I’m so confused.
At that moment, his phone starts ringing.
Nat looks down distractedly at the device.
His face goes pale.
I look at the screen too and arch an eyebrow.
My older brother is calling.
Chapter Thirty
NATHAN
In the history of love confessions, I think I gave the worst.
This is what happens when you binge anime instead of brushing up on romance films.
To my credit, I wasnotplanning on sharing my feelings with Riley this morning. As I do with everything that’s important to me, I intended to craft a strategy.
When Harry Met Sally, You Got Mail, andThe Proposalwas on my list of curated movies to watch so I could make a splashing, dazzling, ground-breaking confession. I even threw the entireTwilightsaga in the binge list because I remember that Riley loved that series when she was younger.
I planned on getting flowers, taking her somewhere scenic—the mountains, a lake, something that would photograph well.
AndthenI’d tell her.
But one look at her pretty face this morning and I realized that I couldn’t wait that long.
I’m eager to be Riley Carter’s boyfriend.
Except when I actually open my mouth, the words come out all wrong.
And now Chris is calling.
On impulse, I swipe my thumb across the screen and hang up.
Riley looks down at the phone and back at me. “Why’d you hang up?”
Because I’m trying to confess my love to my best friend’s little sister behind his back. I don’t want to talk to Chris right now.
Riley tilts her head and says, “He’s going to call back.”
Maybe, maybe not. But I need her to focus. This train wreck of a speechcannotend here. I have to take it home or this entire conversation will live in my head rent free and wake me up at night when I’m trying to sleep.
“Riley, meeting you has been the best part of coming to Lucky Falls. I think you’re amazing.” I lick my lips. “What I’m trying to tell you is?—”
The phone rings again.
Chris is calling back.
Oh, come on!
“This is why I don’t call him,” Riley says. “He won’t stop until you answer.”
I swallow hard, defeated.
Whether or not I answer Chris’s call, the mood has been ruined and that’s the truth. I put the phone to my ear.
