More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
And yeah, I know her name, because even though she pretends not to remember me every time we meet, she’s been dating Nathan for a few months now and we have met several times. I have no idea how he spends time with this woman.
Is she that stupid?
We were on our final lap of that very first run together when his hand caught mine. He tugged me to a stop then bent down in front of me and tied my shoe. He could have just told me it was untied, but no—Nathan’s not like that. It doesn’t matter who you are or how famous he is; if your shoe is untied, he’s going to tie it for you. I’ve never met anyone else like that. I was so gone for him from day one.
“Being a creepy stalker who’s secretly in love with my boyfriend and breaks into his apartment to bring him breakfast.”
What a weirdo
I’m not a threat to these women…until they make him choose. Then, I’m more threatening than a glitter bomb. I might not get to sleep in Nathan’s bed, but I do have his loyalty—and to Nathan, there’s nothing more important than that.
And he can’t know that I broke up with Martin because Martin isn’t Nathan.
Oop
I hate bananas. They’re so squishy, and they taste like…bananas.”
Period. Bananas suck.
Noooo, don’t go! I think with zero sincerity.
I love her
It’s painful having to look at something so beautiful and never touch it.
“No! I really mean it. Kelsey seemed…fun.” “You stuck your tongue out at her in the box last night.” “Geez! Do the Avengers know about you and your superhuman eyesight?”
To my left is a floor-to-ceiling three-million-dollar view of the ocean, but to my right is the view I would give my soul to see every day for the rest of my life. Obviously, Bree doesn’t know I feel this way about her.
And I, in case you are wondering, am an overeager puppy, begging for Bree to play with me—to always play with me.
I’ve been secretly paying part of her studio’s rent for years.
She was a defibrillator to my chest. Bam. My heart hasn’t beat the same since.
“Well, Magic 8 Ball, what do you think? Should I tell my best friend I love her?”
“Do you know what it’s like to see your best friend care for every single person under the sun but herself? I watch you pour everything into those girls and their families, going above and beyond to not only give them incredible dance instruction but also make them feel loved in the process. And for some reason, you think that same kindness shouldn’t be extended toward yourself.”
“Well, tough, friend. I have millions of dollars and I will spoil you with them if I want. You’re going to have to throw me off a bridge if you don’t want me meddling in your life, because that’s what friends do. So get used to it. Oh, and you’re getting a good deal on your damn rent from now on. So are the people in the pizza parlor below the studio.”
“Don’t you dare buy my apartment building and renovate it!” “I might. I’ve got money to blow, baby.” Who is this man?!
“Because I’m celibate.”
Whattttttt
Jamal likes to make sure he looks good at all times, so he slips off to look in the bathroom mirror a lot when we’re out at a bar. Last time, while he was gone asking the mirror who was the fairest of them all, he missed a Nicole Kidman sighting.
I, on the other hand, am a jump on the table and karaoke Adele into my fork with a napkin on my head after only a few drinks kind of girl.
if I could…I’d use zisss pen to wipe away every other woman from Nathan’s life. I’d be the only one left.
Oh geez, I’m feeling hotter than a widowed duchess in a bodice-ripping historical romance.
“Thanks for making me brownies. Too bad I didn’t get to taste them.”
I want to fill a pool with his scent so I can swim around in it all day long while sipping a margarita.
“Yep! Good to go. Dylan is taking good care of me.” Nathan’s dark eyes glint. “Not too good, I hope. That’s my job—and according to what I just heard, I’m doing it really well.”
Football will never be as important to me as she is, so you can either support my relationship with Bree or forfeit a relationship with me. Your call, but just know I won’t budge on this.”
My heart is in my throat. No, it’s in my hands. I’m holding it out here for her to take.
I hope you don’t mind, but I found a way to make your apartment smell better. Be by at seven to pick you up.
Bree’s hand squeezes mine, and I look back to see her crinkle her nose at me in her signature cute smile. It’s her Can you even believe it? look. My heart bursts. It’s wide open, completely hers for the taking. Always has been.
“You still with me?” she asks quietly, making me focus on only her. I let myself drown in her, and my pulse calms a little. I nod and swallow. She rises up on her tiptoes and places a soft, quick kiss on my lips.
“It’s been so nice to see you as always, bestie!” That was a strange thing to say. “Good luck with the game this weekend! I’ll call you to—” I feel his hand slide into mine and he tugs me back. I yelp as Nathan spins me around, a dangerous playful glint in his eyes. “Just a minute, bestie.”
“What a lovely hallway. It’s so…dark…and…hallwayish.”
“I’m going to take three steps back to you and put my hands on your hips.” His eyes rove over me, and he squints just below my chin. “Maybe your jaw, maybe the back of your neck. We’ll see. And then I’m going to kiss you.”
“I am off my face for you, and all you want right now is for me to kiss you.”
“Yeah, but that was when it was just fake.”
He’s put on a clean white T-shirt, and I could swear I hear a choir of women around the world collectively groaning in annoyance. We all despise that opaque material.
Does he know how much his nearness affects me? Does he know I’m dying to dive through those beautiful eyes and see all his hidden thoughts? I need to know if there’s a chance he will ever love me like I love him.
“Your soul is my favorite in this entire world,”
“You’re not broken. Having a panic attack or anxiety does not reflect your wholeness. You’re burned out, and that’s completely understandable. You push yourself more than anyone I’ve ever seen before, and it’s only natural for you to reach this point.”
“Your ability to shoulder everything, to give 200 percent of yourself all the time, to be perfect at everything you attempt…these are not the attributes that make you a valuable human being.” I pause. “And they are not why I fell in love with you.”
“I love you too,” he whispers over and over again. “I love you, Bree. I love you. I always have.”
I’m so devastatingly in love with you, it hurts sometimes—and I have been since high school.”
“I’ve been dying for you to love me back—but I never thought you would. Remember when you found out I’m celibate and I told you it was to help my game? That was a complete lie. I’ve been celibate because I am so gone for you I couldn’t even stomach the thought of another woman anywhere near my bed. She would never be you.” He cradles my face. “I love you with everything I am, and that’s never going to change for me. I think I should be the one making sure you’re not just humoring me.”
“I’ve loved you since the day you tied my shoe on the track. You didn’t tell me it was untied, you just tied it.”
“Do you mean to tell me…we’ve both loved each other all this time and never said anything?”
“Don’t worry, I’m not proposing yet. But I know you don’t like to be surprised by stuff, so this is me saying I will propose to you at some point. And I’m hoping you’re okay with that time being pretty soon, because I feel like we’ve already been dating for six years, just not officially.”
Bree is everything I aspire to be, everything I love, everything I desire. She holds my heart, and, with all that I am, I hope she never gives it back.
“Bree, my best friend, I love you. We haven’t been together very long, but we’ve also been together for years. Will you marry me? Will you let me love you every day from now on? Will you finally move out of your shitty apartment and into mine?”
But that’s not what has me contemplating my consciousness. This chapel is full of people. My people. Nathan’s people. My family, friends, and even his mom. This is no elopement. This is my wedding—a wedding Nathan has clearly been planning since before yesterday.
Nathan. My Nathan, my best friend and the love of my life, standing in his black tux, fantastic hair waving artfully away from his face, a tear running down his cheek, and a dazzling smile stretching across his mouth. He is mine. He loves me. He loves me enough to plan an entire surprise wedding of my dreams. How did I get this lucky?
