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I was most definitely drunk. Not just tipsy, drunk. But not totally wasted, just drunk.

Sitting at a bar with Joshua Nilsen proved to be considerably boring since he wasn't drinking more than two glasses of scotch. He cut himself off and here I was, having margarita after margarita. So, I made it a game. Every question Josh asked about me and I couldn't answer or simply refused to, I had to take three big sips. This game ended up being my doom because now my head was spinning and I wanted to dance. It's not good to dance when I'm drunk, especially when Josh is here to watch.

I finished the last sip of the margarita in front of me with a slurp of the straw before pushing the glass away. I sighed loudly, putting my arms on the table and leaning down to rest my head on them but frowned when Josh caught my chin.

"Stay awake. That head goes down and you're falling asleep in seconds," he said, shaking my head.

Groaning, I smacked his hand away but sat upright anyway, spinning my barstool to face him.

He laughed softly and traced the rim of his empty glass with the tip of his finger before looking at me. "Have you had enough of the margaritas yet, are we done here? Can we leave now?"

I grumbled, looking around the place. "I want to dance," I whined, "will you dance with me?"

He let out a fake chuckle and then deadpanned, shaking his head. "No."

"Can I go dance then?" I raised my brows at him.

"You don't need my permission, Poppy. To do anything you want to do," he replied.

"Okay then," I shrugged and slid off the stool, holding my purse out for Josh.

He took it, placed it on the counter, and spun his stool, watching me as I moved through the crowd before I found a spot.

I ran a hand through my hair, sighing in frustration. "Well now, who do I dance with?" I mumbled to myself.

"Hey there," someone said, grabbing my hips.

I spun around, a little startled before slapping the hands away.

"Whoa, okay," the guy chuckled, holding his hands up in surrender.

I blinked in surprise and then blinked again, getting a closer look at him. "Logan? Logan Wellington?"

He grinned, just as shocked as me. "Poppy Valentine?"

"Oh wow," I laughed, "it's been so long since I saw you!"

"I know, not since college graduation, right? How long has it been? Three years?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"It's so good to see you," he chuckled.

"You too," I grinned back.

Logan and I were pretty good friends throughout college, we shared a lot of the same classes and we went out for a while in between but we both realized within the first few months that we were much better off as friends, so that's all we were again.

"So can I give you a hug? I mean, you won't slap my hands off again, right?"

"Yeah, sorry. I had no idea who it was," I laughed.

"Understandable," he nodded, before giving me a hug with a squeeze to my waist. "So, what are you doing here?" he asked, both of us pulling away.

"Actually, I'm working. I guess," I mumbled to myself.

He frowned and then leaned in closer, bringing his ear to my lips.

I went up on my toes, reaching him. "I'm working."

His brows shot up. "Well, I'd love to work like this. Where are you working?" he laughed.

"Do you by any chance remember the internship I had?"

He nodded.

"Still there. Travel Addict Weekly."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Tell me you're the writer with the honeymoon articles!"

"Yeah! You read our magazine?"

"Of course! It has the best articles on honeymoons and solo trips. Are you here with the same travel partner?"

I paused and then shook my head. "Actually, I got a new travel partner."

"Oh," he nodded before taking a quick look around and then leaning in as I turned my ear to him. "Is it the one glaring at me? Or did I miss someone in the crowd?"

I looked over to Josh who was watching us and I was so used to his glare by now that I knew the difference between his glare and stare, finally. And sure enough, he was glaring but not at me for once, but at Logan. I rolled my eyes, waving a dismissive hand. "Ignore him. He's always... brooding," I grumbled with a pout.

Logan paused for a minute before laughing softly.

"What?" I asked him.

He shook his head, still laughing, "Nothing."

"What?" I groaned, pushing him slightly.

He stared at me, waiting to see if I would get it but when he realized I wouldn't, he told me anyway. "Poppy... you like him."

My brows knitted together before I scoffed dramatically. "Are you kidding? No. No, I don't. Logan, we hate each other, you have no idea. Working with him is so difficult, I don't like him, no way."

He lifted his brows. "Really? Are you sure about that?"

I opened my mouth to say 'yes' almost immediately but I couldn't bring myself to spit the word out. "A... little less after this trip. But..." I groaned again, "Look, I don't know. He's so attractive, I mean really, that was my first thought when I met him. He's... breathtaking, okay. But then he opens his mouth and ruins everything," I rambled. "You know what I mean, right?"

He watched me in amusement. "Considering I've never spoken to him and I don't work with him or know him, I would have to say no. I don't know what the hell you mean. But how do you think he feels about you?" He pulled me a little closer as a group pushed past us, spilling drinks on the floor.

"I don't know," I shrugged, "why?"

He paused and then leaned closer to my ear again. "Want to find out?" He pulled back only a little, his face barely inches from mine. He stayed there and I felt absolutely nothing.

It's only with Josh.

When Logan came in even closer to me than Josh did, I felt nothing. Not a tiny little flutter, not one spark, not one little flip of my heart.

But when Josh is even remotely close to me, when he just touches me, when our hands brush together or our knees bump into each other... It feels like I'm on a rollercoaster when he's near me. And I liked it, I liked... him. I liked Josh.

"Poppy."

I took a step back quickly, turning and facing Josh who had finally made his way over here.

"Let's go. It's getting late and we have to check out by nine tomorrow morning. Unless you want to stay with your friend here. I'm leaving though."

I was about to answer but Logan beat me to it. He took my purse out of Josh's hand but Josh held on, refusing to let go even when Logan tugged at it again. "She's going to stay," Logan smiled, putting an arm around my shoulders.

"Poppy?" Josh asked, lifting a brow at me calmly.

"We go back to college, man. She's good. I'll drop her off at the hotel, don't worry about it." He tugged at the purse again but Josh kept his eyes on me, wrapping the strap around his hand and snatching it out of Logan's hand in a swift motion.

"Poppy?" he asked again.

"Dude, I said she's staying," Logan laughed, adjusting his arm around me.

Josh reached forward, grabbed my hand, and pulled me into him in the blink of an eye. I crashed right into him, my hands flying to his chest to catch myself while he rested his hands on my hips. "Talk," he demanded. "Do you know him?"

"Yeah," I mumbled, still staring at him.

"Are you staying with him?" he asked, his voice hard and jaw clenching.

I paused, reading the look in his eyes. Josh may not talk about his emotions, but his eyes can't hide all of them, at least from me. He wasn't just angry, he was jealous. It was... cute. He glared at Logan over my head, his hands tightening on my hips.

I took in a quick breath and shook my head slowly to answer him. "No. I'm leaving with you."

His body visibly relaxed before he grabbed my hand. "Let's go."

I nodded. As he started walking, taking me with him, I glanced at Logan over my shoulder, sending a quick wave. He waved back, sending me a wink. I rolled my eyes, suppressing a laugh, and faced forward, trying to keep up with Josh's footsteps even as we made it out of the bar.

"Hey, hey, hey!" I whined, halting. "Slow down. I..." I groaned, "I'm having a hard time as it is walking straight ahead right now." I took a look around, losing my balance a bit. "Is it just me or are the street lights flickering? Are they moving?"

Josh spun back around to face me and let out a soft sigh. "It's just you, Valentine."

"Can we take a break?"

"No."

I frowned, freeing my hand. "Don't punish me because you're jealous of Logan."

"Jealous?" he asked incredulously. "You wish. Logan, huh? Well, you're free to go back and stay with him."

"Josh," I whined, "he's one of my best friends from college. And I haven't spoken to him in three years, okay? Stop complaining and being grumpy about it. Plus, I left with you anyway, so—"

"Why are you telling me this? As if I care?"

I giggled, walking closer to him. "Because it's so obvious that you do. Care, that is. You like me," I sang, poking his chest.

He stared down at me quietly, his eyes traveling across my face, lingering on my lips before meeting my eyes again.

"Don't you?" I grinned, leaning into him and resting my chin on his chest.

He leaned back to look at me, still not uttering a word or giving any reactions away.

"Don't you?" I whispered softly.

He faintly nodded. "A little more than I want to. More than I should. This is a bad idea."

"Why?" I pouted. "Because of work? Ugh," I rolled my eyes.

"That too. But we can't do this here."

"Why?" I repeated. "Because—"

"Because you're drunk," he cut me off.

"Even better," I laughed, closing my eyes. "Will you kiss me?"

He sighed, looking away and grabbing my waist, making me stand upright before he leaned down to my level, his face inches from mine as he rested his hands on his knees.

I want to kiss the shit out of him.

"Not now."

I frowned.

"I want you to be sober when I kiss you," he explained slowly and calmly. I felt like a kid. "You're going to remember when I kiss you, Poppy. Because I'm going to mean it. But that can't happen when you're drunk, hmm? Understood?"

I nodded slowly. "Understood, sir."

He ducked his head down, laughing softly before straightening up and holding a hand out. "I'll match your pace. Come on."

I grabbed his hand and he locked our fingers together, meeting my speed as I rocked our hands back and forth. I glanced at him as he pulled my purse across his body to make sure it was safe before pocketing his free hand, looking around as we strolled together.

I can't believe Josh got jealous. And I can't fucking believe he might like me too.

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