Page 25 of Wish For Me

But I consider his words. Could that be Leif and me? That seal’s already been broken. But last year felt different than just meeting up with an old hookup. We hung out a few more times after that first night at his grandmother’s book club. Coffee one afternoon, a trip to the market the next day, even though he confessed he’d already been.

Each time felt magical, but slightly awkward too. We ended each visit with an awkward hug.

“I feel like we’re in a weird space that’s more than friends but more than hookups, too. But also not even that.”

Dan pulls a cheese plate out of the fridge that Mom said was not to be touched until tomorrow.

I take it from him and put it back.

“You don’t have to figure it all out ahead of time, you know,” Dan says, pulling it out again. “Nerd.”

The doorbell rings and Dan grins. “Hark! What’s that I hear?”

Shit. Five minutes goes fast. “Don’t you dare!”

After a two-second wrestling match, Dan tosses me aside and beats me to the door. “Hey—” he says.

I run up behind him, a little breathless.

My heart flies into my throat.

I told myself I was building him up in my memory, but I wasn’t. Not at all. Leif is so tall, and handsome in that fur-lined coat he must keep here since he can’t need it in California.

Those deep brown eyes practically stab me in the heart.

“Wait,” Dan says, “Do you work at NASA?”

“I do,” Leif says. He shakes my brother’s hand, but his eyes dart quickly back to me.

For a moment, under his gaze, I can’t breathe. Then I register what Dan said. “You do?”

“Yeah. I’m interning,” Leif says. “Also, hey, Noelle.”

Hearing him say my name makes me all warm inside. “Leif. You look…warm.” I cringe.

But Leif grins. “I am. Sort of. It’s freezing out here.”

I go to move, but Dan’s staring at Leif like an overgrown fanboy. My brother’s a huge nerd, and not in the way Leif is. Besides his video game stuff, he follows all these science blogs. He must have seen Leif on some news article or blog. “Hey, uh, do you want to come in?” he asks.

“No,” I say to Dan. “My jacket’s right here.” I grab it from the hook behind the door and pull it on while practically jumping into my boots. I brush past my brother and take Leif’s arm.

“Wait!” Dan calls.

I grimace.

But he just looks at Leif and says, “That study on botany at zero gravity was fucking awesome.” Then he smiles at me and says, “Have a good time.”

I’m so stunned, all I can do is laugh.

CHAPTER7

Noelle

“Wow,” I say as we enter the lobby of the Rolling Hills Resort. I feel immediately silly saying that, but when I look to Leif, he’s smiling at me.

“I have the same reaction every time. It’s kind of embarrassing.”

“I feel like my brother meeting you,” I say.

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