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The Trouble With You

Page 79

by Erin Nicholas

“You should be at—” She glances at the clock hanging on the wall. “Some club. I can’t keep track, but it’s a pretty good guess, right?”

I laugh. It is a pretty good guess. “I’ve got a half hour. I finished the flyers I was working on early and decided to stop by and say hi.”

She narrows her eyes suspiciously and drags the other stool out, climbing up and reaching for a cup. “Well, hi.”

I wait until she takes a drink then say, “And I need some advice.”

She gives me a grin. “Good.”

“Good? You don’t even know what it’s about.”

“It’s about Lawson.”

“How do you know?”

“Your life consists of Parks and Rec, cooking and baking, and the hockey team, specifically the choreography, but taking care of the team in general. And you don’t need my help or advice for any of that.”

“Do you think I need your advice for Lawson?” Does she think I’m completely in over my head? That's what I’m really asking.

She shakes her head. “I think if you tell that man exactly what you’re thinking, feeling, or wondering about, he’ll take care of it,” she says.

I take a deep breath. “I agree.”

“Great.”

“So I want to tell him what I want. From him. I need to be the one to initiate the next step.”

Andi sets her cup down and leans in. “Now we’re talking. What are you going to do?”

Well, that’s the question.

“Don’t you want to know what I want from him?”

She laughs and sits back. She reaches up and pulls the clip out of her hair, letting the long waves cascade past her shoulders. She combs her fingers through it while she watches me. “Yes, I do. What do you want from Lawson?”

My eyes widen. “You don’t know?”

“Of course I know. And I’m pretty sure he knows. But if you’re going to get bolder about it, you need to practice saying it.”

“I want to have sex with Lawson.”

“Good job,” she tells me.

I take a breath. “Really dirty, hot sex that makes my toes curl and that I think about for days after.”

“Yes, you absolutely do,” Andi says enthusiastically.

I laugh and reach for the other milkshake.

“So how are you going to tell him?” Andi asks. “Text, call, after practice? Oh, can you come up with a reason for him to stay after dance practice? The barn could be sexy.”

“The barn does seem right,” I agree. It was exactly what I was thinking. “Especially considering how he got it all set up for me. But I want the telling him to be…interesting,” I say. “This all started with this silly stalking thing and notes, thongs, and stuff. I feel like just walking up to him and saying ‘I want to have sex with you’ is unimaginative.”

“But he wants bold,” Andi points out. “Bold is clear and straightforward.”

I nod. She’s right. “I kissed him.”

She sets down the muffin she just pulled from the bag and stares at me. “Excuse me? You have been here for ten minutes, and this is the first time you’ve said that to me?”