“Leo, I believe I met your mother a few minutes ago,” Mom says, shaking his hand as well. “She’s lovely.”
“Thanks,” he says and smiles at them and then back to me. “I’ll leave you guys alone. You should celebrate together.”
“No, no, don’t let us interrupt,” Mom cuts in, taking hold of Dad’s arm. “Audrey, we’ll see you tomorrow morning for breakfast. Text me when you get back to your roomwith Emma.” And with that, they’re gone, back through the glass doors and disappearing into the party.
Well, that wasn’t exactly subtle, and I close my eyes tightly as my parents walk away.
“Your parents are nice.”
I turn back to him, opening my eyes in shock. “Thanks.” Suddenly, I’m tongue-tied. The conversation flowed so easily before, and now I have no idea what to say.
My phone buzzes, thank God. Glancing at it will make the silence way less awkward. It’s from Emma.
Party! Us& men’s team. Meet me in our room to change!
I look up at Leo, who’s putting his own phone back in his pocket. He smiles at me, and something in my stomach unknots and my shoulders loosen. I should be nervous, but being near him just makes me relax. Is that weird? It feels like it should be weird.
“Do you want to go to a party?”
“I—uh—actually, I can’t. Mom and I are flying out tonight.”
“Oh.” Like everything about seeing him, my disappointment feels totally disproportionate to the amount of time we’ve spent together.
“I can walk you over there, though, if you want?”
“Actually, walk me back to my room? I’m apparently supposed to change out of this.”
“That one you share with Emma?”
We laugh. “Yeah, that one.”
“Sure, let’s go.”
We’re almost entirely silent on the elevator ride up to the seventeenth floor, where most of the NGC is staying. When he reaches out to push the close-door button, the soft scent of whatever body spray he wears floats over me. It’s light and airy and completely suits him. I’ve spent my entire life around guys who smell like gym chalk and sweat. This is a total novelty. When he leans away again, the back of his hand brushes against my arm, and immediately a shiver slips down my spine—the first pleasurable feeling I’ve had in that spot in a long time.
This is nuts.
Is this what dreams coming true feels like? You make the Olympic team and meet a really hot guy who’s into you all in one night?Soak it in, Audrey, because life doesn’t get much better than this.
I’ve nearly gathered up enough courage to say something,anything, though I have no idea what, when the bell dings and the doors open. All the way down the hallway, on the other side of the elevator bay, the deep, pulsing bass of whatever music is playing reverberates in my chest. That must be the party. With a tight smile, I lead Leo out of the elevator car and in the opposite direction from the party, digging into my jacket pocket for my key card.
“This has been …”
“Wild?” he fills in for me, and I laugh.
“Extremely.”
“It was really great seeing you again, Audrey,” he says, and I’m about to respond, but he barrels ahead. “I always … When we were kids, I always kind of had a thing for you.”
“Only when we were kids?” I ask, teasing him just a little, like I have the upper hand, when really, I’m completely freaking out that this is happening. Whateverthisis.
“I mean …” He’s rubbing at the back of his neck, but smiling too. “You were pretty smoking with those big hair ribbons and hot-pink leos.”
“That’s an impressive memory.” I lean in a little closer. “Can I tell you something?”
He nods and licks his lips.
I swallow back the intense pang of something underneath my skin and say, “When we were kids, I always kind of had a thing for you too.”
