Page 11 of I Wanna Text You Up

I watch as she pushes her sunglasses up on her nose and laughs. Delia insisted she be here for the meet and greet but didn’t want to bethatfriend. So, instead, she’s sitting on the other side of the bar, wearing head-to-toe black, and Zach is here too, wearing a black ball cap pulled low over his eyes, a hoodie with the hood pulled up, andjeans.

They stick out like sorethumbs.

“You two look like idiots,” I tellher.

“Shut up,” she growls as she flips me off. Zach catches wind of what she’s doing and flips the bird my way too, not even knowingwhy.

He’s such a good supportsystem.

“Do you think he’s here already?” I hear Zach askher.

“I don’t see anyone who looks like anEdward.”

“And how does one look like an Edward?” Zach asks. I can hear the smile in his voice. “Pale and constipatedlooking?”

Delia gasps and smacks at his arm. “How dare you! He was trying to resist herscent!”

“Can we please stop discussingTwilightand get back to the task at hand? Scan the room with me, Delia. Who looks like he could be myEdward?”

“What about that guy in the corner wearing the tweed jacket? Or the guy in the bluesweater?”

“So, basically the two dudes who are wearing outfits similar to what Edward wore in themovie?”

She opens her mouth but hesitates. “Y-Yes,” she finallysays.

“You’re horrible atthis.”

“Are you two really talking on the phone across the bar rightnow?”

I jump at the familiar voice, bumping my drink and sloshing soda onto thetable.

I look up at the offender and glare. “You owe me a newCheerwine.”

Caleb Mills smirks down at my delicious cherry-flavored soda. “Cheerwine? Really,Zoe?”

“What? It’s a damn good drink and you know it.” He nods and slides himself onto a barstool. “Sure, please, take a seat at my table,Caleb.”

“Aw, thanks. Itisa good drink, but you’re in a bar—why aren’t youdrinking?”

I shake my cup at him. “Iam.”

“What’s Caleb doing here?” Delia asks in myear.

“Hell if I know,” I answerher.

Caleb turns around and waves her way. She and Zach both raise their drinks tohim.

It still blows my mind how chill Delia and Caleb are after having dated for six months last year. They split amicably with no bad blood between them, but it’salwaysawkward when your ex starts dating someone new and you’re there to witnessit.

Not withthem.

Last year after a nude photo of Delia went around, Caleb was right there on the battlefield along with us, making sure to keep the identity of the girl in the photo under wraps and ensuring that the douchebag who sent it got what was coming tohim.

That was the first time I noticed him in a way I shouldn’t, and it wasn’t even in anomg he’s hotsort of way—I noticed thatlongago.

No, it was the way he was there fighting for his friend, the way he went against the most powerful player on his team knowing he was putting his career in jeopardy to do the rightthing.

It was his fierceness anddetermination.

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