Page 46 of Make Me Swoon

“I’m going to eat the dessert that you gave me last night.”

Hudson laughs and I kiss his chest before I climb out of bed. I smile when I see the purple streaks staining his pillowcase. I like that I’m leaving my mark on this place, and I grin as I head downstairs to eat my breakfast.

FIFTEEN

I can’t tell if my upset stomach is from being excited to meet Hudson’s friends, or nerves. I’ve changed my clothes three times trying to find the perfect outfit.

At first, I had on a sundress that I borrowed from Sutton but that seemed a little too fancy for a honey food festival. I had tried on cutoff jean shorts next, but that seemed a little too casual and while it was warm out, I was worried that it would be colder up on the mountain. In the end, I settled on a pair of my nicer skinny jeans and a nicer T-shirt.

“They’re going to love you,” Hudson reassures me as we walk down the stairs of my apartment.

I squeeze his hand, my old sneakers slapping on the steps the whole way down. It’s warm, a perfect day for the Honey Festival and I’m excited to finally meet his friends.

We head over to his Range Rover and I see that his friends are already sitting inside. They stayed the night at his house last night and are just here to pick me up. I didn’t get to meet them last night since they got in so late.

There’s a pretty redheaded girl in the passenger seat, so I head to the back to climb in. There are two guys already sitting in the back and the one who was sitting behind Hudson’s seat grumbles slightly as he slides over into the middle seat.

“Guys, this is my girlfriend, Lyla. Lyla, this is Heather, Alex, and Steven.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say as I buckle up and they all murmur the sentiment back, but I can feel them studying me, taking me in, and seeing how I measure up.

I can tell right away that they find me lacking. It’s the same feeling that I get around my mom and stepsisters.

Heather especially seems to have a problem with me. She gives me a fake smile before she turns around in the passenger seat and slides her sunglasses on.

Steven starts up a conversation about some other New York chefs and I stare out the window as we head up to Honey Peak. I think it’s rude that they’re excluding me, but I’m also conscious that they haven’t seen each other in a while and are probably just trying to catch up.

We follow some other cars as they head to the designated parking and I hop out as we park, brushing my hands on my skinny jeans. I’m wearing my old Keds and a dark blue T-shirt and I thought that this outfit would be fine for a festival, but compared to Hudson and his friends, I’m wildly underdressed.

Steven, Alex, and Hudson are all wearing polo shirts and dress shorts with boat shoes. They all look like they should be at some fancy yacht club instead of wandering around a food festival. Heather is wearing a pair of jean shorts with a silky tank top and wedge sandals. She’s got three necklaces on, all different lengths so they’re layered over the tank top and I swear that there are at least a dozen gold bangles on her wrist. They keep knocking together and the tinkling is starting to drive me crazy.

I shrug that off too, trying to reassure myself that we’ll be able to walk behind them and I can stay close to Hudson, but part of me has a feeling that today is going to suck.

“Ready to go look around?” Hudson asks me, holding his hand out and I take it, feeling at peace as his familiar fingers wrap around mine.

I smile as the sun shines on my face and we cross the road to the festival.

“So, how did the two of you meet?” Heather asks as she walks on the other side of Hudson, her hand brushing a little too close to Hudson’s for my comfort.

“She rear-ended me,” Hudson tells her, grinning down at me and I laugh.

“He pulled out in front of me out of nowhere, causing me to hit him,” I correct him and he laughs.

“So, you rear-ended him and then asked him for his phone number? That’s quite a move,” Heather says, scrunching her nose up in disapproval.

“Uh, no. Actually, he asked for my phone number.”

“Right,” she says, and it’s obvious that she doesn’t believe that Hudson would ever pursue me.

I wonder if the two of them were ever a thing. It’s obvious that she wishes that they were now, if the looks that she keeps flashing him are any indication.

We get to the front booth and Hudson pays for all of us. He helps me with the wristband and I intertwine our fingers together as we start to walk around the different booths checking out all of the different foods for sale.

There are so many different honeys with different flavors. We walk past some honey-flavored cheeses and other honey-infused foods. There are honeycombs and even live bees for sale at some booths.

Hudson buys us a few different honey flavor sticks and I try half before I give the other half to him to try. We debate our favorites and I smile as he doubles back to grab me a dozen more of the honey cherry kind.

Alex is over at a different booth arguing with the young boy working there about the bees that made this honey, and I roll my eyes. It’s honey and I don’t see what the big deal is.

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