Page 19 of In Love with Lewis Prescott
“Hey.”
Well, we cleared that initial greeting hurdle. Way to go, us.
I kick off my sneakers and walk over to the kitchen island. When I set the box on the counter, Lewis rips into it immediately. He demolishes half of a long john in a single bite, and for a few seconds, I just stare at him, in awe of his appetite. And his ability to act so natural despite the pornographic awkwardness that happened between us less than an hour ago.
He pauses when he notices me staring at him. “Sorry, I figured it was okay to dig in.”
“Yeah, absolutely.”
I grab him a plate along with a napkin while he digs into a passion fruit cake doughnut next. He mumbles a “thanks” between bites.
I grab a glazed yeast doughnut, take a small bite, then set it on my plate. When I push it away, his brow furrows the tiniest bit.
“You’re not hungry?”
I shrug and try for a smile. “I guess I’m still kind of processing what...happened...”
He nods as he quickly chews, then pushes his plate to the side. His cheeks are as pink as the doughnut box.
“Hey, look, it’s really not—”
“I’m sorry I—”
We speak at the same time, stammer at the same time, and go silent at the same time.
After a beat, I speak up. “Let me go first, okay? I am so, so sorry for, um, inappropriately touching you. I truly didn’t mean to. I was so groggy when I woke up, I wasn’t paying attention, and then I bumped into you and lost my balance and...”
I press my eyes shut, annoyed at how it sounds like I’m just making an excuse.
“But that doesn’t take away from how awful it was of me to use your—I mean, useyouto steady myself...” I bite my lip, face hot, and hazard a look at him. “This is the world’s lousiest apology.”
Lewis’s expression is soft. His mouth is a slight scrunch like he’s holding back a laugh, and his eyes shine. Then he smiles.
“It’s really okay, Harper. I know you didn’t mean it. It was an accident. I wasn’t watching where I was going either.”
The ball of nerves bouncing around my stomach loosens.
“I just don’t want you to feel uncomfortable being around me after that,” I say. “I know we don’t know each other all that well.”
“But what a way to get to know each other, though, right?”
I burst out laughing right as he chuckles. The tension in the room breaks. Even the muscles in my shoulders, which have been knotted tight ever since I stumbled into him, loosen.
“I promise, you’re not making me uncomfortable.” He runs his hand through his unruly mop of hair. “I mean, yeah, it was a little awkward, but it’s all good now.”
“Really?”
“Really.” He smiles, almost to himself. “Not to sound like an insufferable Hollywood douchebag, but I’ve done love scenes that were a million times more awkward than this morning.”
“Seriously?”
“Oh yeah. There was this one movie I did, like, eight years ago where I was a minor side character, but I had a pretty lengthy love scene with the female star. I had to pretend to go down on her and then she had to climb on top of me and...gyrate enthusiastically.”
He makes a thrusting motion with his arm, and I burst out laughing again.
“Oh my god, really?”
He nods. “There was another time where I was a guest in an HBO series a few years back. I had a skinny-dipping scene in a pool that ended in a pretty serious makeout with some simulated heavy petting. Since there was implied nudity in that scene, I had to wear this flesh-colored sock thing over my...you know.”
