“Do you really think a red heart cut out of construction paper with glitter is the way I should do that?”

She giggles. “We were going for fun and heartfelt. My brother is a romantic.”

“He’s also a twenty-one-year-old man. I don’t think bedazzling the sentiment was my best-laid plan.”

“I think it’s sweet.”

“Well, when I decide to tell you how much I like you, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I prefer chocolates.”

“Helpful.”

“What if he’s already seen it?” she asks.

“Then I’ll send a postcard when I get settled in my new town. I have to go.”

“Relax. If he saw it, then he finally knows, and if not, then we’ll figure out another way to tell him. You have to tell him.”

“Promise me you’ll never let me craft for a man again.”

“I can’t promise that. Two glasses of wine and my judgment goes right out the window.”

“Again, helpful.”

She laughs into the phone. “Text me and let me know how it goes.”

After saying our goodbyes, I toss my phone back on the couch and cross over to the apartment where Adam, Heath, and Rhett live. I try the door, finding it thankfully open.

The living room is empty and quiet as I rush toward Adam’s room. Their apartment has a similar setup to mine and Dakota’s place with bedrooms on either side of the living area. Heath and Rhett are on one side and Adam on the other. I glance over my shoulder toward the hallway that leads to the other bedrooms to make sure Heath or Rhett aren’t home.

As I get near the closed bathroom door, I hear the shower going. Crap! He’s here.

My heart races as I hurry into Adam’s room. His scent temporarily stops me in my tracks. Old Spice deodorant and Calvin Klein cologne. I’m not some sort of creeper; it’s just that he’s worn both as long as I’ve known him. There are always at least two different scents of the deodorant on the vanity in the bathroom right next to the cologne, Obsession, which stuck with me for obvious reasons.

The next thing that causes me to freeze is his bed. His white sheets are rumpled, covers thrown back. My imagination runs away from me creating vivid and amazing scenarios that include the two of us wrapped up in those sheets. Sweaty, but like that glowy, dewy look, not gross sweat.

My crush on Adam knows no respectability. For the past two years, I’ve had it bad for my neighbor. He’s just… everything. Smart and sweet, caring, protective.