Page 68 of Pride & Precedents

"Here's to Adam. He's the perfect brother, marrying the perfect girl, in the perfect suit." Cory laughs and yanks me back down to sit, but drinks anyway.

"Sit down, man. You always get so emotional when you drink."

Noah and Adam are both smiling too and it feels good between all of us for the first time in a while. Nothing, not a new relationship, not moving to Westchester, not even a huge fight, can break the bonds of brotherhood. Once Damon is back for the wedding, things will be perfect.

Well, almost perfect.My heart squeezes when I remember that the person I want to be my date for the wedding, the one person I might actually consider taking the plunge with, as scary as that feels, is planning to leave for good. If she needs a grand gesture to know how I feel about her, then a grand gesture is what she's fucking going to get.

Chapter twenty-eight

Camila

"Bye, guys! Next time, I'll bring my Critical Pass flashcards. They're a total game changer for some of those tricky multiple-choice questions."

Kyle, a lanky twenty-something with dirty blonde hair, oversized glasses, and a prominent nose, bows his thanks and Amina, a short Indian woman in full makeup, blows a kiss before they disappear down the stairs to the F train. They're both five years younger than I am and look like they walked straight out of an Old Navy ad. Also, they have their shit down.

Joining the in-person study group was long overdue. With Kyle and Amina's help, I finally feel like I'm moving past rote memorization to full comprehension. As a proud Bronxite, it stings that they're both from Queens, but they're still good people. I'm going to make this test my bitch!

As soon as I reach the escalators at Penn Station, I pop my headphones in and crank the volume up to eleven. Initially, I spent every waking moment studying, even downloading exam prep podcasts to listen to on the subway. But with the testcoming up next week and my anxiety at an all-time high, I've started forcing myself to take breaks. My newest rule? Music only music during my commute.

Celia Cruz sings a song of yearning as I push past the rush hour traffic and feel a twinge of guilt that I'm not at work. Yes, it's common to take time off for exam prep, especially at a law firm. Yes, since I left, I've been getting the best sleep of my life and exploring parts of the city I've been neglecting. But I know I didn't leave in the most professional way.

I also know I owe Henry more than the cold shoulder after years of working together. Just because things didn't work out between us, it doesn't mean we can't be civil. I'll need to talk to him about that recommendation, anyway. Maybe I'll stop by reception tomorrow and see if I can catch him at lunch.

As I turn onto my street, familiar horn-rimmed glasses catch my eye. Or, I can talk to himnow, since Henry's currently leaning against the railing in front of my building.What the hell?

I try to slow down, maybe duck between the buildings to take the back entrance, but he sees me anyway. He straightens and nervously wipes one hand on his pants, holding a bouquet of purple flowers in the other. In jeans and a blazer, he looks more like one of my professors than a legal shark.Fuck me if that doesn't make him look even hotter.

I come to a stop two feet in front of him, leaving enough space so I won't just jump into his arms on instinct.I've missed him!He pushes his glasses further up his nose and I can see his Adam's apple bob as he swallows.

"What are you doing here, Henry?" I hate how accusatory that sounded, but I still feel a bit raw.

"I—" He clears his throat. "I wanted to see you. I brought you these." He awkwardly pushes the flowers in my direction and I simply stare at them.

"The florist said hyacinth is for forgiveness," he adds, still holding the flowers out to me. After another moment of hesitation, I take the bouquet. I'm a little pissed at how beautiful it is, and that he thought to ask the florist for a recommendation. Sub Zero was never this thoughtful, which means I'm talking to Henry. But which one?

"Thank you. This is really…sweet." One corner of his mouth lifts in a small smile and the silence stretches between us. As usual, I'm the first to break it.

"Don't get me wrong, the flowers are beautiful, but I still don't know why you're here. It's 4:30pm on a Thursday. Shouldn't you be at work?"

He shifts uncomfortably before meeting my eyes.

"I've been suspended. For three months." I gasp and nearly drop the flowers and all my bags.

"What?! What happened?" Henry shrugs like the biggest twist since the ending of "Fight Club" is nothing to him.

"The senior partners weren't too happy with how things went down with Naomi. Asking to be taken off such a high-profile case is extremely unusual, even with inappropriate behavior on the client's part." He sighs.

"They would've let it go…but then…someone reported us. If not for Bannister, I'd be out of a job."

I feel a pain in my palm and realize I have the strap of my satchel in a death grip.

"That bitch."

"What?" Henry says, clearly surprised by my reaction.

"It was Vanessa." His eyes widen.

"Vanessa? How would she have known?"

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