Crushing on my Billionaire Best Friend - Jolie Day Page 0,94
the night at the bar before I ran home with that stupid scribbled napkin in my hand.”
“It wasn’t stupid,” she said, her eyes growing misty. “It was cute.” She climbed across the pillows and kissed me deeply. “You remember when I used to pass you all of those love notes from girls in high school?”
I nodded and let out a small chuckle. “Of course.”
“It’s really no different. You writing it down on a napkin. It’s sweet when you think about it that way. It didn’t hurt your masculinity, either.”
“That’s exactly what I thought.” I grinned at the memory. “Of course, I was much more to the point with my note. Most of those you used to pass along to me were so cheesy and dumb.”
“I know. I’ve read one.” I saw a hint of guilt pass across her eyes. She was cute. Like I cared about it.
“Ha-ha. You did? But there was one, though, it seemed more heartfelt than the rest.”
“Oh, really?” she said softly, pressing her lips to mine again.
“Hey, you’re not getting out of this that easily,” I teased against her mouth. “It’s your turn.”
“All right.” She sighed. “Hit me.”
I took a drink of the tequila, forcing her to wait in suspense for my question. “Last time we played, you said your secret was that you always wanted me to be your first.”
“Uh-huh…” Her cheeks rounded with a big smile, our hands playfully dancing together between us.
“And that mystery has been solved. So, why me?”
Her features softened, and I knew she instantly had the answer in mind. Her eyes sparked with intensity. “You really want to know?”
I quirked an eyebrow. “I’m dying to know.”
“Please don’t laugh.”
“I’m dying to know,” I repeated.
“I’m going to say it quick before I lose my nerve.”
I smiled. “Shoot.”
“I’ve been secretly in love with you since I was fourteen.”
For a second, I was fucking speechless. But her innocent expression made me smile again. “You have?”
“Only I was much more aware of it than you were. Painfully aware of it actually. And one of those letters I gave to you…well, it was actually from me. But I think you knew that?”
My gaze darted around the room as I pieced it together. “Sometimes the best things for us in life are right under our noses, and we never pay attention long enough to realize it,” I mumbled.
“You remember it?” She sat up in shock, her eyes filling with tears.
“I believe I could be one of the best things for you…because you are for me.”
“But you laughed at it. You made fun of it with your friends.”
“Of course I did. I was an idiot. I was being a stupid high school boy and trying to look cool,” I assured her. “That letter always stuck with me. I can’t believe you never told me you were the one who wrote it.”
“I can’t believe you actually paid enough attention to it to remember! I thought it was the dumbest thing in the world to you. That you thought it was ridiculous…no matter who it came from.”
“Hold on a sec.” I jumped up and ducked into the bedroom, returning a moment later with a cardboard box. I opened it and sifted through the tiny mementos I’d kept from high school—football game ticket stubs and award ribbons, prom souvenirs, and different pins I’d won. There in the bottom of the box were the folded pieces of notebook paper. I dug it out and handed it to her.
“You kept it,” she gasped with wide eyes, a tear rolling down her face. “Why would you do that?”
I wiped the tear away and kissed her cheek. “I figured if someone cared about me enough to write all that out, even if it was just a high school crush, the least I could do was keep it. Besides, that was some of the most thoughtful stuff any chick has ever said to me.” I eyed the letter in her hands in disbelief. “I still can’t believe you wrote it.”
“I thought for sure you’d recognize my handwriting.”
“I promise, it never crossed my mind that you were the one who wrote it. Why didn’t you tell me then? Or put your name on it?”
“Fear of rejection.” She shrugged. “But at least I put my initials on it. See? E.C. I thought you knew?”
“Do you have any idea how many girls were in our school with those same initials? I didn’t think it was you. You were always Laney to me. Next time you write me a note,