Page 68 of Heartthrobs Don't Date Wallflowers
But clearly, I was a terrible actor because Zach saw right through it.
“How long have you known?” he asked.
“Uh, pretty much since the day I moved in,” I said. “Technically, I think we moved in on a Thursday, but then I saw you guys out there the next day, so...”
He shook his head. “And here I thought I didn’t have a stalker.”
I grinned. “Hey, I’m not the one who figured out your identity first. If anything, you’re my stalker.”
“Good thing we found each other,” he said. “Goodness knows other people might not have been so open to the idea of being watched like this.”
He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close, kissing me gently on the lips.
Someone cleared their throat behind us, from the direction of Zach’s open bedroom door. I pulled away with a laugh. By now, I was used to us never having any privacy at his house, with so many roommates. It was the opposite of being at my house, where we were almost always alone.
Neil was standing in the doorway, awkwardly shifting on his feet.
“The other guys are downstairs,” he said. “Luca’s trying to get the fire set up, but he can’t figure it out, and we were wondering if...” He trailed off, clearly wanting Zach to come down but not wanting to have to say it.
“I can help,” Zach said.
A girl appeared beside Neil, slipping her hand into his easily. She looked like a miniature version of Sloane, even though she was only a year younger. Not that they were identical. Where Sloane had long hair, Grace’s was cut to her shoulders and where Sloane always dressed preppy, Grace was wearing jeans and a T5 shirt, which matched her phone case that was a collage of T5 photos.
Grace was possibly the biggest fan of the band I had ever met. She was even in their fan club at school and was part of the group of girls that would go see them every single morning. I thought she would have stopped doing that when she and Neil started dating since she saw the boys all the time, but she told me itwasn’t just about seeing them, it was also about hanging out with her friends and other fans—because ultimately, even though she had Neil now, she didn’t stop being a fan of them. I thought that sounded really sweet—until Neil added that she used all of that as an excuse for seeing Jude in the mornings, because he was still her favorite member of the band.
“I just need to get changed before we go down,” I said.
Neil nodded. “I’ll let them know.”
He tugged on Grace’s hand, and she followed happily, leaning into his side and whispering something to him as they walked downstairs.
“Do you need pants or something to wear?” Zach asked, looking at my bare legs. I was still in my school uniform. I’d actually brought pants over, but it sounded like he was offering his clothes, and who was I to turn down that opportunity?
“Absolutely, I do,” I said. “What have you got?”
He grinned, clearly seeing right through me, but went to his dresser to grab some clothes.
“How would you feel about…” He started pulling random clothes out, glancing at them, and then chucking them back in. I wondered what his vetting system was—maybe what he thought I’d look cute in, or what he was okay with parting with, because he’d realized by now that I wasn’t planning on giving back any of his clothes? His sweater that I’d worn at the concert and the sweatpants he’d offered me on that rainy day, were still carefully tucked away in my room. I was hoping to build up that shrine to him with some more of his hoodies. What else was the point of being his girlfriend?
“How about some Take Five sweatpants,” he said, chucking a pair of black sweats at me with the T5 logo embroidered on the right hip, “and aThe Next Great Boybandsweater?”
Representing his current bandandthe show he went on that to become part of the band. How fitting.
“Perfect,” I said. I slipped into the bathroom and changed into the clothes quickly. By the time I came out, we were ready to head downstairs.
People were all over the house; I’d expected everyone to be in the backyard by now, but I could Grace singing to herself in the living room, and Finn was with his girlfriend Nina in the kitchen. Somehow, I’d gone this long without realizing that there was a girl who lived here too—Nina Russo Turner, Jude’s little sister. Apparently, she and Finn had started dating after she moved in, and though Jude hadn’t taken it too well at first, he’d warmed up to it by now. Finn was at the counter making some hot chocolate while Nina hugged him from behind, offering commentary about how he wasn’t putting enough marshmallows in.
We didn’t interrupt their moment as we stepped out onto the back deck. It was pretty much pitch black out by now, so the backyard was only lit by the lights in the hot tub to the right and the string lights draped over some patio furniture down the way. In the huge backyard, it wasn’t much.
“Finally!” Jude yelled as soon as we stepped out. He and Hudson were standing over the fire pit while Megan and Sloane were curled up beside it, blankets around them. I broke away from Zach, leaving him to deal with the boys, and went to sit with them.
Megan immediately offered me a blanket, and I took it, wrapping it around myself.
“How long have they been working on this?” I asked.
Megan groaned. “Don’t ask.” She took a swig from a thermos and then offered it to me. I took it and sipped, loving the taste of the hot apple cider.
“Yum,” I said, handing it back to her.
