“Anytime. We single girls have to stick together.” She ran her tongue over her teeth. “My roommate Allie is already planning her wedding to her new beau. I swear, everyone around me is either going steady or already picking out furniture.”
“Tell me about it,” I murmured, swaying my hips to the beat.
“Shit, sorry.” Lucii grimaced. “I didn’t mean to rub salt in the wound.”
“Relax, it’s fine. Ari is happy, that’s all that matters.”
“God, of course. But married… wow.” She downed the rest of her drink and placed the glass on the nearest table. “It’s freshman year of college. I want to live a little first. Sow my wild oats and experiment.”
“Experiment?” A deep voice said. “Sign me up.”
We both turned to greet the two guys staring at us with hunger in their eyes.
“I’m Isaac and this is my friend Nate.”
“Lucii and that’s Nora.”
Isaac gave me a long, lingering look, letting his eyes fall down my body and back up. “Nice to meet you.” The corner of his mouth tipped. He was tall, dark and handsome but looked far too preppy for my tastes.
“Can we get you girls a drink? Our friend Luca is at the bar.”
“Luca?” I blurted because what were the chances?
But sure enough, when Isaac pointed at the bar, my new neighbor was standing there with his back to us.
“Wait a second. You’re boo bees Nora?” A grin split Isaac’s face and heat exploded in my cheeks.
“He told you about that?”
“About what?” Lucii asked, brows bunched with confusion.
“Luca, he’s uh… he’s my neighbor.”
“He lives at La Stella too?”
“Sure does,” I mumbled, suddenly feeling very overdressed in the skintight little black dress and chunky heeled boots.
I looked hot. I just wasn’t entirely sure I wanted Luca to see me like this. Especially not after telling his friends about my boo bees t-shirt.
I noticed Nate whispering to his friend. “I’ll be right back,” Isaac said, giving me a lingering look. There was something about his eyes that made a shiver skate down my spine. Like he was looking a little too hard. But then he took off, weaving his way through the crowd to Luca.
“We didn’t tell him what we’re drinking,” Lucii added.
“You were drinking a Long Island Iced Tea,” Nate arched a brow at her and then settled his dark gaze on mine. “And you’re drinking a Strawberry Daiquiri.”
“Okay, I don’t know whether to be impressed or a little creeped out.” She chuckled.
“I worked a semester in a cocktail bar.”
“Gotcha.” They shared a smile, but his eyes flicked back to mine. I ducked my head, taking another sip of my drink.
Lucii moved closer, chatting to him like they were old friends. But I remained a safe distance, dancing to the music and enjoying my drink. Soon, Luca and Isaac joined us.
“I realize how this looks,” Luca said, sliding our tray of drinks onto the nearest table. “But I promise, I’m not stalking you.”
“Glad to hear it.” I smiled. “So how do you know Isaac and Nate?”
“Funny story, I met them at the gym.”
“The gym?”
“Yup, and they took pity on me I guess.”
“Lucky you.”
“Yeah, I’ve been pretty lucky since I arrived in Verona.” His eyes sparkled with things I wasn’t sure I wanted to acknowledge. It had felt safe talking to him at my apartment. But this was different. We were in a bar late on a school night.
“So, wait a second, you told your new friends about my t-shirt?” I shot him a pointed look. “Why do I feel like the brunt of some locker room joke?”
“Nora, I would never…” Genuine hurt flashed over his handsome face. “Actually, I was telling them all about this pretty amazing girl who lives across the hall.”
“Oh.” My cheeks pinked as I struggled to meet his intense gaze. “I’m not sure what to say to that.”
“You don’t need to say anything. I get the impression the guy you told me about is still under your skin, so this isn’t me making a move.” He held up his hands in surrender.
My eyes lifted to his as my breath caught in my throat. “You’re not—”
“Hey,” Ari appeared out of nowhere.
“Ari? What the hell, babe?” I pulled her into a hug. “I thought you and Nicco had plans?” She’d told me as much when I’d mentioned my plans to her earlier.
“We did.” She beamed. “But it feels like so long since we hung out. I hope you don’t mind us crashing.”