Allergic to doing anything half-assed, Tori hustled up and down the court like she was making her professional debut.

While Mia watched, Tori did a ridiculously cute move where she dribbled the ball behind her back and then twisted around to take a blind shot. When she made the basket, Tori’s team erupted into whoops like they’d clinched the Super Bowl.

Before Mia could find someone else to take over cooking, fucking Ashley Mora was running up to Tori. Apparently slapping Tori’s ass wasn’t enough. She had to jump on her back like a deranged koala.

Glaring, Mia couldn’t help but notice how often Ashley touched Tori. Aggressively transferring charred hot dogs to a foil pan so she could start the stupid burgers, Mia tracked every unnecessary butt slap and high five and hug.

If Ashley were acting that way with the other girls, Mia wouldn’t be on the verge of hissing. Well, she might be, but it wouldn’t be burning the back of her throat to get free. But no, it was like Ashley’s hands had a fucking magnetic attraction to Tori’s body.

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