Never Have I Ever Land: A Sweet YA Romance (Fall in Love Like a Princess Book 3)

by Maggie Dallen

  “Actually,” I said, still talking way too loudly for no apparent reason. “Maverick has to get going now, so...”

  I trailed off and a horrible awkward silence followed that horrifically rude statement.

  My mom and brothers turned their wide-eyed stares from me to Maverick, who was watching me with those shuttered eyes.

  I tried not to wince.

  “Yeah,” he finally said, a beat too late. “I should go. My dad’s probably wondering where I am.”

  I blinked in surprise because I wondered if that was true. Did he often stay out all night? Did his dad not care that he didn’t come home? Did he do sleepovers with girls all the time? Or was he just a way better liar than me?

  I drew in a deep breath and gave him an awkward little wave. So. Many. Questions.

  But to answer the most important ones, I needed him to leave, and I needed it now.

  “Okay, well...thanks.” I was already walking away from him, backing up and nearly tripping over my brothers in my hurry to get away from him.

  “See you tomorrow,” he said before giving my mom a polite ‘nice to meet you’ and my brothers one last word of wisdom about getting in shape if they wanted to get any time on the field next season.

  I would have to see him at the party tomorrow. But at least that gave me a full twenty-four hours to process the fact that Maverick Prater had kissed me.

  And I’d liked it.

  Twelve

  Maverick

  Turned out Flynn Rider didn’t have many lines in the little skit Mrs. Messner wrote for us. This was for the best for everyone. Mainly because I wasn’t a good actor, but also because I could barely concentrate long enough to mutter the two lines I had. Poor Willow had to nudge my elbow to prompt me when I got distracted.

  But who could focus when Callie was over by the bouncy castle and holding court with a group of little girls?

  She looked stupidly pretty dressed as...somebody. Maybe Cinderella? It wasn’t the ugly brown helmet so it wasn’t Snow White. Whatever. Whoever she was dressed as, she looked good. The makeup Mrs. Messner had slapped on her made her already big eyes look impossibly wide, and her cheeks were permanently rosy. But even with the ridiculous makeup, she was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen.

  And yeah. I had it bad.

  I knew this, but I didn’t know what to do about it. Worse than that, though? I didn’t know what to do about the fact that she’d freaked after that kiss.

  A smile tugged at my lips at the mere memory of that kiss. Amazing. That kiss had been nothing short of amazing. Sweet and hot and perfect. Just like Callie.

  She glanced over at me now and her eyes widened in surprise. No doubt because I was staring. Her answering smile was tentative. Wary.

  Crap.

  I mean, it was better than the full-on panicked expression she’d worn yesterday when she’d all but kicked me off her lawn. I’d told myself last night that her freakout and odd goodbye were more because she was embarrassed or just uncomfortable that I was meeting her family. And maybe guilt since she had to outright lie about why I was there.

  But today...

  Her wary smile faded fast, and she turned back to the kids.

  My stomach sank as she turned away.

  Today I couldn’t buy that she was embarrassed. And her family wasn’t even here so I couldn’t blame that. I narrowed my eyes as I watched her and might have kept staring if Willow didn’t land an elbow in my gut. “Oof.”

  Willow arched her brows and nodded toward the little girls gathered around.

  Right. I was supposed to be ‘acting.’ I cleared my throat and reached for Willow’s hand, mumbling the cheesy line about true love and hoping like hell no parents gathered around were filming this humiliating moment.

  The girls squealed, the moms clapped, and Willow sighed as soon as the attention was off of us. “What was that?” she demanded.

  “Sorry.” I was already trying to find Callie again.

  “You okay?” Willow asked.

  I turned back to face her.

  “You seemed kind of...off.”

  I shrugged. “I’m just not a good actor.”

  Her gaze was steady and something told me she had an excellent BS detector. This was confirmed when the corners of her lips curved up. “You’re definitely not a good actor.” Her gaze flickered from me to Callie and back again. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”

  I shook my head. Did I want to spill my feelings to some girl I barely knew? Definitely not.

  Willow’s lips pursed as she considered me. “Well, I’ve been meaning to say thank you for taking care of Callie last night. As her friend, I’m grateful you were there.”

  There was something so formal about the way Willow spoke that it had me laughing under my breath. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

  “It was,” she said in that oh-so-solemn tone. “And I’m sure Callie appreciates it too.”

  I flinched. I didn’t want Callie’s gratitude. I wanted her to like me the way that I liked her. I cast another quick look and my heart did a weird move in my chest as I caught Callie demonstrating cartwheels to the little ones, her head falling back with a laugh when she stumbled.

  So freakin’ great. I liked her so much it was physically painful. But I wasn’t oblivious to the fact that every time she looked at me her smiles faded and the joy in her eyes turned to fear.

  That fear seemed to be contagious because it was tightening my chest now as I watched her.

  Willow’s words were still ringing in my ears and I winced again. Was that why she’d kissed me back? Had she just been grateful? Then an even worse idea took hold and wouldn’t let go. Had she let me kiss her because she thought she had to?

  Willow sighed again. Loudly. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

  “Talk about what?” Savannah stopped beside me, and it was a struggle not to laugh. I was so used to the Savannah that I knew from school; it was hard to reconcile that Savannah with the girl who stood before me in an ill-fitting blue gown and a tiara.

  I got it now why she didn’t like to talk about work at school. This whole playing dress-up on the weekends was kind of humiliating if you cared about that kind of thing.

  I didn’t, really. No one would ever dare to laugh at me. One of those perks of being me, right? But as I stared over at Callie, that fear deepened and grew. The same perks that had made me popular without trying, that had made me in-demand with the girls in our school...they had a flip side that scared the crap out of me. More than anything in the world, I didn’t want Callie to fear me, or feel pressured by me. And I didn’t want her to think she owed me something.

  “What did I miss?” Savannah asked.

  “Nothing,” I said quickly.

  Willow ignored that. “Maverick is acting weird,” she told Savannah. “And so is Callie.”

  I glanced over at Willow. So she’d seen that too. I wasn’t sure how that made me feel.

  Savannah narrowed her eyes. “I saw you leaving the party with her.” Her voice held a warning and I met her gaze evenly.

  “I didn’t take advantage of your friend.”

  I didn’t think.

  Crap, I hoped not.

  Savannah eyed me and then gave a short nod. “Luckily for you, I believe you.” She glanced over at Callie and then back to me. “So then, why’s our girl acting weird?”

  Our girl. A surge of warmth filled my chest even though I wasn’t sure if the plural was referring to me and her or her and Willow or even if it was just a turn of phrase.

  They were waiting for an answer and I shrugged. This did not appease either of them and my shrug was met with glares.

  Isla’s sudden arrival to our little group broke the tension. I hadn’t even seen her walking over and she was decked out with a bright red curly wig. She turned to Savannah. “That bratty girl with the pigtails just informed me that my Scottish accent needs work.”

  Willow snickered and Savannah nodded like this was
to be expected. “That’s Kayla. She has opinions.”

  “And she’s not afraid to share them,” Willow said. “I like that kid.”

  Isla huffed and hitched up the too-long dress that was dragging in the grass. “I’ve never been told off by a kindergartener before.”

  “You get used to it,” Savannah said.

  Isla exhaled loudly in response and then turned to look at us each in turn. “So, what did I miss?”

  Willow pointed to me. “Maverick here was just about to explain why Callie’s acting like a freak whenever he looks her way.”

  “A freak how?” Isla asked.

  “She doesn’t smile, and her face looks all...” Willow frowned and gestured toward her own face. “Scared or something.”

  I blinked in surprise and then horror filled me all the way to my toes, making it hard to breathe.

  “And she’s been avoiding him all afternoon,” Savannah added.

  Isla glared up at me. “It takes a lot to get on Callie’s bad side, so whatever you’ve done, it must be horrible.”

  “I—” I started and stopped. I kissed her.

  Was that so wrong?

  Maybe. I glanced over at Callie. Crap, I hoped not.

  They were all glaring now, waiting for an explanation.

  “I didn’t mean to scare her,” I said. “And I would never hurt her.”

  The glares lost some of their heat.

  “Then what happened?” Savannah asked.

  “No offense, but it’s none of your business,” I said. If Callie wanted to tell her friends about that kiss, it was up to her. It wasn’t my place to spill.

  My response was met by three utterly unimpressed expressions.

  “Look,” I said, glancing in Callie’s direction once more. She met my gaze and looked away so quickly it hurt. “I like her, okay? That’s all. I like her a lot and she knows it.”

  And I don’t know if she likes me back.

  “I thought I told you to be her friend first,” Savannah said.

  “I tried that and I thought...” I cleared my throat in the face of three very curious stares. “I thought it was working.”

  “But?” Savannah demanded.

  I shrugged. I had no idea. I’d thought for a little while there at the cabin that we were good. That she felt it too. That maybe that perfect afternoon was the start of something.

  That kiss had only confirmed it for me. If I’d had any doubts about the kind of chemistry we could have together, they were demolished the second my lips touched hers.

  Isla’s brows came down in confusion as she glanced from Savannah to me and back again. “But I thought she liked Roman.”

  I winced. Willow sighed. Savannah rolled her eyes. “She does.” She gave me a surprisingly sheepish smile. “Or did.”

  Or does. Savannah probably had it right the first time. My chest deflated and my ego felt like it might have been dragging in the dirt right alongside Isla’s gown.

  Who was I kidding? My ego had been taking a beating ever since I first talked to Callie and realized she didn’t see me.

  What did I think had changed?

  Had I really thought she’d get to know me and suddenly stop crushing on the rock star she’d had a crush on for years?

  I was an idiot. Savannah had gotten it right weeks ago. She’d spelled it out for me. Callie didn’t care that I played football. She didn’t care that I was popular. She didn’t care that other girls liked me. And what else did I have going for me?

  I didn’t have game and I wasn’t a rock star. I didn’t have anything to offer.

  I wasn’t the guy she liked, and I couldn’t make her like me back.

  Savannah’s brow was creased in concern. Maybe even sympathy. And it seemed like she might offer some advice, but Mrs. Messner shouted for her and Isla to come help with the cake cutting and I was left with a very solemn Willow.

  She made a funny face that was likely supposed to be a wince of regret as she reached out and awkwardly patted my arm. “Hang in there,” she said.

  I nodded and she shifted from foot to foot. No doubt she was looking for a way to escape the unexpectedly emotional scene she’d been caught in.

  I didn’t know Willow well, but I’d been working with the troupe long enough to know that if kids were crying, Callie dealt with them, not Willow. She wasn’t big on emotions.

  Which was fine. I wasn’t either. Typically. Most of the time. In fact, most of the time I was a pretty even-keeled guy. I found myself staring at Callie again.

  What on earth had this girl done to me?

  Willow spoke from beside me. “Set her free.”

  Her statement had me spinning back quickly to face her. “What?”

  “Um...” She threw her hands up in a helpless gesture. “If you love her, set her free. That’s a saying, right?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Something like that.”

  She nodded. “Sorry, it’s the best I’ve got.” She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know much about these things, but I’ve found clichés are usually clichés for a reason.”

  “And what reason is that?”

  She gave me a small smile. “Because people say it often. So clearly there’s some merit to it.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”

  Silence fell. Willow and I both turned to watch Callie. As we watched, Roman left his spot behind the catering table where Flynn was serving up sodas and headed over toward Callie with a big grin.

  A growl escaped, but for once it didn’t come from me. I looked over in surprise to see Willow glaring with narrowed eyes at the scene playing out before us. “What is he up to?” she muttered.

  “Who? Roman?” Obviously she meant Roman but I was beyond confused by her sudden anger. Sure, I didn’t love seeing him and Callie talking, both of them wearing those big goofy smiles. But I hadn’t expected Willow to be so put out by it.

  “I’m going to kill him,” she said under her breath. “Clearly he didn’t hear a word I said.”

  Now I was eyeing her with suspicion because... “What did you say to him?”

  She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.” Glancing up, she gave me a small, tight smile. “Hang in there, okay?” She clapped a hand on my shoulder, solemn once more. “I’m rooting for you.”

  Willow was rooting for me. Well, that was something. But for once in my life, this wasn’t a competition I could win by being bigger or faster or stronger. I eyed Roman. I wished it was because I could take him in a heartbeat.

  I watched Callie’s face light up as she laughed. He’d said something funny. He was probably a funny guy.

  I wasn’t. I wasn’t funny and I wasn’t outgoing.

  But I’d let her in.

  I watched her laugh again and felt my insides tighten to the point where it felt like something might break inside my chest.

  Willow might have been right after all. There was nothing else I could do. I’d told her how I felt. I’d showed her in every way I knew how. I’d even kissed her. But more than that, I’d opened up to her, and I’d taken her to my favorite place and...

  And I’d let her in.

  But now?

  I turned away with a deep breath as I realized that Willow had a point.

  Now it was time to let her go.

  Thirteen

  Callie

  Roman was smiling at me. Beaming, even. That adorable lopsided grin I loved so much was aimed right at me. He’d voluntarily left his catering station, walked over to me, and had struck up a conversation of his own volition.

  “So, I figured I’d just replace the strings, you know?” he said with a tilt of his head. As if he actually expected an answer.

  I blinked up at him. He was still talking about his guitar.

  Okay, fine, maybe we weren’t holding the most scintillating two-sided conversation of all time, but the point was, he’d come over here. And he was talking to me.

  Or, he was attempting to make conversation, at least. Unfortuna
tely I had very little to add, what with not owning a guitar and all.

  But the point was, I should have been elated. I wanted to be elated.

  I tried to be elated.

  “Uh huh,” I said. I added an eager smile as if I was actually following this conversation and wanted to hear more. In reality, my head was spinning like a tornado as I tried to make sense of this new turn of events.

  Roman was talking to me. Why was Roman going out of his way to talk to me?

  So, no. I was not the world’s best conversationalist at the moment, but my smiles were on point and I was killing it with the eager nodding as well. Overall, I’d have given me an A for effort. But as for actually holding up my end of the conversation? More like an F.

  “So...” He trailed off, and I realized at the same time that he did that this was the end of the conversation.

  There was literally nothing more I could contribute to the topic and even Roman seemed to have run out. I waited for him to say something like, so I guess I’ll see you at rehearsal on Wednesday. But instead, he said, “So do you, uh...” He stopped to rub the back of his neck. “Do you want to go out sometime?”

  I stared. I stared so hard my eyes hurt because...what?

  What was happening here?

  “Um, what?” That was the dazzlingly clever response that slipped out of my mouth.

  His lips hitched up higher on one side, a sweet rueful smile that was rare for him. “Yeah, you know, like a date?”

  I nodded. Right. Like a date. But would it actually be a date?

  And did I want it to be?

  And also...why was I not freaking out with excitement right now? This was everything I’d wanted for years.

  This was what I wanted, I reminded myself. And he was waiting for a response that was not my current open-mouthed gaping. “Um, yes.”

  His whole demeanor relaxed, the awkwardness fading a bit. “Great.”

  “Good,” I said.

  “So maybe, like, after rehearsal on Friday?” He looked honestly perplexed and I found myself wondering if he’d ever actually asked a girl out before because this was not his typical laid-back charm at work right now. He seemed nervous.