Read Online In Real Life by Jessica Love - Free Book Online

hear?”
    I side-eye her, which she seems to take as encouragement to word vomit.
    â€œI know I said this before, but I need you to listen. I know for sure you have some serious feelings for this guy. Like, more than just best-friend feelings.” She pokes at my penny, and I let it fall flat in my palm.
    I don’t say anything. I let this sink in.
    She goes on. “I don’t think you’re ever going to have a boyfriend longer than a few months until you explore what those feelings are.”
    Grace clears her throat.
    â€œWhat?” I snap at her.
    â€œI totally called it,” she says, all smug. “Nick is the reason you and Josh broke up.”
    I roll my eyes. “No, that’s not why.” I sound irritated, but the thing is—deep down, I feel like she may be right.
    God, they’re both right.
    â€œSo, what do you think?” Lo says. “Do you think you might have ‘more than friendly’ feelings for Nick?”
    â€œLike, ‘kiss his face with your face’ feelings?” Grace grins.
    I stick my tongue out at her, then turn to Lo and ask her, my voice serious, “But I haven’t met him. How can I know if I have those feelings?” The truth is, I always have feelings when I think about Nick. My stomach flutters when I hear his ringtone. His familiar voice makes me happy, no matter what mood I’m in. And I scroll through his pictures so much, I’m sure the images are going to burn onto my phone screen.
    But it’s impossible to know if that will translate into reality. And I’ve spent all these years telling myself I don’t want it to be reality.
    â€œWell,” Lo says, “from the stories you’ve told me, I get the feeling he for sure has those feelings for you.”
    â€œReally?” I stare down at the flattened copper clown face in my hand and think about the postcard it was once attached to, which now hangs on my bulletin board. To my favorite ghost, I thought hauntings were supposed to be scary, but you make it fun. Love, Nick. That was the first time I’d considered that Nick might think of me as more than a friend, and it wasn’t the last, but I always push the possibility down deep. Because it isn’t practical, Nick’s having feelings for someone he’s never met. Or my having feelings for someone who lives in another state.
    I have no use for things that aren’t practical.
    â€œWell, then.” Lo gives me two quick pats on my shoulder; then she stands up and starts pacing the room. “We are going to make this work. This isn’t going to be a friend meeting a friend for the first time. Oh no, this is going to be love at first in-real-life sight. We’re going to make you look so hot, he won’t be able to look away from you, and if all goes according to plan, he won’t even be able to play guitar or whatever he does in this band, because he’s going to have his hands all over you.”
    Lo and Grace, spurred into action by a project, dig through my bag, dump out their makeup, and start putting into motion whatever crazy things they have come up with to make me look less like myself and more like some combination of the two of them.
    Normally I would protest, but I’m distracted from the ridiculous pile of brushes and eye shadows scattered across the white comforter by this idea Lo left floating around the room. Could it be I do have feelings for Nick? Is it possible he has feelings for me?
    I guess we’ll see what happens.
    And after four years of waiting, something is going to happen tonight.

 
    CHAPTER
    7
    Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is at the very south end of the Strip, a quick taxi ride from Planet Hollywood. Tall and golden, it’s the first big hotel in the long, long line of lights and buildings, and House of Blues is inside. At the pizza place, I wolf down three slices and a third of a chocolate cake slice the server brings after