Page 92 of Better Than the Movies
“Would Joss care if you went with him?”
“Oh, yeah—but maybe we could all go together…?” Dressing up with two of my favorite people? It sounded so much more amazing than what I had previously envisioned as the perfect prom.
“Well, whatever happens,” Helena said, “I’ll be happy to underwrite a pre-prom salon and spa day.”
I unscrewed the juice lid and said, “That sounds really fun. But you have to come along.” And I meant it. I wanted her there with me.
She raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
I shrugged and said, “I mean, if you piss me off, I’ll just tell your stylist that you secretly want mini-bangs.”
“Can you even imagine how they would look on this runway of a forehead?”
“They look terrible on everyone—period.”
After that, I went up to my room and sent Jocelyn a text about Wes, which led to us going back and forth for, like, an hour.
Me: I think I might like-like him.
Her: OBVIOUSLY.
Me: I think HE might like-like me.
Her: Tell me every little thing that happened.
I didn’t mention that we’d kissed, which was weird because I usually told her everything. Well, except for lately. But it had been so perfect—both the kiss and his sweet comment about my style—that I didn’t want Joss’s opinion to mar the evening’s flawlessness.
I stayed up way too late making a Wes and Liz playlist and went to sleep thinking of his face after he’d kissed me. Because the way he’d looked at me—like he couldn’t believe it had happenedand also like he wanted to do it again—weakened my knees with its mere recollection.
His eyes had been soft and hot all at the same time, intense and sweet, and I wished there was a way to archive the memory so it could never be lost.
How was I ever going to sleep?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Nice boys don’t kiss like that.”
“Oh, yes, they fucking do.”
—Bridget Jones’s Diary
“Oh, bless you.” Jocelyn took the coffee from my hand and raised it to her mouth. “And why are you wearingthat?”
I looked down at my adorable owl dress before unlocking my locker. “Why wouldn’t I? I love it.”
She made a face as she sipped from her cup and leaned against the locker beside mine. “I was hoping you were going to stick with the new look.”
You look best when you’re you.My face got hot as I remembered Wes and the rain and his hands in my hair. I’d been on high alert since arriving at school that morning, looking for him around every corner and in every hallway, my stomach wild at the thought of laying eyes on him.
Of him laying eyes on me right back.
Lord.
He hadn’t texted since the kiss, but it’d been late when he’d dropped me off, and he’d still had to go back for his car. I grabbedmy history book from the top shelf and said, “I still like my dresses. Sue me.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” she said, swirling the coffee around in her cup. “You’re adorable no matter what you wear, but you were just ultra-adorable in modern casual.”
“Thanks, although that outfit is totally ruined now from my bloody nose.”
