Chapter 73 CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE

Chapter 73 CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE

EVA’S POV

I woke up the following day with a smile on my face.

And the smile didn't leave my face even as I walked into the exam hall and walked out.

Lily and Ryan were by my side, both talking about how the questions had taken them by surprise and how they were going to burn their textbooks the second their results were out, but all I could think about was taking my phone out of my locker so I could finally text Josh again.

The entire night and morning, my mind had kept going back to the conversation we'd had in his car. The way he'd explained everything to me, the way he'd looked at me when he told me he reassured me, and especially that last kiss before I went back inside the house.

It was embarrassing how much one conversation could change my entire mood.

I reached my locker and quickly spun the combination, opening it and immediately reaching for my phone.

Just as I expected, there was already a message waiting for me.

Josh: Good luck on today’s exams.

Josh: Done?

I smiled.

Eva: Yes.

Eva: How about you?

His response came almost immediately, my heart leaping for joy as I watched the tiny bubbles appear.

Josh: Hey.

Josh: Me too.

Josh: How was it?

I bit my lip.

Eva: Good.

Eva: How was yours?

Josh: I’d rather tell you in person.

I smiled at my phone like an idiot.

By the time Lily and Ryan noticed I was still standing in front of my locker, I had completely forgotten they were waiting for me.

“Are you coming?”

“What?” I quickly locked my phone. “Yeah.”

Lily narrowed her eyes. “Who were you texting?”

“No one,” I started walking again. “Where are we going?”

We’d only taken a couple of steps when my phone buzzed again. I didn't even try to ignore it, immediately looking at the screen again.

Josh: Come to the locker room.

My heart immediately skipped.

I glanced at Lily and Ryan, who were already several steps ahead of me, my phone buzzing again.

Josh: Please.

Josh: The guys do not have practice today too...

“Guys,” I called out, despite my cheeks heating up. “Um, I’ll meet you guys later.”

“Huh?” Lily turned around. “Where are you going?”

“I forgot something,” I pressed my phone against my chest. “And I— I need to go get it.”

“What?”

“What did you forget?”

My phone buzzed against my chest one more time, and whatever lie I'd been trying to construct immediately disappeared from my head.

I couldn't exactly tell them that Josh had asked me to meet him in the locker room.

All I could do was flash them a smile and without answering or waiting for another word from them, turned around and headed in the opposite direction.

I could practically feel Lily's eyes following me. I really needed to work on coming up with better excuses.

I found the locker room easily, which only made me realize that sneaking into it was most likely becoming a terrible habit.

Thankfully, it was deserted, just as I'd expected.

I stepped inside and looked around, my heart already beating faster in anticipation.

And then I saw him.

Josh was leaning against one of the lockers with his arms crossed over his chest, looking completely at ease as though he hadn't just made me abandon my friends and sneak across the school to find him.

The moment his eyes met mine, a slow smile appeared on his face.

“Hey, baby.”