Accidental Love (Accidental Crush #2) by Adrienne Torrisi Read Free Book Online Page A

and I'm sure he will.
    " Wow, you look nice, Ash bug," he says as he nearly crashes into me in the hallway then gestures for me to go down the stairs first.
    My heart is pounding in my chest . I grip the handrail so tightly my knuckles are turning white; partly because I'm dreading the uncomfortable small talk we're about to have with my parents and partly because I don't want to fall on my face and ruin our first official date before it even starts.
    " Come on in, Todd." I see my dad gesturing for him to sit on the couch. Sit? Why? This is going to take longer than I thought.
    The wood creaks as I press my foot down on the hardwood step, drawing my Dad and Todd's attention to the stairs. They both stop mid-sentence to watch me.
    A smile immediately breaks over Todd's stressed expression, the tension of talking to my dad seeming to melt away.
    " You look beautiful," they both say in unison, and then my dad's smile quickly turns into a growl. It's as if he almost forgot why we are all here. I see him give Todd a death stare that says back down and don't get any ideas.
    " Hey, Todd," Ryan cuts in, trying to hide his laugh from behind me. I totally forgot he was there since no one said anything to him. For once in my life , people are giving me more attention when we're both entering a room.
    Todd looks incredible, as always. He 's wearing my favorite dark blue jeans that hug his hips and butt perfectly and a light blue, thermal shirt that hugs everything else perfectly. It's not tight, but it beautifully accents just how athletic his build is. It also doesn't hurt that it accentuates how amazing his blue-green eyes are. They are like my own individual pools of clear blue Caribbean sea water.
    What follows our quick hellos is a long and humiliating conversation with my dad repeatedly telling Todd 'he knows where he lives' and 'don't get any ideas' while my mom squeezes my dad's hand tightly every time he says something insane, which is every time he opens his mouth. The entire time, Ryan just smiles and shakes his head, giving Todd understanding glances laced with the silent question of 'are you sure you want to do this?' By the end of it, if I had a dollar for every time mom has said “now, Frank” to my dad, I'd be able to pay for our next three dates. Thus, I'm extremely grateful when we are finally free to leave the house.
    Todd wraps his fingers around mine once we are safely outside. There is a fresh layer of snow on the ground , making the world glisten under the street lamps. It looks as if someone threw glitter all over the sidewalks; it's truly magical.
    Todd opens the creaking door to his old , beige Volvo for me. His car is safe and secure, just like him. I love the instant reminder of his scent as soon as I'm inside. I can tell he cleaned because usually there is always some sort of athletic equipment that needs to be cleared off the passenger seat or floor, but tonight, it's spotless.
    " You cleaned?"
    His lips turn up into a smile as he nods. "I wanted it to be perfect."
    I swear my heart skips a beat.
    I'd be lying if I said I didn't run through five million different scenarios for our first date: dinner at Olives, or a movie, or dinner at Olives and a movie. Olives is probably the trendiest restaurant in our town, so that has been in several thousand of my scenarios. However, as we're driving, I see the distorted reflection of the Olives sign go by in the passenger side window. Okay, so it's not Olives. Then we pass the bright neon lights of the movie theater, the surrounding snow pink from the reflection of the marquee. Okay, so it's not the movies.
    As we drive , all of the scenarios I've replayed in my head a thousand times are crossed off my list, and I have no idea what we're doing.
    " Um, where are we going?"
    He quickly glances in my direction . "You'll see."
    Then he brings his eyes right back to the road that is still wet from the snow. The green and red glow from the traffic lights bounces off it,