I don’t miss his emphasis on the wordwe.
“We should.”
When we arrive at my door, I let go of his hand to open my door with my keycard, but I stop and look at him. Memories flash in my brain of all the moments we’ve been here, standing in front of a hotel room. And here we are, yet again.
“I could go for a killer donut,” I say with a smile. “Especially with extra pink sprinkles."
“Meet you outside here at nine am?”
“Sounds good,” I say.
He smiles. “See you tomorrow, Alex.”
And for the first time in a year, I look forward to tomorrow.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Jordan
I’m waiting outside Alex’s hotel at 8:30. I said 9:00 but I couldn’t sleep, and was driving myself crazy over what to wear and how to do my hair. He’s seen me naked, in the shower, sleeping, after work, after working on the truck, after football… Why the hell am I worried about him seeing me now? This is Alex. I’m comfortable with him. He once told me he loved me. And by the way he was looking at me yesterday, I’d bet dollars to donuts that he still does. Which is a fucking relief because I had no idea what to expect when coming here. I had so much hope but nothing to go off.
“Fuck,” I breathe out when he walks out the doors, hands shoved in his jeans pocket. He looks hotter than ever. Freshly showered, hair perfectly styled, wearing acoat that is much moreAlexthan my flannel he wore yesterday.
I didn’t think he had any of my clothes. I mean, I knew he had some of my clothes since they were left in his drawers at his house in Ashbourne and I haven’t been back there, but I thought that’s where they were. I didn’t think he took them with him, but it makes me happy that he did. It means he’s never stopped thinking about me, either.
“You good?” he asks cockily.
I can’t help but grin. “Better now.”
His smile grows, too.
“So, you promised me donuts and ice cream?”
I bark out a laugh as we start down the street.
“I said nothing about ice cream.”
“Hm… I think you did.”
I shake my head. “I did not, but ifyouwant to buy me ice cream later, I won’t say no.”
He bumps me with his shoulder as we move through the crowds of people on the sidewalk. In just the week I’ve been here, I’ve found walking in New York is much faster than taking a taxi or even driving myself. It’s also a shit ton cheaper because holy hell, why are rides and parking so expensive out here?
“Tell me about your week,” Alex says.
He’s fully aware of what I’ve done all week. I’ve made sure to send the group chat photos of everything I’vedone. But since I love talking to him, and I miss hearing his voice, I’ll humor him.
I start listing things off on my fingers. “Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building, Ground Zero, Grand Central, Times Square, and a shit ton of museums.”
“You fucking tourist,” Alex teases.
“What can I say? This city is fucking amazing. Oh! But I didn’t even tell you about the coolest thing I did.”
Alex raises his brow. “What’s that?”
“I went to a Rioters’ game. Had the best seat in the house.”
He huffs out a laugh, ducking his head.
