Chapter Twenty-Eight
Alex
Jules puts her hand on my leg to try to keep it still. It works for a second or two before I start bouncing it again under her touch.
“You’re working yourself up,” she says lightly.
“I know.” I start tapping my fingers against the top of the table to distract myself from shaking my leg. It doesn’t work. “It’s just, what if I waited too long, and she doesn’t show?”
“She wouldn’t have agreed to meet with you if she wasn’t planning on coming.”
“But what if—”
“Alex.” Jules puts her hand over mine, stilling it, then points to the door.
Sarah steps inside the small café and closes her umbrella. I freeze, wondering for the millionth time if this was a good idea.
“Relax,” Jules whispers right before she waves, catching Sarah’s attention, and motions her over.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” she says and hangs her coat on the back of her chair as Jules and I stand. “You know how a little bit of rain can make everyone a terrible driver?”
“Yeah, and you’re coming in from Maryland,” Jules jokes. It makes Sarah laugh and makes me release the breath I’ve been holding.
The two of them hug, and Sarah meets my gaze over Jules’s shoulder.
“Hi,” I say lamely when they pull away.
I make no effort to move, still unsure whether she really wants to be here or how she feels about seeing me. I barely said two words to her at my brother’s funeral and not much more than that in the six months since.
My breath whooshes from my lungs when she pulls me into a tight embrace. It takes me a moment to realize she doesn’t seem mad and another for me to wrap my arms around her so I can hug her back. She holds on tightly, and I let her.
My eyes start to water, and I squeeze them shut. “I’m so sorry I didn’t call you sooner. I didn’t know what to say.”
She exhales, her breath warm against my shoulder. “Honestly, I didn’t know what to say to you, either.”
We pull away, and I wipe at the tears that slide down my cheeks, and she does the same.
“It’s really good to see you,” she says sincerely.
“It’s really good to see you, too.”
Jules gently touches my arm. “I’m going to go freshen up before we order.” I nod, knowing she’s only slipping away to give me and Sarah a bit of privacy.
“I have something for you,” I say once we sit and before Sarah can say anything else. I reach inside my hoodie pocket and roll the plastic canister around in my hand before handing it over.
She takes Mason’s favorite fireheart dice and stares as though they’re the most precious things in the world. If anyone could appreciate the value in them, it’s her.
“You met my brother playing D in fact, it’s the nicest apartment I’ve ever lived in. But I always knew I wouldn’t be there long. That it was just a touchdown station before finding something more permanent.
“Mia found a few listings. We’re going to check them out some time this week. You wanna come with?”
Her eyes grow wide. “You’re asking, do I want to go walk around available houses and mentally redecorate them in my style? Yes. Please.”
“Okay, cool.” I give Ripley one more scratch and sit back with a sigh. “Even if it costs a fortune to break my lease, I really don’t want to spend a year searching for a place. It’s too stressful.”
“What are you looking for specifically?” She puts her chin in her hand and watches me with a soft expression.
It makes me want to lean over the table and kiss her.
Except we’re not there yet. And that’s okay.
“One with a backyard for Ripley. At least two bedrooms, three would be better, a garage, sidewalks—”
“Gotta have sidewalks and a backyard for the bestest boy,” she agrees.
“And to be able to purchase it with my four-month employment history.”
“Is that going to be a problem?”
“Mia doesn’t think so. The lender she works with said my previous work history seemed solid. I’ve never missed my rent. And thanks to Mason, I have a sizable downpayment, so that helps.”
“Money talks.”
“She wants me to get her a list of needs and wants by the end of this weekend so she can put together some web portal of available listings for me to look through.”
Jules nods and pulls her jacket a little tighter.
I manage to catch the eye of our server from the window and I gesture for the check. “What about you?” I try to keep my tone neutral, as if I’m not desperate to know so I can add them to my own list. “What are some things you’d look for?”
She waves aside my question and finishes the last of her coffee. “Oh, it’ll be decades before I can afford a house.”
I mimic her previous position and put my chin in my hand and smile. “Humor me.”
She takes a moment to think about it. “A kitchen that looks into the main room so I can watch TV while cooking, a fun place for a huge Christmas tree.”
“Obviously.”
“Maybe a little porch. Mainly just a quiet neighborhood like the one we had growing up.”
That’s exactly it. Sure, it would be nice to have the large bedrooms and fancy, updated appliances, but at the end of it the day, I’m just looking for something that feels like home.
The server appears and reaches for our empty plates. “Can I get you anything else? A coffee refill, maybe?”
I try to help by quickly snagging the utensils and stacking them on top. “I think we’re good, thanks.”
As if expecting that response, she places the check on the table and winks. “Well, in that case, don’t be a stranger.”
Thinking nothing of it, I snag the bill before Jules can, happy when I manage to be quicker for once.
“She seems interested in you,” Jules says once the server has left.
“She’s just being nice,” I mutter, trying to figure out twenty percent of thirty-seven.
“Are you interested?” Jules asks almost hesitantly.
I glance at her, slightly startled when I see that she’s not even trying to hide the fact that this interaction seems to be bothering her.
Most times when one of us gets hit on, we kind of laugh about it.
Jules keeps saying she’s not ready to date, and I keep assuring her that I’m not available until she is ready.
The conversation usually ends in her blushing, and we move on as if none of it ever happened.
Why it’s bothering her so much this time, I don’t know.
Unfortunately, when I flip the check over, the server’s name and phone number are scrawled along the bottom, followed by a smiley face that I think is supposed to be winking.
I shove the bill in my pocket and hope Jules didn’t notice. “You two go get warm,” I say, handing her the leash and my keys to Betty. “I’ll meet you at the car after I pay.”
Jules is eager to agree and takes Ripley’s leash. She gives him a quick kiss on his tan little head then leads him toward the parking lot. Once they’re out of sight, I straighten and head inside, hoping to quickly pay and avoid running into our server.
Then I try and think of a way to prove to Jules that she’s the only one I’m interested in and that I’ll wait an eternity for her to be ready if she needs me to.
Chloe throws her arm around me as we slowly weave through the furniture store. “I’m impressed you’ve finally come to your senses and decided to upgrade from a single side chair to a whole entire sofa.”
I push her arm off me in mock offense. “Hey, a chair was all I needed. But Ripley deserves a nice comfy couch.”
Chloe snorts as if the whole idea of furniture shopping for the sake of a dog is a weird motivator. “It’s going to be really funny when you haul this thing into your apartment and have to haul it right back out when you find a house.”
“It’s going to be even funnier when you and Dominic have to help me move it,” I fire back.
“Hopefully, we’ll be in Seattle before that happens,” she mutters. She shoots a glare over her shoulder and wanders in the opposite direction, but I know the idea of not being around for big moments is killing her.
It’s kind of killing me, too. She’s been in my life almost as long as Jules has.
She’s been there for me in some of my darkest moments, often hauling me out of the darkness by the scruff of my neck.
It’s weird to think of her living across the country.
And if it’s weird for me, I can’t imagine what she’s going through.
Or Jules. Once again, one of her best friends is going to be so far away.
Speaking of, I look around and find Jules sitting on a three seater. “We should take Chloe to a strip club tonight,” I say and sit beside her.
Jules’s face lights up. “Do you think they have one that’s eighties themed?”
I gasp in delight. “Oh my God, I hope so.”
The image of an annoyed Chloe amuses me more than I care to admit. I’m really going to miss her.
We sit in silence for a beat, Jules adjusting the decorative pillows while I check the price tag. Despite the boring color, it’s right in my price range, and the seats are actually pretty comfortable.
“So,” Jules starts slowly, “what happened with that server?”
“What server?” I drop the tag and bounce on the cushion to see if it springs back up.
“The one from Dan’s Diner. The one who gave you her phone number?”
Ah. So she did notice. “Nothing happened.”
“You didn’t call her?” Jules goes for nonchalance, but that was two weeks ago, and I can see right through her.
“Why would I do that?” I ask, and that gets her attention. I run my hand along the fabric of the sofa and like how soft it feels against my skin. “I told you, I’m waiting on someone else.”
I try to say it as a joke, but the thing is, I’m totally serious. And even though I would never want to pressure her into anything, I can’t help but wonder what she’s waiting for.
She opens her mouth and closes it again, clearly unsure of how to respond to that.
Undeterred by her silence, I tilt my head to the side. “What do you think?”
She seems confused, and I debate teasing her a little, maybe attempting to flirt, but I pat the cushion between us. “Should I get it?”
“Oh,” she says and shakes herself out of her daze. “It’s nice.”
“Yeah, it’s comfortable, but is it sturdy?” I bounce up and down again, testing its toughness. “Because if we’re going to be using this as our stage, it’s going to have to be able to handle the jumping.”
She chuckles, probably imagining us as adults putting on concerts in the living room like we did when we were kids, and I resist the urge to start singing just to try to embarrass her.
“It should be okay as long as someone doesn’t fall off and sprain their wrist.” She gives me a pointed look.
“Power ballads get me excited.”
Her eyes seem to sparkle when she leans in and asks, “Is that the only thing that gets you excited?”
I gape. I’ve been waiting so long for her to flirt back that when she finally does, I’m too shocked to know how to respond.
She smirks as if she knows exactly what she just did to me and places her finger under my chin to gently close my mouth.
“What about this one?” Chloe calls out from across the store and plops down on a navy blue sectional.
Jules stands and reaches for my hand, hauling me to my feet. “Come on. Let’s go test the durability of that sectional.”
“I know a great way to test the durability,” I say, and it makes her laugh.
When she links our fingers together, I feel like flying.