“Hell yeah.”
Her smile turns relieved. “Your sister helped me pick this out. She said I couldn’t wear my usual outfit of jeans and a T-shirt.”
I grin. “I like your jeans and T-shirts.”
Her smile widens. “You do?”
“Yeah.”
She fidgets with the hem of her dress. “I’m a little nervous to wear something like this.”
“You shouldn’t be. You’re a knock out.”
She blinks at me, surprised. “I am?”
I let out a laugh of pure disbelief. “Yeah. Poppy, you’re a hottie. In this dress, you’re lethal. Every guy who sees you tonight is gonna be drooling over you. And hey, some women too, I’m sure.”
Her cheeks are bright red as she flashes a shy smile and tucks a chunk of her long blonde hair behind her ear. “Thank you. You look nice.”
I hold my hands up by my sides and do a spin. “Brand new Henley. I think it shows off my muscles nicely. Don’t you agree?”
She shoves my arm, but she’s chuckling. I don’t miss the way her gaze fixes on my biceps and chest.
I nod at the sidewalk. “The house where the party’s at is just a few blocks away. We can walk.”
We head down the block.
“Glad I wore my sneakers,” she says. I glance down and smile at the white Converse she’s wearing.
“Anna tried to get me to wear heels, but I told her no way. I hate wearing heels, even though I’m sure they would have made this dress look ten times better.”
She looks down at her sneakers and lets out a flustered chuckle. “I bet I look so weird wearing sneakers with a tight red dress.”
I shake my head. “Not even close. I like the sneakers.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. They’re cute as hell. Just like you.”
She fights a smile as I grab her hand in mine. A bunch of other Hollis U students are walking in the same direction as we are, probably all headed to the house party.
A group of guys standing on the sidewalk across from us is talking and laughing. When they see Poppy, they all stop and stare at her. She glances up at them before quickly looking away.
“You were right. This dress really is getting some attention,” she says, her tone on the edge of nervous.
A protective feeling flickers in my chest. I pull her closer to me and glare at them. They look away.
We turn the corner, and the house comes into view. Loud music booms down the street. We walk up the pathway to the porch, which is crowded with people standing around and watching a couple of guys play beer pong in the yard.
One of them manages to sink the ball in one of the red solo cups. The guy pumps his fist and hollers. Everyone on the porch cheers and holds up their own cups at him, then they all take a drink.
Poppy takes it all in with a wide-eyed stare.
I chuckle and give her hand a squeeze. “You’re looking at this party like it’s a science project.”
“I’ve just never seen that many people take a drink in unison like that.”
I lead her inside. The house is packed. The living room is crowded to the max, with people sitting on the couch, loveseat, coffee table, and side table. The dining room table has another game of beer pong set up, and a group of four is playing. People are standing around, drinking out of red solo cups and cans of beer.
