“Thanks so much,” he says. “Could we get some extra napkins?”
“No problem,” she replies. “I’ll be back with your milkshake, too.”
Unrolling his utensils, he cuts the burger in half and splits it and the fries between the two plates before sliding one across to me.
“This smells like heaven.” I pop a fry in my mouth and groan. “Don’t get me wrong, dinner was great, but nothing beats a diner cheeseburger and fries.”
“Agreed,” he says. When we smile at each other it feels like a secret. “Remember that time in New York. It was early just like this, and you were craving fries because your period started and you were cramping so bad you couldn’t sleep.”
My heart squeezes at the memory. It was ahorribleperiod, and I had snuck over to Fisher’s room so I could cuddle him. He took the best care of me—running out to buy a heating pad since mine had stopped working and rubbing my lower back since it hurt so bad. The second I mentioned I wanted fries he was up and yanking on his clothes and going to find some despite the hour.
I swallow down the memories and clear my throat. “I remember.”
“One chocolate malt and two straws. Oh, and your napkins. Any refills?” The waitress gestures to our cups.
“I’m good. Thank you,” I reply.
“I’m fine as well.”
“I’ll be back to check on you in a few.”
Fisher unwraps the straws and sticks them in, sliding the old-fashioned glass in my direction for the first sip. It’s so familiar that for a moment I feel like we’re in our early twenties and blissfully head over heels in love.
I take a sip and close my eyes, savoring the flavor. “Delicious. Your turn.” I push the glass his way.
He stirs the whipped cream into the milkshake and takes a sip. “Do you think it’s better than the one I made you?”
My face heats beneath his scrutiny. “I’m not sure. That one was fantastic,” I admit.
He beams at the praise, and it does something to my heart.
It would be so easy to deny, but I never stopped caring about Fisher Grant. No matter how hard I tried, he carved his name into my heart in a way that I can never repair.
He smiles like he knows exactly what I’m thinking, and I love the way his eyes crinkle at the corners. “For the record, I never stopped loving you.”
That piece of my heart that’s still very much his wakes up from its dormant state and comes to life.
CHAPTER 13
EBBA
I didn’t getto sleep in as long as I had planned, because by ten o’clock Sabrina and Whimsy were knocking on my door to head to the spa for massages and to get a manicure and pedicure.
The nail tech is applying a glittery hot pink to my toes that matches what I chose for my fingers.
“Did you have a bad night?” Whimsy asks from my left. “You keep yawning.”
“Oh.” I lower my hand from my mouth. “Um … yeah. I didn’t get much sleep.”
I could, and probably should, tell them about my early morning adventures with Fisher. But since Fisher was always a secret in the past it feels strange to talk about him freely. Besides, I’m not sure how I feel about it yet and I’d rather process on my own first before my friends start giving me their opinion.
“I’m sorry,” Sabrina says from my other side. “I hate it when I can’t sleep. I get insomnia right before my period starts and it drives me insane.”
“If it’s cool with you guys after we grab lunch I’ll probably head back to my room for a nap. I don’t want to be falling asleep on you tonight at the club.”
Sabrina giggles. “I’m so excited to see Noah in a club. Is it terrible that I love seeing him awkward and out of his element?”
“You never know. He might surprise you,” Whimsy says, leaning forward to peek at her pastel blue polish.