Patrick brushed past her, the familiar smell of him making her heart flutter. “I hate when that happens. Usually, I’m a healthy eater, but when someone tells me I have to do it, suddenly, I don’t want to.”
Charlotte slammed the door shut and twisted to face him. “I know what you mean. It’s like, you can’t tell me pig out; onlyIcan do that.”
Patrick laughed and placed the pizza box on the coffee table. “Yeah, exactly. Anyway, I thought I’d stop by and see how you were doing. You’ve been missed at school.”
Charlotte ignored the flutter in her chest at his words. “Yeah? You miss the sound of screeching chairs and the smoke machine banging?”
Patrick bent down to take off his shoes. He left them by the door and returned to the couch, pausing to prop his feet up on the table. “Oh, definitely. They’re my favorite sounds in the world.”
“You obviously need a life,” Charlotte teased breathlessly. “Anyway, as you can see, I’m fine. Still got all my fingers and toes and everything.”
She didn’t want to read too much into Patrick being there, making himself comfortable on her couch, but a tiny part of her was doing a little jiggy dance.
Don’t read too much into it. It’s probably nothing, and the last thing you want is to get your hopes up.
Patrick leaned back against the couch, half of his mouth lifting into a smile. “You’re doing aLord of the Ringsrewatch?”
“The extended version,” Charlotte replied before ducking into the kitchen to retrieve plates. “You ever seen them?”
“A few times.” Patrick glanced over his shoulders at her and smiled, his entire face lighting up. “Mind if I watch with you?”
Charlotte nearly tripped on her way back. “Yeah, sure. I’ve got plenty of pizza too.”
In silence, she took up a seat on the farthest side of the couch, keeping as much space between them as possible. During the movie, she kept sneaking glances at him, imagining her fingers running over his smooth, square-cut jaw before tracing his lips. She saw herself looking into his beautiful almond-shaped eyes and getting lost there.
Man, she had it bad.
And now they’d missed their opportunity, like two ships passing in the night.
We could’ve really been something, Patrick. I’m sorry we didn’t get the chance.
Halfway through the movie, when Patrick looked over at her and their eyes met, Charlotte couldn’t look away. Something banged on the TV, and she pretended to jump up. She raced to the bathroom, where she splashed cold water on her face. Patrick’s attention was on the movie again when she came back out.
During the second movie, Charlotte’s hand brushed against Patrick’s when they both reached for the same slice of cheesy pepperoni pizza. Patrick was the first to withdraw his hand, but only after offering her the slice, along with a napkin. A jolt raced up her arm when his skin touched hers, and she felt the color creep up her neck and cheeks.
For the rest of the second movie, Charlotte did her best to avoid looking at Patrick and ignore the butterflies in her stomach. By the time the credits rolled, Charlotte’s eyes were growing heavy.
Patrick picked up the remote to stop the movie and stood. “Why don’t we watch the third movie some other time? I’m beat.”
Charlotte scrubbed a hand over her face and stood. “Are you sure? We could have some coffee or something.”
Patrick took the plates into the kitchen and rinsed them. Charlotte watched in awe as he tidied up while she stood there like an idiot. Then, she walked him to the door, and he tucked the empty pizza box under his arm. In the doorway, Patrick drew himself up to his full height, his smile making her insides feel fuzzy.
“I was thinking we should go out to eat next time,” Patrick began after a brief pause. His free hand hung limply at his side. “I know this great Thai place that’s not too far.”
Charlotte wanted to throw her hands up and do another little dance.
Instead, she cleared her throat and leaned against the door. “I think I’d better avoid anything too strong so I don’t upset my stomach.”
Patrick nodded, and his eyes flicked down to her stomach and back up at her face. “We could do Greek or Mediterranean food.”
Charlotte’s smile stretched from ear to ear. “I’d love that.”
Patrick’s face lit up. “Great. I’ll call you later so we can figure out the details.”
As soon as Charlotte closed the door, she broke out into a shimmy. She picked up her phone off the couch, her heart racing the entire time. But instead of calling Savannah, she ended up dialing Libby’s number and waiting for her to pick up. While it rang, she picked up her purse off the floor, stuffed her feet into a pair of shoes, and retrieved her sweater from behind the door.
Libby picked up as Charlotte set off at a brusque pace, making a beeline for the supermarket a few blocks away. “Hey.”
