Page 16 of Never Not Friends

“I, uh…” I glance down just long enough to compose myself. “I found the shirt at Last Chance.”

The softest grin touches his lips, showing the dimple in the crease of his smile. “I love how much you love that store.”

“I do love it.” I barely get the words out while my brain cycles through technical difficulties.

“Did you buy anything else besides the shirt?”

“Doc Martens.”

He leans his head over the side of the table. “Those ones?”

I lift my leg, proudly showing off my new shoes. “Only forty-five dollars.”

“Really?” He grabs my ankle to inspect my purchase. Sparks of heat shoot from my leg to my chest, filling me with a shot of warmth. “Not a bad find.” His light eyes peek up at me, and I don’t know whether it’s because he’s holding my ankle or because he speaks to my soul, but my heart struggles to keep up.

“Right?” I pull my leg away, planting it firmly on the ground. “Finding these shoes in the pile of clearance items gave me more excitement than anything else I’ve done all month.”

“If you’re not final-clearance shopping at Last Chance in search of deeply discounted designer stuff from Nordstrom, then what are you even doing with your life?”

I smile big. “I couldn’t agree more.”

We spend two beats smiling at each other until…

“Sorry I’m late.” Juliet plops down in the chair beside Vinny, leaning in for a kiss.

My eyes drop, and I fidget with my bracelet. But then Carly and Camila walk in together, saving me from my misery.

“Hello, hello!” Carly gives me a quick squeeze, her blonde hair brushing against my cheek.

Camila sits down next to me and, in one fluid motion, whips her long, black curls off her shoulder. “What did we miss?”

Just me pining over Vinny. Nothing new.

Juliet smiles. “We all just got here.”

The next ten minutes are spent on small talk. When Blair arrives, we order and begin the ritual of going around the table, updating each other on what’s been going on in our lives over the last month.

Nate and Carly are planning a big trip to Guatemala to hike a volcano.

Camila and Hess just bought another horse. It was a compromise because Hess is ready to start having kids, but Camila isn’t. I guess a colt is the next best option.

Blair spent the night in a Dominican Republic jail because she had a pocketknife in her carry-on when she went through security at the airport. Amazingly, she seemed unfazed by her incarceration. We are not cut from the same cloth.

By the time my turn comes around, it’s all of thirty seconds.

I’m not dating anyone. My job is the same every day. I don’t have any exciting hobbies. I’m just here, orbiting their lives.

Existing but not really living.

Carly asks a question about my students. Bless her heart.

Blair asks if I’ve met any new guys. Yeah, right.

Juliet tells the group that I helped my parents paint their shutters last Saturday. Pretty pathetic.

Camila smiles and says she bets I’m excited for summer break. Which I am.

That pretty much sums up my turn.