Ryan grumbled but didn’t protest. The other signs were slightly less specific and were mainly different ways of saying “I’m sorry.”
Mine, of course, was even more specific than Ryan’s and way more personal. “I love you, Rose Parson.”
Yup. Nothing like a sign declaring one’s love to make a guy want to vomit. How had I thought this was a good idea? Why had I believed this would work? I was setting myself up for the humiliation of a lifetime here.
“This…may have been a mistake,” I said to Simone as she finished placing the sign in front of me for all the school to see.
Simone fixed me with a no-nonsense look. “Dude, you tried to get the girl you like to fall for you so you could break her heart so you could buy a new amp.”
I flinched. “Well, when you put it like that…”
She arched her brows. “It was either this or replace the kissing booth with a public flogging.”
I nodded slowly. “Public humiliation for the win.”
She grinned. “Exactly.”
“But what if Rose ran away?” I said, sounding far too much like a whiney kid for anyone’s liking. “What if she doesn’t even see?”
It was at that moment that the atmosphere around us changed. The giggling ceased, the voices fell silent, and an anticipatory stillness settled over the crowd. I didn’t even need to see Simone’s eyes widen as she looked over my shoulder to know…
She was here.
Rose was here.
I turned slowly and saw her staring…again.
With that same incredulous look that was impossible to make sense of. I mean, she was shocked, yes. That was obvious. Her gaze flittered over the other guys, her eyes reading their signs before finding me again. Before reading my sign that I’d painted myself so the script wasn’t nearly as neat and curlycue cute as Simone’s.
Was her shock the good kind or the bad?
Was she horrified or elated?
It was impossible to tell.
After what felt like an eternity of standing in the spotlight, under the unwavering stares of the curious crowd, I thought I might break if she didn’t respond.
That was when she gave her head a little shake, straightened her shoulders, and held her head up high. She was walking toward me. Sashaying actually. She couldn’t seem to help herself.
Sexy as sin and the object of everyone’s fascination even as she dealt with what had to be the shock of a lifetime.
She reached the booth and set her hands on it. Her gaze met mine as she licked her lips. Everything about her was poised and cool and perfect…except her eyes.
Her eyes gave her away and I knew she wasn’t even trying to hide what she was feeling from me.
Love.
Happiness.
My heart squeezed painfully in relief.
“I thought you weren’t a fan of drama,” she said. “I thought you didn’t like to make a scene.”
My lips quirked up. “I was wrong.”
“Oh yeah?”
“I was wrong about a lot of things,” I said.
Her eyes grew soft and they shimmered with unshed tears. “So was I.”
Anxiety filled my gut as I tried to figure out what she meant by that, and what was up with those tears? Were they happy tears? Or was she trying to think of another way to tell me to get lost, or—
“I was wrong about this kissing booth idea.” That soft vulnerable quality had been replaced with a practical tone that had me even more on edge.
Or…maybe she was just thinking about her fundraising efforts.
I cleared my throat. “What about it?”
She pointed a finger at me. “I should never have asked you to take part in this.”
I blinked. “What? Why not?”
She shook her head as if saddened by the whole thing and that was when I caught a glimmer of laughter in her eyes. “Because there’s no way I’m going to let another girl kiss you today. I don’t care how much they’re willing to pay.”
The sun came out from behind the clouds. The birds started to sing. The world started to turn on its axis once more…
Okay, none of those things happened literally. But apparently Rose’s sense of drama was rubbing off on me because that was how it felt. I stepped around the booth and pulled her into my arms.
I kissed her like no one was looking.
I kissed her like everyone was looking.
Honestly, I couldn’t care less either way because all that mattered was that she was here, she was in my arms, and she was kissing me back.
“I’ve missed you, Rose,” I whispered when I pulled away.
“I missed you, too.” She looked up at me with such love and affection, the crowds and this fair faded into the distance. All that mattered was her, and me, and the way it felt when we were together.
“You sure I’m not going to be too much drama?” she asked.
“I’m sure.” I glanced around meaningfully. “I’m starting to think maybe I need a bit of drama in my life. It seems I have a knack for it.”
She grinned. “You definitely do.”
“Do you think you can handle me as a distraction?” I asked.
She nodded, her arms slipping around my neck and her fingers toying with my hair. “I’ve been thinking about that,” she said. “Maybe a relationship isn’t a distraction, but a necessity. I mean…how is an actress supposed to know what love feels like if she never experiences it, right?”
I laughed, my heart swelling up in my chest at her use of the L-word. “Right.”
“I can’t avoid feelings and relationships forever,” she said. “And as long as I keep my priorities straight, I won’t let any distractions become a derailment.”
“That sounds very healthy,” I said.
“It does, doesn’t it?” She gave a happy little sigh before placing a light kiss on the corner of my mouth. “I have a lot of baggage to unpack.”
“So do I,” I said.
“But I don’t see why either of us has to deal with it all on our own,” she added.
“Absolutely not.” I said it so firmly that she laughed and I
