Page 73 of In Love with Lewis Prescott
I check my phone, giddy when I see a text from Lewis.
Lewis: How are you holding up, DD? Have you broken down and had a shot yet?
Me: Nope, doing fine so far! It’s actually not the lack of alcohol that’s so bad...but I’m currently watching my cousin’s fiancé give her a lap dance and...dear god, someone’s gonna get pregnant by the end of the night.
He sends back a string of hysterical laughing emojis.
Lewis: Okay yeah, that sounds a bit awkward.
Lewis: When you come home will you treat me to a striptease of your own?
My heart tumbles to my feet.Home.He thinks of my house as home.
I take a second to put my heart back into its rightful place.
Me: I was hoping you’d give me one. This dress I’m wearing is plastered to my body, there’s no sexy way to take it off.
Lewis: I disagree. Anything you do is sexy.
Lewis: But if it’s a striptease from me you want, I’d be happy to give it to you.
I bite my lip, my lady bits and my heart throbbing in tandem.
“I haven’t seen you smile like that in a long time.”
I whip my head up and see an inquisitive look on Maren’s face.
“Lewis?” she asks.
I know I’m blushing like a smitten teen when I nod at her, but I can’t help it. Seeing just how well Lewis got along with my family the other night intensified the already strong feelings I have for him. And when he opened up to me about why he got fired on the car ride back to Half Moon Bay, it felt like a massive shift happened between us. In the time that I’ve gotten to know him, I can tell that he isn’t the kind of person to let people in easily. He’s not close with his family. Despite the loads of professional connections he has in LA, he doesn’t seem to have many close friends. He keeps his cards close to his chest because his past history and trauma have taught him that he can’t trust very many people.
Even with all that, he chose to confide in me. He chose to let me in. He chose to trust me. And that shatters me every time I think about it. Because it showed that I mean a lot to him...just like he means a lot to me.
That night after we got home from dinner with my family and we fell asleep cuddled into each other in his bed, it felt different. It’s felt different every day since then. We look at each other longer. We hold each other tighter. There’s something extra behind every kiss we share.
This setup doesn’t feel like some temporary fling anymore. It feels deeper, more meaningful...and a lot like love.
This is the first time I’ve let myself think that, and it rattles me so hard, I nearly trip over my heeled feet, even as I stand in place.
“You’ve got it bad for him, don’t you?” Maren says, interrupting my thoughts.
I open my mouth, the urge to deny it almost automatic. But no words come out. Because I can’t lie to one of my best friends.
I press my eyes shut and shake my head. It’s impossible to think straight with the beat of this slow jam blasting around me, all the while trying not to watch my cousin’s future husband grind on her.
I pull Maren by the arm to the stairwell where it’s quiet.
“I think I’m falling for Lewis.”
I tell her about how I brought him over to meet my family, how we’ve grown closer over the past few weeks, and how he’s opened up to me.
Her giddy expression softens. “Harper, that’s amazing. Why do you sound so freaked-out, then? From what you just told me, you two feel the same way about each other.”
I shrug and hug my arms around myself. “He’s a famous TV star, Maren. When he’s done renovating my house in a few weeks, he’s going back to LA to kick-start his career again. I’m planning to split my time between Half Moon Bay and San Francisco to work and volunteer. How exactly can we make our two very different lifestyles work?”
“Why don’t you talk to him about it?” Her tone is gentle and coaxing as she brushes away the chunk of bangs that has fallen into my eyes.
“Because it could end badly. What if I tell him I love him and I want something more—something long-term? What if he tells me he’s not into it?”
