ALLIE

Strictly speaking, the night should have been a complete and utter failure.

Not only did we not manage to cook anything edible, but we set off my smoke alarms, burnt my pan to a crisp, and fell asleep watching re-runs of Saturday morning cartoons.

It’s a rare thing for Jack Darcy to spend the night at my place. I mean, it makes sense; the rich and gorgeous Jack Darcy owns a condo in one of the most sought-after complexes in the city. Meanwhile, I pay rent under the table to a sketchy landlord and pray my electricity stays on.

I love my cozy little nest here in the outskirts of an almost-safe neighborhood in an almost-cool area of town. I’m a block on the wrong side of the highway, which puts me strictly in undesired territory, hence the reason Jack’s been trying to get me to move for a year.

What he doesn’t understand, however, is that a teacher in Los Angeles is already at a disadvantage. The cost of living here is suited for a doctor. The cost of my living needs to come at a steep discount, or I won’t be living anywhere in the vicinity for all that much longer.

When I finally wake, the sounds of cartoons still buzz along in the background. It wouldn’t normally bother me, but we’d shared a bottle of wine after the soup experiment ran bad, and my head is aching.

I stretch leisurely before realizing that what feels like a very nice pillow under my head is, in fact, Jack Darcy. I blink open my eyes to find him sitting upright on the couch, head tilted back and mouth parted open.

The view is surprisingly sweet. It’s not every day I catch Jack exposed without his guard up. He shields himself so thoroughly from the rest of us, a trait I’m sure he picked up during his youth to keep his parents from getting too close. At times, I wish he’d let go. Live a little.

On impulse, I raise a hand to his cheek to wake him gently. There’s a hint of a five o’clock shadow there, and it’s rough against my skin. I let my palm rest on his cheek and slide downward, feeling the gentle curve of his face as soft breaths pulse against my hand.

The gentle moment has snuck up on me without warning. My chest constricts as I hold still, wishing he’d put his arms around me and squeeze. Hold me close. Tell me that he believes in me just once more.

The moment crashes to a halt when, all of a sudden, Jack’s eyes fly open. My hand is stuck on his cheek, and the look of utter shock on his face has me so startled that I try to stand up, lose my footing, and crumple to the floor.

“Allie, are you okay?” Jack leaps to his feet, his hands landing on my body and dragging me to a standing position before I can breathe. “What happened? Were you...were you touching my face?”

I fight back a flush. “Why would I be rubbing your face?”

“Because your hand was on my cheek.”

“I was trying to wake you up without startling you,” I groan, rubbing the spot where my elbow had cracked against the floor. “It backfired.”

“I’m sorry.”

I should probably tell him the truth, but when push comes to shove, I don’t have a great reason for why I was stroking his face in the first place. Because his lips looked inviting? Because I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to kiss Jack Darcy? Because the moment was there for the taking, and I took it?

“What time is it, anyway?” he asks, stretching his arms in a way that gives me a delightful glimpse of his abs. “I can’t believe we slept like that the whole night.”

“It’s—” I pause, my nose wrinkling as a whiff of something horrible reaches my nose. “What is that?”

“We burned the soup last night,” Jack reminds me. “Those smells linger.”

I plug my nose. “Whoops.”

“I’m sorry,” Jack says. “I shouldn’t have asked for your help.”

“Not your fault. Poor Caroline.”

“Shit.” Jack looks at his watch. “I have to get to the hospital today, and I still haven’t apologized to her. I wonder if I can—”

“Go. I’ll take care of it.”

“But—”

“I’ll pick up some soup and drop it off this afternoon if you give me her address. I’ll include a note from you.”

“A note from me?”

“Come on, I learned how to forge your signature in second grade. I’ll make sure it’s very nice.”

“Not romantic.”

“Not romantic,” I clarify, and my heart flutters a bit. “Just very nice and apologetic.”

“Thank you, Allie. I really appreciate it.”

With that, Jack Darcy leans in, takes the back of my head in his big, strong hand, and pulls me close. He smells great, despite the horrible odor in my apartment, and I soak it in as his lips brush against my forehead in a simple kiss.

As he pulls away and straightens his clothing, my heart thumps a little harder in my chest. By the time he leaves the building, I already miss him.

Wandering over to the window, I watch as he climbs onto his bike, straps his helmet on, and motors away. Meanwhile, I’m left with a pot of burned soup and a longing for my best friend that has no right to be there.