“We’re having dinner on the patio,” Sadie said and led the way through a sliding door.

Wow, she had cooked for me.

I would follow this girl to the ends of the earth, but I was even happier to follow her right here, to a home-cooked meal.

Her apartment was on the bottom floor. While the owners above her had balconies, she had a patio and a small garden like the other ground floor units.

She’d made up a small square table with a colorful tablecloth, two plates, and cutlery. The table was set up so that we sat across the corner from each other, not on opposite sides of the table. It was intimate. A lamp against the wall cast a dim light over everything, and the setting was romantic. I wasn’t sure if that was what she was going for, but I was happy with it.

“This looks really nice,” I said and sat down.

She smiled and disappeared back into the apartment. A moment later, she brought out two plates with spaghetti bolognaise.

“It’s nothing fancy,” she said, putting my plate down in front of me. “It’s the one thing I can make with my eyes closed. My mom used to make it all the time.”

I nodded, looking at the food. It was spaghetti with meatballs and a marinara sauce that I could still taste even before taking a bite. I remembered her mom serving this most of the time when I was invited over for dinner.

A wave of nostalgia hit me when I smelled the steam that rose from the food.

“This smells great,” I said, trying not to choke on the memories.

She produced a bottle of red wine. “It’s a cheap one,” she said. “But I like to have this with the spaghetti.”

I took the bottle from her and smiled. When we’d been kids, we hadn’t had this with the meal, but I could see how this would work now.

“What are you smiling about?” she asked.

I shook my head. “I’m just enjoying this,” I said. I didn’t want to discuss memories with her. It was a touchy topic, and I wanted the night to be relaxed and easy. I opened the wine and poured a glass for each of us.

We talked about everything and nothing while we ate. She asked me what it was like to be famous. Most of the time it was hard work, I told her. And you didn’t have a lot of time for yourself.

I asked her what she’d done after school. I wasn’t in the picture anymore by then, and it was a part of her life that I didn’t know about.

She told me about her business studies again and how that didn’t work out for her, how she started cheerleading because she was good at it, even though she wasn’t sure why.

I knew why. She’d been the best cheerleader on the team since she’d tried out. She had natural talent, and no amount of brain damage could take that away from her.

“What do you want to do with your life now?” I asked.

She shrugged, taking a sip of wine. “I don’t know. I love what I’m doing now, but it’s not the kind of thing you do for the rest of your life, you know? I think I would like to open a fitness place. Like a gym or something. The business degree will help with that, too, I guess.”

I nodded. “It would. And that’s a great idea. If you make it something different than what’s out there already, you’ll do great. You have the drive to do something like that.”

She smiled. I couldn’t tell in the dim light, but it seemed like she was blushing. I loved it when she blushed, when her cheeks went rosy.

I didn’t say anything about her dreams, about how similar they were to what she wanted in school. She used to talk about opening a gym as long as we had been dating. She didn’t remember that part, but she was still the same person. Every time we spent time together, I was struck by how much of the old Sadie was still there beneath everything else.

“What about you?” she asked. “What do you want to do with your life? I’m guessing that you wanted to go pro, and now, you’ve done that. Just more of the same?”

I shook my head. “I am on track with my career, for sure,” I said. “But I want to settle down and start a family. I want to be with someone that I can come home to. Having a career is great, but having a family is everything. Riches don’t define me the way family and friends do.”

Sadie looked down at her plate.

“I’m in no rush, though,” I said.

I didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable, like I was here to find a life partner in her. Of course, that would be the ideal outcome. It had been on my mind when we were still at school, part of my plans for the future. I still loved her. But I just wanted her in my life, no matter how I could have her.

And I did want someone eventually. For now, I was happy where I was.

When I told her I was in no hurry, she looked like she relaxed a little. She looked up at me, and her eyes were dark. The atmosphere changed, charged with that feeling that I always got when I was with her.

She looked at me, and her eyes slid down to my lips. I didn’t want to scare her off, but I wanted to kiss her. Judging by her look, she wanted it, too. She was thinking about it, and it didn’t look like the thought scared her. I moved slowly toward her, leaning forward. She didn’t move away. I brushed my hand down her cheek, and her breath hitched in her throat. It was a soft sound.

Every time I took a step forward with her, it felt like I took a step back again, ending up right where I started. We had slept together, but she seemed nervous of just a kiss now. I didn’t mind. I would take all the time needed to get her back. If it was with one kiss at a time, that was how it would have to be.

When she still didn’t pull away, I leaned in and pressed my lips against hers. She sighed against my mouth as if she was satisfied now. I ran my tongue over her lips, and she opened her mouth for me. I pushed my tongue into her mouth, entering her. The kiss changed from careful and unsure, to hot and passionate, almost immediately. She kissed me back, her arms snaking around my neck, and she shifted a little closer to me.

I got lost in the feel of her. She tasted like wine and something so familiar it was like coming home. Marinara sauce? No, Sadie. The smell of her perfume was in my nostrils, and warmth spread through my body.

Suddenly, she jerked away from me, and I looked at her. What did I do?

“What was that?” she asked.

“What?” I asked.

She jumped up and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the apartment. She moved away from the sliding door and tried to peek around the curtain.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I thought I saw a camera flash,” she said. “My eyes were closed, but still.” She swallowed.

“Stay here,” I said and stepped through the sliding door again. The squeal of tires filled the night, and the blue Jeep that had followed me earlier sped away.

Dammit. Fucking paparazzi were a pain in my ass.

I walked through the sliding door and joined Sadie inside again.

“It’s okay,” I said. “We’re not in danger.”

She shook her head, pacing the living room.

“It was the paparazzi, wasn’t it? I’ve seen how they follow you guys around like lapdogs, taking pictures left and right.”

I nodded. I wasn’t going to lie to her. “It’s going to be fine, Sadie.”

She shook her head. She was still pacing.

“I think we should call it a night,” she said.

She was clamming up on me again. Shit.

“It’s not a big deal,” I said. “We can sit inside.”

She shook her head. “I think I need to go to bed. I’m tired.”

I didn’t want this to be the end. We were having such a good time. I wanted to spend more time with her and kiss her again if I could.

“We haven’t even had dessert yet,” I said.

She smiled apologetically at me. “You can take it with you,” she said.

I sighed. I wasn’t going to win this one.

“It’s okay,” I said. “You keep it. Have it tomorrow, if you want.”

She nodded. I walked toward the door, irritated that the night had ended so quickly. It was impossible to shake the paparazzi. They were like vultures, preying on your most intimate moments.

Sadie hugged me at the door. I didn’t even get a kiss. I walked to my car, and the door clicked shut behind me. It felt like I’d been kicked out.

I didn’t blame Sadie for this. I blamed the fact that I was fucking famous.