Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 100612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Right. My heart sinks, and all of a sudden, I know what my dad meant about letting others make my decisions for me.
Maybe I don’t know whether I want Maddie or Harper. And maybe now I never will.
I clear my throat. “Gotcha.”
Chapter 22
10:13 PM
Easton: I really am sorry about this afternoon.
Harper: Sorry about what?
Easton: Phoebe. Kissing you. That stuff.
Harper: Please don’t apologize for kissing me—that almost makes it worse. All I meant was we shouldn’t do it again. To keep things professional.
Easton: Professional?
Harper: You know what I mean…
Easton: Right. Gotcha. “Professional.” Got it.
Harper: I’m serious! No more…whatever that was.
Harper: And by the way, your sister is adorable—was that her way of being protective?
Easton: I highly doubt it. I swear she was born to make my life harder. I think she was secretly celebrating when she caught us kissing because now she can blackmail me, too.
Easton: Speaking of that kiss.
Harper: ???
Easton: I mean…if we’re stopping—which I agree we should—we can at least be honest with each other so if I’m doing something wrong, I can get better for next time. Think of it as, like, an extension of you helping me talk to girls. I want the full truth.
Easton: So, what did you think of it? Specifically.
Harper: Oh. You want DETAILS?
Easton: Don’t hold back on me, Conrad.
Harper: Fine—though I have to admit, bold of you to ask. I guess if I had to describe it, I’d say the kiss kind of caught me off guard? I thought the kiss in the car was a fluke.
Easton: That kiss? I couldn’t stop thinking about that one, either.
Easton: It wasn’t just the kiss itself. It’s the way it felt. Like, I didn’t want it to stop.
Harper: I’m sure LOL.
Easton: Why are you laughing?
Harper: You’re a guy—of course you didn’t want it to stop. You could probably make out with a lamppost and enjoy it.
Easton: Oh come on, give me some credit.
Harper: I’m just saying—guys aren’t exactly picky when it comes to kissing.
Easton: You really think I’d be that into kissing just anyone? WTF.
Harper: I mean, maybe not a lamppost, but…
Easton: CLEARLY NOT A LAMPPOST.
Harper: I am laughing so hard right now.
Easton: Good, I’m glad you’re amused when I was trying to find out if the kiss sucked or not. It’s fine—I’m fine, everything is fine.
Harper: You sure are adorable, do you know that?
Easton: Thanks??
Harper: Why are you saying it like that? Has no one ever told you that?
Easton: This would be a first.
Harper: Awww.
Easton: Did you think I was adorable wearing the Parker Lane Rhino???
Harper: I would kiss that rhino, too, for SURE.
Easton: Shut up. You would not.
Harper: Wanna bet?
Easton: I can’t decide if I should be flattered or offended.
Easton: Also I’m never giving in to a stupid dare again. It got me into so much fucking trouble in the first place.
Harper: No trouble. No kiss.
Easton: Hey now!
Easton: Can you do me one favor?
Harper: Depends on what it is, ha ha.
Easton: Can we at least not pretend that kiss didn’t happen? We don’t have to do it anymore, but erasing it just feels…I don’t know. Wrong.
Harper: All right. We won’t pretend it didn’t happen. But seriously, from here on out, this is a business relationship only.
Easton: Deal. A criminal business relationship.
Easton: I’m serious, though. It was good. Really good.
Harper: I can’t argue with that.
Easton: See? You felt it, too.
Harper: I never said I didn’t! But you are determined to bring it up, aren’t you?
Easton: Just stating the facts.
Harper: Okay, time to change the subject. Are you free tomorrow? Mr. Grazz wants everyone in the gym for one last meeting, so when we set everything up the night of prom, there are no surprises. Everyone knows their role.
Easton: What time? I have a team meeting for hockey in the morning. Our first game is coming up.
Harper: OH! That’s exciting…! Meeting for prom is in the gym at 4?
Easton: Oh, sweet. I’ll for sure be done by then.
Harper: Awesome. I’ll meet you there?
Easton: Yup.
Chapter 23
Harper
“Explain this again? What’s a walk-through?”
I shoot Easton a sidelong glance, waiting for him to open the gymnasium door for me (like a gentleman), then sidestep around him when he does.
“Art teacher wants to make sure all the decorations will fit, and make sure we have enough.” He also said something about things being “to scale,” whatever that means.
“Oh yeah. Right.”
Together we enter the gym, echoes of our footsteps bouncing off the walls in a not-so-subtle way.
People stop what they’re doing when we walk in.
They stare.
If music were on, it would grind to a halt.
For serious. I mean, Aubrey Baker’s mouth hangs open when she spots us. Currently she’s on the ground, coloring on some big cardboard rosebush, gluing silk roses to it so it can later be placed at the front of the gym near the stage. She does a literal double take at the sight of Easton.