I let out a scoff. “Looks like you’ve become a bad influence, again.”
She smiles, her gaze meeting mine with a hint of mischief. “Just how I like it.” Glancing behind her, she adds, “There’s a café over there, and I’m starving. Want to grab a bite before we figure out all the boring adult things?”
“Lead the way.”
Chapter 5
Best idea ever
Secretly pinching myself under the table, I confirm—when the sharp pain radiates through my arm—that this is, in fact, not a dream. Chris is really here, in the same country as me, sitting just inches away.
I’m still in shock, trying to process it. When we talked on the phone a few days ago, and I half-jokingly said I wished he’d come here, I never thought he’d actually show up. I’d said something similar countless times since he moved to London,but he never came. His usual responses were, ‘I wish I could be there too’ or ‘I miss you too,’ but he never visited.
But now here he is, staring down at the menu, with the same wavy hair I’ve always loved, the same soft brown eyes I can’t stop thinking about, and the same beautiful face I remember.
But he’s different too. His jaw is sharper, his muscles more defined. He’s older, taller, and even more handsome than the last time I saw him.
“I’m starving,” he says, and his voice sends a shiver through me. We talk practically every day, so I’m used to hearing his voice on the phone, but hearing it in person floods my mind with memories of late nights spent talking about everything and anything.
I blink, watching as his eyes scan the menu. “Me too,” I say, sighing as I open my own menu. “I haven’t eaten since two hours ago.”
Chris lifts his head, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I just spent fourteen hours on a plane with terrible food,” he says with a soft laugh. That laugh warms something deep inside me. It feels like every one of my best memories. It feels like late nights, pancakes, music, and video games. It feels likehome.
“You haven’t eaten since you got off the plane?” I ask, furrowing my brows.
He lowers his menu, his lips lifting into a smile. “I got off the plane an hour ago,” he says. “I came straight to you, Gabi.”
My stomach flutters, and I glance down at the menu again. “So, catch me up,” I say, trying to focus on the words on the page instead of how my pulse races at six simple words. “What have you been doing since you left?”
He chuckles. “You know what I’ve been doing.”
I shake my head when I look up at him. “I heard it through the phone,” I correct him. “That’s not the same thing.” Lowering themenu onto the table, I shoot him a grin. “I want to hear it from you.”
He smiles, holding my gaze, then shrugs, breathing out a sigh. “I applied to college when I moved there, got accepted, and studied computer science…” He tilts his head, lifting a brow at me. “You’ve heard all of this before. Are you sure you’re not getting bored?”
“I could never get bored of you,” I say with a tilt of my head.
His smile returns, and he rakes a hand through his hair, tugging on the strands at the back. A habit he’s had since forever. “I got into game design, and even found a job that pays well and lets me work from home,” he says with a shrug. “And now I’m here.”
I blink, waiting for more. “That’s it?” I finally ask, disbelief evident in my voice.
He shrugs again. “Yeah,” he says. “Pretty much.”
I shake my head, tutting at him. “Four years, and that’s all you have to tell me? Where are all the crazy stories you’re not telling me?”
He lets out a soft laugh that warms my insides. “All of my best stories are with you.”
My lips tug into a smirk, loving the sound of that. “Is that right?”
“Yeah.” He sighs, leaning back in his chair. “You’re the bad influence in my life.”
“Wow.” I scoff, playfully rolling my eyes. “I see why you didn’t visit, then.”
His face drops, and he shakes his head. “Gabi—”
“I’m kidding,” I say, waving him off. “I know you were busy with classes and stuff.” I lift my head, blinking up at him. “Were you…also busy with something else?”
“Like what?” he asks, furrowing his brows.
