I pretend to brush something off the hem of my t-shirt and clear my throat. “I don’t really remember what we read. I remember the parties and hockey games that year though.”
She rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. “No surprise there.”
I chuckle despite the concern gnawing at my gut. Kendall is one of the smartest people I know. She aced almost all her classes in college. She reads all the time. When she and Aidan talk about school or books, I never understand what they’re saying. It’s always way above my head.
She’s brilliant, and I’m a dumbass. And if she knew about the arrangement I had in college, if she knew that I willingly skipped out on most of my coursework, she’d think less of me. She spent years studying and working hard in school while I just coasted. I’d bet anything it would piss her off if she found out. Things are just starting to feel good between us again, and I don’t want to ruin it by telling her that I’m a fraud.
“I have an idea,” Kendall says.
“Yeah? What is it?” I ask, thankful for the subject change.
“You should read some of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Highlight the lines you like. It’ll help you get a feel for what you want to say in your speech.”
“Would you recommend some for me? I don’t even know where to start.”
She smiles. “I’d love to.”
She grabs her phone and swipes her finger across the screen. “I’ll compile some I think you’d like and text them to you. You can read them and the next time we meet up, we’ll go over the ones you liked.”
I grin. “Sounds like homework. Are you my professor now?”
She raises her eyebrow at me. She’s still smiling though. “Is that how you wanna play this? I’m your professor?”
“I’ll play anything as long as it’s with you, firecracker.”
She shoves my shoulder. I laugh. A familiar warmth gathers in my chest. Teasing Kendall is a lot more fun when she doesn’t hate me for it.
When we finish eating, she gathers her things and I walk her to the front door.
“I’ll send you some sonnets to read in the morning,” she says as she walks out the door.
“Can’t wait for my homework. Thanks, Professor Firecracker.”
I don’t miss that sexy smile as she rolls her eyes. I watch her walk the few feet to her car parked on the street in front of my place. She drives off and I close the door. And that’s when I realize this is the first time in my life I’ve been excited about homework. And it’s all because of Kendall.
Chapter 11
Liam
“Dude, what the hell are you wearing?” Aidan’s eyes look like they’re about to pop out of his head.
“A tux. Don’t you like it?” I grin like the smartass I am.
I hold my arms up at my sides and spin around. My older brother punches me in the shoulder.
I stumble back, laughing. “What was that for?”
“For looking like a dumbass on purpose. Change out of that. Now.”
“Oh, come on. I think I look pretty sharp in this.” I catch my reflection in the nearby mirror of the menswear boutique we’re at. I look like an idiot.
We’re trying on suits for his wedding at a shop in Germantown. While Aidan was putting on his suit, I asked the shop assistant for the tackiest tuxedo they had. Yeah, it’s stupid, but I knew it would get a rise out of him. I can tell he’s stressed from work and wedding stuff and could use a laugh.
Aidan pushes up his glasses and pinches the bridge of his nose while closing his eyes. After a second, he looks up at me again. Despite the annoyed expression on his face, the corner of his mouth quirks up like he’s fighting a smile.
“You look like the guys fromDumb & Dumber,” he says.
I flash a thumbs-up at him. “That’s exactly what I was going for.”
