Page 63 of Crazy Pucking Love
Meet me at the diner? I’m already there, so I’ll order you coffee. And fries. I’d hate for you to run out of fuel ;)
To anyone else, the text would probably look like a classic booty call, but we were late-night, insomniac friends, so this stretch of night was our home base. Truthfully, I’d take a booty call right now, as long as he let me in a little, the way we’d talked about.
Me:I’ll see you soon.
As quickly as I could, I threw on jeans and a vintage T-shirt. Since my hair was a mess from all the tossing and turning, I pulled it into a sloppy bun. I jumped on one foot while trying to get my hot pink chucks on and slammed into my desk, bruising the same hip that my desk apparently had a vendetta against.
I swore and then froze—Vanessa didn’t even move. I almost didn’t bother with earrings, but it felt like going out half-naked. Plus, Dane had a habit of playing with them, and I had a habit of swooning over it. I grabbed my safety pin pair, thinking they’d add a bit of a rocker edge to my outfit. They looped through the ear, and a chain with a tiny skull and heart hung from the bejeweled fastener.
One of my former “friends” had called them disturbing, which made me second-guess if they were the right pair for my reunion with Dane. Then I remembered I didn’t care about her opinion—I liked them, and that was all that mattered.
A spritz of perfume and a quick swipe of lip gloss followed by popping an Altoid, and I was out the door.
My nerves tugged and twisted, a mix of excited and anxious as I approached the diner a short drive later. I didn’t know what to expect. I’d spent a lot of time riding an emotional rollercoaster the past few days because of the boy waiting inside, and for all I knew, he’d go back to insisting we could only be friends.
Could I do that? Pretend we hadn’t crossed the line?
Strong or not, it’d crush me a little, and I didn’t think things would ever be the same. Once you saw someone naked, things just changed.
I sucked in a lungful of cool night air and held it for a second before exhaling a puff of white. As soon as I opened the door, I spotted him, seated in his usual booth. My heart thumped in my chest. One beat, then two, then three…
He glanced up and our gazes met. My stomach jumped into my throat and I fought the urge to run to him. I didn’t know how I could miss someone I’d known for such a short time so much, but I had.
One corner of his mouth kicked up, sending my pulse off and running.
He stood, took three long strides, and then I was in his arms, and all my worries melted away. In this moment, everything was right with the world, and that made me wish for it to never end.
“Man, it’s good to see you,” he said.
“Right back at you.” I ran my hand down the side of his face and he closed his eyes and sighed. Then he dipped his head and brushed his lips over mine, eliciting a rush of tingles that traveled way down to my toes.
I read that signal as go for launch with the kissing, so I parted my lips and kissed him with everything that’d been building up in me for days, basking in how tightly he held me as he enthusiastically returned the gesture.
Slowly, he lowered me to my feet and grabbed my hand. He sat back down at the table, pulling me with him so that we were side by side in the booth.
Larry showed up with a cup of coffee and a plate of fries, and I inhaled the delicious fried scent of my “fuel.” He glanced at Dane’s almost empty coffee cup. “You need a refill?” He curled the pot closer to him, like he hoped he’d say no.
“I think I’m good for now, thanks.”
“Maybe some chamomile tea?”
“You want me sleeping in one of your booths tonight?”
“Hey, if you got some sleep, I’d consider it a win.” Larry nodded at me. “Good to see you again, Megan. At least he looks happier now. You look happier than you did last night, too. You kids let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thanks,” I said, watching him go before turning to Dane. “He worries about you. It’s nice.”
Dane sleepily bobbed his head. His eyes were bloodshot, and I could see the exhaustion tugging at him.
I moved the fries so they were in the middle of us. “Have some. I’ll never finish all these myself.”
He raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“Okay, so I totallycouldeat them all, but you should have some, too.”
“I already had a burger and fries,” he said, but then he popped one in his mouth. He leaned back, placing his arm on the booth behind me.
“So, is everything okay? With the stuff you had to take care of?”
