Ever since a string of bad boyfriends left Leigh cynical and dark, she kept her heart closed off. With the help of some dark magic, she sarcastically wishes for a devil to dance with at her cousin's wedding, but her worst nightmare shows up instead...
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Do not screw this up, Charlie.
With a big breath, I rap on her door with two substantial knocks, then I readjust the zipper on my jacket and run a hand through my hair for the umpteenth time. My whole being is momentarily frozen in anticipation of seeing her again, but the seconds tick by, and still no sign of someone coming to answer.
The regular me would have knocked again with a fun little series of beats until she opened the door, but now I'm second-guessing every little thing that I do. Should I have rang the doorbell? Will she be annoyed if I try again? What's the right amount of time to wait?
I've never had these thoughts before. This is so unlike me.
Raising my loose fist to knock again, the door suddenly swings open.
"Hey, Charlie," she says, her pink, glossy lips spread into a radiant smile. Holy hell. Why is it that whenever I lay eyes on her, she stops my heart like the very first time?
She adjusts the loose bun on top of her head, showing off her neck. My eyes travel down to the sexy way her black men's-sized Maple Leafs jersey hangs off her slender shoulders and over her breasts. Fuck. I quickly bring my gaze back up to her face, and her stunning green eyes flash with some emotion I can't quite comprehend. My heart, which was already going pretty fast, is now beating its way right out of my chest.
She quirks her eyebrow. "You gonna say hi back?"
I blink back into reality. "Yeah, um, hi. You look, I mean, how are you?" My body suddenly goes subtropical, and I try to release a little steam out of my collar with my finger. Great start, you tool. "Are you ready to go?"
She pulls her boots on over her ripped skinny jeans. "Yeah, let me just grab my bag."
A moment later, she is skipping down the steps to the sidewalk, and I unlock my black jeep and go to hold the door open for her.
"Nope, none of that." She blocks me and opens it herself. "Just friends, remember?" Giving me a smug smile.
"Right," I say and clench my jaw.
After some awkward small talk at the beginning of the ride, we fall silent. It's so freakin bizarro. I'm never short of stuff to talk about, but I feel like this is my last chance with her. I need to get out of this friend zone, but I'm not great at censoring myself, so now I'm paralyzed.
Finally, we find a place to park, and I engage the brake with a jolt in the depths of the Telus House garage. As I unbuckle my seat belt, I look over to Leigh, who has lifted her bag onto her lap and is rooting through its contents, looking for something. My eyes grow large as she pulls out a small joint from a slim business card case.
"Um. Do you mind if I take a few hits before we head in?" she asks, flicking her green eyes to mine.
"No. I mean, yeah, no, I mean... go right ahead." Doh! I inwardly do a facepalm.
