Page 52 of Irresistibly Us
I nod and feel my eyes go soft. The cloud lifts.I’m good.Happy to be here with you.
They are my truest words. Even if I’m not quite sure what my newfound feelings for Sophie mean exactly, or what is going on in my head, no matter what, she’s still my best friend. My favorite person. And no matter what, I’ll always be happy to be anywhere with her.
“We’re going to head out.”
Gabe’s voice breaks us out of our little bubble, and I turn to see him and Molly standing up.
“Are you sure?” Sophie asks, standing too and gesturing at the coffee table. “That’s a double order of mozzarella sticks. Evidently Ty thought I was going to eat my weight in fried things today.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” I say with a smile and a shrug.
“We’re sure.” Gabe wraps Sophie in a hug and whispers something into her ear. I can’t hear what he says, but as he gives her an extra squeeze, she closes her eyes and takes what looks like a steadying breath.
When Molly hugs her, she does the same secret whisper thing, and the look that crosses Sophie’s face has me instantly curious. It looks like…hope maybe?
Before I can work it out, Molly and Gabe are leaving with a wave and Sophie stands, rooted to the spot, staring at the door her parents just disappeared out of.
“Sit, Sal,” I say. “Let’s get you fed. You need fuel to teach kindergarteners how to code.”
She turns and looks at me, incredulous expression on her face. “You remembered that I have a kindergarten class coming in today?”
I shrug, taking a sip of my ginger ale. Fuck that’s good. Fountain soda slaps. “Of course I do. You told me about it last night. I listen when you talk to me.”
Sophie blows out a breath, flopping back into her seat and grabbing a mozzarella stick, dipping it in marinara sauce and then ketchup—a combination I find horrifying but is quintessential Sophie diner behavior. “You really do, don’t you?”
I pick up a chicken tender and dunk it in honey mustard, taking a big bite. “Sure do. You’re cool as shit, Soph, and you’re my best friend. I like listening to you talk.”
Sophie studies me for a few seconds before she smiles. “Forevs, Harry?” For some reason, this time, she phrases it almost like a question. Like she’s wondering if it’s true. Whetherwe really will be best friends forever, the way we promised when we were twelve and these words became our catch phrase.
And just like when we were twelve, I reach out, flicking her bracelets before linking my finger with hers and saying my words without a single question to be found. “Forevs, Sal.”
For the next hour, I sit with my best friend, laughing and talking and eating way too much food and thinking that I would be happy to do this forever, as long as I get to do it with her.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
SOPHIE
At the sound of my phone beeping, I dash out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, hair dripping down my back and coffee sloshing dangerously close to the top of the mug I’m holding in one hand. Snatching the phone off my bed, I slide down until I’m sitting on the floor, my back against the bed frame, and click on the message, knowing whatever it is will be just the distraction I’m looking for.
RenegadeRush
What’s the most random fact you know?
ChaosQueen
Research shows that when first meeting a stranger, all it takes is a tenth of a second to form an impression of them and that impression generally doesn’t change with longer exposures.
RenegadeRush
Okay that’s…really random.
ChaosQueen
It’s not random if you’re in my head.
RenegadeRush
Let’s say I’m not in your head. What context would I need to properly understand that fact?
