Page 2 of Bad Crush
She giggles. “We were going for fun and heartfelt. My brother is a romantic.”
“He’s also a twenty-one-year-old man. I don’t think bedazzling the sentiment was my best-laid plan.”
“I think it’s sweet.”
“Well, when I decide to tell you how much I like you, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I prefer chocolates.”
“Helpful.”
“What if he’s already seen it?” she asks.
“Then I’ll send a postcard when I get settled in my new town. I have to go.”
“Relax. If he saw it, then he finally knows, and if not, then we’ll figure out another way to tell him. Youhaveto tell him.”
“Promise me you’ll never let me craft for a man again.”
“I can’t promise that. Two glasses of wine and my judgment goes right out the window.”
“Again, helpful.”
She laughs into the phone. “Text me and let me know how it goes.”
After saying our goodbyes, I toss my phone back on the couch and cross over to the apartment where Adam, Heath, and Rhett live. I try the door, finding it thankfully open.
The living room is empty and quiet as I rush toward Adam’s room. Their apartment has a similar setup to mine and Dakota’s place with bedrooms on either side of the living area. Heath and Rhett are on one side and Adam on the other. I glance over my shoulder toward the hallway that leads to the other bedrooms to make sure Heath or Rhett aren’t home.
As I get near the closed bathroom door, I hear the shower going.Crap!He’s here.
My heart races as I hurry into Adam’s room. His scent temporarily stops me in my tracks. Old Spice deodorant and Calvin Klein cologne. I’m not some sort of creeper; it’s just that he’s worn both as long as I’ve known him. There are always at least two different scents of the deodorant on the vanity in the bathroom right next to the cologne, Obsession, which stuck with me for obvious reasons.
The next thing that causes me to freeze is his bed. His white sheets are rumpled, covers thrown back. My imagination runs away from me creating vivid and amazing scenarios that include the two of us wrapped up in those sheets. Sweaty, but like that glowy, dewy look, not gross sweat.
My crush on Adam knows no respectability. For the past two years, I’ve had it bad for my neighbor. He’s just… everything. Smart and sweet, caring, protective.
He could easily be a conceited jerk. I mean, the guy is seriously hot. He’s the captain of the Valley University hockey team, and he’s ridiculously smart. Like straight As, premed smart. But he’s not conceited or a jerk. Sure, he’s a bit of a playboy. He jumps from girl to girl, but not the same way his friends do. Adam is a relationship guy. He goes all-in with every girl. Those relationships just don’t seem to last very long. He was with his last girlfriend for just over three months.
Three very long, heartbreaking months. For me, at least.
Giving my head a shake, I scan the room for the note. We slid it through the crack at the bottom of the door sometime very early this morning. A vision of Ginny and me on all fours, giggling and shushing one another, as we pushed my heart-shaped confession through to the other side makes me wince.What the hell was I thinking?
I find myself on all fours again, desperately searching for it. A trail of glitter leads me toward the bed, and I reach under it, feeling around. I pull out a dirty sock which I fling toward the hamper, and then the letter. Score!
Oh, dear lord. The nightmare version did not do it justice. It’s huge and gaudy. The heart is lopsided, one side bigger than the other. My normally neat penmanship is sloppy. I have a vague recollection of acknowledging that and saying it was my passion that couldn’t be contained in a tidy manner.
Adam,
My heart is yours.
Reagan
With another groan, I fold it three times until it fits in my palm. That line isn’t even good enough for a Hallmark greeting card. No more wine. Ever.
“Reagan?” Adam’s deep voice washes over me.
I’m still on my knees. Quickly, I scramble to my feet and force a smile. I start to speak, but the wall of naked man in front of me renders me speechless.
