Page 15 of Choose Me

He swallows thickly and searches my eyes, wonder and possibly hope of his own reflected back at me. In all the times I’ve imagined how this conversation might go, none of them had gone this poorly. “Withme?“ He laughs nervously. “No. Sorry, that’s ridiculous. Obviously you didn’t meanwithme. Like, withme.”

“But I did mean with you.”

He shakes his head. “No, you don’t understand what I’m saying.”

“Yes, I do.” I bring up both my hands and cup his face, then lean down and press my forehead to his. “Jules.” I take a moment and breathe in our shared air. “I should have thought of a better way to talk to you about this, but I’m an idiot.”

Jules’ trembling hands cover mine. “No, you’re not.”

“I only ever want to make you smile. You have the best smile, Jules. It makes everything better.”

The wonder in his eyes steals my breath. “Does it?”

“Yes.” I laugh softly, and he tilts his chin so our lips are almost touching. “Youmake everything better.” His eyes lock on mine in the most intense connection I’ve ever had with another person. I lean in, feeling the warmth of his breath and aching for a taste of his lips.

A loud buzzing cuts through the quiet, and I practically jump out of my skin. Jules presses a hand to his chest and we both stare at each other for a moment. Then my pocket buzzes insistently again. I let Jules go and pull my phone out of my jacket.

Stef: Just got up. We still on for later?

Reality comes crashing in, along with dread at what Stef will think when he finds out.

Me: Yeah. Absolutely. Around 2?

Stef: Perfect. C U then

I drop my phone back in my pocket, and we stand silently for a moment. “So, that was Stef. He just got up.”

Jules doesn’t seem upset by what just happened. In fact, he seems calm as he glances at his watch. “Almost eleven. Right on schedule for him.”

“I guess we timed this right. We’re almost back to the parking lot.” I try to sound fine, but my emotions are all over the place. It’s like Stef knew I almost kissed Jules and found a way to stop it. “By the time we get back to your apartment, he’ll be fit for company.”

Jules steps back onto the trail and I wonder if he’s as conflicted as I am. “Yup. Pressed, primped, perfect, and ready for his day.”

Neither of us brings up the almost kiss as we continue on the trail, but we walk much closer together, and when I look back at Jules, there’s a small smile on his face each time. “So, what are you guys going to do?”

“Aren’t you coming with us?”

“No, he’s gonna want you all to himself for a bit, and you guys need time to catch up.”

Jules is smiling, but his eyes look tired and his shoulders droop a bit. He’s more worn out than he’s letting on. “And you need time to decompress?”

His laughter makes the tension in my chest ease. “Yeah. Normally, being outdoors isn’t this… emotional. And I didn’t sleep well last night, so I may take a nap.”

I groan, because a nap sounds amazing. Especially because I didn’t sleep well either. I was too keyed up to see Jules. “Maybe I’ll tell Stef I’ll meet up with him later and I’ll nap with you.”

Jules almost trips over his own feet. “What?”

I wink at him. “Don’t worry. I’m just teasing. If we did that, Stef would kill me.” Unfortunately, that’s an all-too-real possibility I need to remember.

5

Erik

Mondaymorning,Ipokemy head through the doorway of my sister’s office at Hibernian Press and get my first glimpse of her on this trip. She’s very professional in her ice blue business suit with her dark brown hair cut into a perfectly styled long bob. She’s furiously typing away at her keyboard, and I almost hate to interrupt. “Knock, knock.”

She holds up a finger, then goes back to typing. “One sec. Finishing this sentence.”

When she looks up, her radiant smile squeezes my heart, and I need to clear my throat so words come out. “Hey, little sister.”

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