Play The Part (Player Next Door Book 3)

31 | Daily Reminder of What Perfect Looks Like

Aloha, let's dive on innnn.  We got a lot to cover today.  Who's checking in early hehe?? 

Chapter 31: Daily Reminder of What Perfect Looks Like

"Oh lookie here, your sexy ex boyfriend is rolling into the driveway," Flora pulled her sunglasses down over her nose and peered out of the window.

I jumped up and joined her without even realizing how desperate I looked.

Flora sneered, nudging me out of the way, "His driveway. Not ours."

I still stared at that familiar black jeep wrangler as it stopped outside his house on Dupont Avenue. I thought about how often I've sat in that car, listening to music he didn't like and that one time when I almost passed out from being stung by a wasp. 

Memories.

"Why do you have a smile on your face?" Flora sneered at me, "That man dumped you, broke your heart and is leaving you without any hope of finding someone like him again.  And you're smiling?!"

I wiped the smile off.  

And I resisted the urge to run across the street and squeeze Luke in the biggest hug I could muster. I missed him. 

Doz appeared next to me, reeking of weed, "He's a handsome devil that one."

Emphasis on the 'devil' part. 

We all watched Luke step out of the car, totally oblivious to our creepy staring. Luke had a snapback cap on and he opened the back door to pull his black sports bag out, flinging it over his strong shoulder. 

"And he's everywhere," Doz gasped, eyes wide open as he stared down at the newspaper on the coffee table.  

The Luke Dawson vs Christopher Hayes article. 

"Oh," I nodded, remembering how I had dressed up in that chicken suit to warn Luke of it. 

I couldn't resist watching Luke again. There was something so captivating about him and the way Flora's mouth widened, I could tell she was thinking the same thing. Creepy, but true.

Then Luke did something unexpected. We watched him release his sports bag and it dropped to the cement. Instead of walking into his house, he sat down on the sidewalk, his black shorts creasing around his thighs.

And then he looked up.

All three of us ducked.

"Ow, my shin!" Doz exclaimed, knocking his knee against the coffee table and slamming his hand over Luke's newspaper article to pull himself back up, "Why am I hiding from a teenage boy?"

Doz got up again and nudged me up after a second. He pointed out the window and I saw that Luke wasn't even staring at us. He was looking up at my bedroom window.

Even though I wasn't there. 

I would've paid a cent to know what Luke was thinking.  Actually no, I take that back.  I need to save up my money. 

"Maybe he misses you," Doz whispered.

**

~Math Class~

I stared at the condensation on the cup of my iced coffee roll slowly down. It took every ounce of my willpower not to turn around and stare at him.

Now that Luke was in my math class... I was such a goner. 

I could hear his deep laugh as he, Austin and Chad talked nonsense to each other. I didn't want to stare at his handsome face, though I could just imagine his usual expressions and the way he'd tap his pencil against the wooden desk. 

Our math teacher was late so everyone in class was just hanging out. I watched the beautiful french foreign exchange student get up from her chair and saunter passed me, over to Luke's desk where he was sitting between Chad and Austin.