Page 74 of The Lucky One
She grimaced and tugged at Madison’s arm. “Come with me, and don’t you dare interact with this girl again!”
I watched them leave with a peaceful heart: Madison wrapping her arms around herself, Mrs. Stone berating her for spending time with me. Before they turned the corner, Madison turned her head and mouthed, Thank you.
I nodded. If I had known this was how to get rid of Mrs. Stone, I would’ve done it months ago. Pride swelled in my chest. I had finally freed myself from her grip. Madison didn’t deserve my help, but I didn’t care. I was just grateful not to be stuck in her shoes.
My phone beeped. I reached for it.
Arschloch: Looking forward to our double date tonight ;)
Me: About that. Come an hour earlier, I need to fulfill a promise ;)
Arschloch: Should I be scared?
Me: Maybe.
After work, Natalia dropped me off at the Shields’ house. I was really tired of being the only one without a car and license, but in Germany you have to be eighteen to drive.
I had a couple of minutes before Danielle came over. I darted inside and collided with something firm—I would’ve tripped if steadying arms hadn’t stopped my fall. “Woah, watch out!” Paul said.
“P-Paul,” I stammered as I felt his broad hand on my waist. Grilled cheese was on the tip of my tongue, but in the presence of his ocean-blue eyes, I was momentarily speechless. The thing was, I liked looking at him. It always calmed me down.
“Tomato salad,” he said.
“Grilled cheese,” I replied.
But neither of us moved. He pressed his lips together, his hands still on my hips, his eyes still on mine. His eyes spoke more than he ever would. We weren’t where we wanted to be yet.
“Emi,” he breathed, resting his forehead on mine.
“Yeah?” I closed my eyes. Impossible to get over someone when they’re constantly around. Since we didn’t touch anymore, I missed it more than ever.
“I—”
“Um, guys?” Danielle stood in the doorway knocking on the frame.
I jumped to the side. “Hey!” I said a bit too loudly. “Um, you’re early.”
“I can come back later?” She jerked her thumb back.
“Hi, Danielle,” said Paul. “I was just going out. Have fun at... whatever you’re doing.” He threw her a smile and squeezed past her.
Danielle gave me a wide-eyed look, and I nodded toward my room. She literally exploded when I closed the door behind me. “Are you getting together with Paul again?!” she exclaimed. “I thought we were going on a double date with Jon tonight!”
“Danielle, stop. Paul and I are just friends.”
“Sure, because friends stare longingly at each other without noticing when someone’s standing right there.”
I gave a frustrated sigh. “That’s what it looks like to the outside?”
“Um, duh!”
“I care about him, Danielle.”
“You love him,” she corrected.
“Of course I love him.” I headed over to the closet and grabbed a blue floral dress. Danielle’s eyes popped. “But not in the way you think!”
She slapped her palms over her face and dropped onto the bed. “You’re giving me a headache.”