He smiles. “Perfect.”
“Hey, will this”—I squeeze his hand—“get in the way of us planning the festival together?”
“Maybe this means we won’t disagree on everything.”
I giggle. “I doubt that. We might disagreemore.Maybe you’ll be comfortable enough to tell me all the things you dislike about me.”
He wraps his arms around my waist. “I don’t think I’ll be able to find anything. I think I like pretty mucheverythingabout you. A lot.”
I smile. “I like you a lot too, Miles.” I give him a kiss on the cheek. “I should have known this would happen the first time I saw you. I mean, we were both drinking pink tea. That was fate.”
“Or… a coincidence.” He smiles widely, then kisses my lips again.
And we don’t talk much after that for a while.
CHAPTER NINETEENNO DOUBTS ALLOWED
That night I don’t sleep well at all. My mind is too busy replaying that spectacularly romantic moment when Miles told me hestillmeant that kiss. And when he said he likes everything about me. That was a romantic moment for theages. Better than any book or movie I’d seen. Who would have thought that Miles Desai would be the one to make my knees weak and my skin tingle more than anyone else? Honestly, Miles might be the mostgenuinelyromantic person I’ve been with. The mostearnest. I’d been obsessing over him for weeks, but the reality of being with Miles far outweighs my expectations.
I exhale. Usually hooking up with someone newclearsmy head and makes my mood even sunnier than normal. But… something about this thing, whatever it is, between Miles and me, feels different. Deeper. Maybe it’s because he frustrated me so much when we met, which was only a month ago. Like, I have whiplash from how much my feelings changed.
Back then I thought he was an arrogant know-it-all who didn’t care about my community. But Milesdoescare about my community. He wouldn’t be working so hard on the Love on Love Street Festival if he didn’t care. Andrather than being an arrogant know-it-all, he’s smart and interested in learning and willing to admit to his mistakes. He’s pragmatic, but that doesn’t mean he’s not passionate.
At the festival meeting on Saturday, I’m way too distracted by Miles next to me to contribute anything useful. The purpose of this meeting is pretty much only to approve the website before it goes live, and while April shows us the site, I look at Miles instead. He’s so… cute. But also, hot. Sexy. I thought he was incredibly good-looking the very first time I saw him, but somehow he’s even better now. Smooth skin in the perfect medium brown. Full lips that I now know are incredibly kissable. And those intelligent eyes. Intense and thoughtful. He’s looking so intently at April’s screen and listening to her explain her navigation choices. He always does that. Listens to everyone. Learns from them. He gives everyone his complete attention.
But then he notices me looking at him, and he blushes a bit. I want to take out my phone and snap a picture, so he can see what his blush looks like. I smile small at him, as if to say “busted,” and he shakes his head, a soundless chuckle on his lips.
Later, after the meeting, I linger as usual, but this time Miles does too. And so does Cara. She looks at me, then at Miles.
“Can you explain to me why the two of you were making goo-goo eyes at each other while April was talking about HTML code?” she asks.
I raise a brow. “Because… HTML is boring?”
Miles looks like he’s holding in a laugh.
Cara shakes her head. “Okay, what happened? We all wanted you to talk out whatever you were fighting about, but I wasn’t thinking you were going to… What exactlyareyou two doing?”
I hesitate. Miles and I hadn’t talked about what we’re labeling this yet. We’d kissed twice. Actually, more than that, but on two different occasions. And he asked me on a date and I said yes. Does that mean we’re dating? If I say we’re dating, would he freak out? Would I freak out ifhedidn’t say we were dating?
Literally for the very first time in my life I have no idea what to say.
“We’re… getting to know each other,” Miles finally says. Which is true, at least.
“And kissing,” I add. Because I’m me, and sometimes I can’t keep my mouth shut.
Miles laughs, and I grin at him. He laughs so much now, and it makes me feel all warm and gushy that it could be because of me.
Cara looks at me with an incredulous expression. “Getting to know each other by kissing.”
I nod.
“So… you’re giving up on matchmaking him with others and decided that onlyyoucan teach him the true meaning of romance?”
Miles laughs again.
This is awkward. “Enough about me,” I say. “What’s new with you, Cara?”
Now it’s Cara’s turn to look awkward. Like she doesn’t know what to say. Which I gather is because she doesn’t want to talk to me about Hannah.
