Like a Boss - Annabelle Costa Page 0,33

champagne, I don’t know. I really just want him to kiss me.

But it’s just a passing thought. Luke and I wouldn’t work together—it’s stupid to even contemplate such a thing.

“No reason,” I mumble.

He’s staring at me, his face slightly flushed, an odd look in his eyes. He’s looking at me like he wants me. He made no secret of that fact years earlier, but I’ve never seen him look at me with quite this much desire. I don’t know if anyone has ever looked at me this way.

Kiss me, Luke. Just kiss me dammit!

“I guess we’ll take you home, huh?” he says.

I nod, hardly able to breathe. What in the name of God is wrong with me?

“Thank you,” Luke says, “for a wonderful evening.”

I missed my chance sixteen years ago.

Chapter 14

It happened on the last night of final exams.

Finals were rough, especially because I wanted to ace them. I barely slept for almost a week, surviving on catnaps and coffee. On the night of my last exam, all I wanted to do was crash in bed, but Delia wouldn’t hear of it. She pointed out that I hadn’t gotten drunk once all semester and I deserved to unwind.

“We’re only eighteen,” I pointed out. “We’re too young to drink.”

Delia groaned. “I’m going to smack you, Ellie. Seriously.”

Delia had leads on a few parties, but the first one we tried wouldn’t let us in because we were freshmen. That is, we were freshmen and we weren’t hot enough. We tried a second party and nobody was guarding the door, so we walked right in.

Despite how cold it was outside, the party felt like a sauna. It was so hot that steam immediately filled my glasses and I had to take them off to clean them. I could feel my hair frizzing up to twice its original size. The room was dimly lit and there was loud music thrumming in the background. I took off my coat and tossed it onto a sticky pile on the floor.

“Hey! Twelve Fingers!” I nearly groaned when I heard the voice coming from behind me. I didn’t want to turn around, but Delia had mysteriously disappeared and we were packed into the room like sardines. I took a deep breath and came face to face with Luke Thayer. Of all the parties on campus, what were the chances?

“Thayer House.” I forced a smile. “How are you?”

“Fan-fucking-tastic,” Luke said, with a grin to show that he wasn’t on his first drink of the evening. I wondered how many he’d had. He thrust a tiny paper cup into my hand, like the kind you put ketchup in.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Jello shot,” Luke said. He had one in his other hand, and he popped the contents into his mouth, then tossed the cup onto a nearby table. “Go ahead.”

“I don’t drink,” I mumbled.

“Of course you do,” Luke said. “This is college.”

I looked at the green jello. It appeared innocent enough. Anyway, how much alcohol could it possibly have? I took a deep breath and popped it in my mouth, nearly choking on the taste of rum. It was an understatement to call me a lightweight. The only other time I ever had something to drink was at my older sister’s wedding. And that was just a few sips of champagne.

“They’re strong, huh?” Luke said.

I nodded, still coughing. Luke was standing very close to me. He sort of had to be because the room was so packed, but he was even closer than he had to be. His shoulder was touching mine.

“You were a worthy adversary this semester, Twelve Fingers,” Luke said. “I’ll miss having you in class.”

I laughed. “You’ll miss me? Really?”

“Of course.” His golden hair was damp from the heat and looked darker than it usually did. “Won’t you miss me?”

“Um.” I wasn’t sure how to answer that question. “I sort of thought you… hated me?”

“Hated you?” Luke gave me a confused look. “I don’t hate you, Ellie. In fact…” He slid a bit closer. “I really like you.”

This was the first time a boy had ever told me that he liked me, and I couldn’t believe it was Luke Thayer. How was that possible? I considered pinching myself, convinced this had to be another of my crazy dreams. Or maybe he was messing with me again—yes, that had to be it. “You do?”

Luke didn’t answer my question, but instead took this opportunity to press his lips against mine. After a split second, his tongue slipped in between my