Page 351 of Seasons of Love
“Juju! Oh my god, how are you here?”
“I tried calling, but you didn’t answer. The airline offered to reschedule the flight, so I took the chance.”
I hug her tight. She smells like airplane, flowers, and gummy bears, her favorite flying snack. “God, I missed you.”
She looks behind me and her chin literally drops. “Wow.”
“Oh, Juju, this is Riley.” I turn to Riley. “Riley, this is my best friend, Juju.”
“Nice to meet you, Juju,” Riley says. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Everything he said is a lie,” she says, pointing at me. “Unless it’s true.”
Riley laughs. “I guess I’ll need to get to know you better to figure out which is which.”
Juju meets my gaze, and I’m sure I’m melting on the spot, even in this cold weather. Yes, my boyfriend is being super-duper-sweet to my best friend. Is it legal to jump him in public and kiss his handsome face? Because I so want to do that right now.
She scratches her messy bun, her expression suddenly going serious. She spares a glance at Riley and then back at me. “Um, I’m not on my own. It wasn’t my idea. It was more that I didn’t have a choice. Trust me, I wanted to cut off his balls during the flight, but I heard there’s always an Air Marshall present, and I didn’t want to get arrested.”
“What are you talking about?”
My blood goes cold and my legs almost give out when I see the one person I swore I’d never want to see or hear from again in my life.
“Wha…what is he doing here?”
“Babe, are you okay?” Riley is there next to me, his strong arm keeping me steady.
Harley smiles like we’re long-lost friends or lovers who haven’t seen each other in a while and miss one another. “Boo-boo! Wow, you look fantastic.”
He’s dressed in clothes that are totally inappropriate for this weather. His leather shoes alone will get him killed if he doesn’t die of frostbite first.
If only.
The closer he gets, the more my blood thaws until it reaches a boiling-rage temperature.
I don’t want to make a scene, especially not in front of Riley. The last thing I want is for him to decide I’m far too much drama after all. Not to mention that my whole story with Harley is too humiliating.
Harley comes so close I can smell his cologne. The one that always made me nauseous. I should have known even then he wasn’t right for me.
I freeze when he comes even closer, but Riley holds out his hand to him, effectively providing a safe barrier.
“Riley Dempsey. You are?”
Riley’s voice is deeper and more assertive than I’ve heard it before.
Harley takes a step back and gives Riley an assessing look. He doesn’t take Riley’s hand, which is probably a smart move. “Harley Bruce. How’s life been since you left the Marinos, Coach Dempsey?”
“Mr. Bruce. I read the sports news headlines too,” Riley replies with a cryptic tone, and I swear I see some of Harley’s color drain from his face.
What’s that all about?
“Well, this was a nice little reunion, but you’ve seen Bubble, so you can get on your way, Harley. Ciao,” Juju says, attempting to push him away.
“Not so fast. I’d like to catch up with Bubble,” he says without taking his eyes off me.
“Bubble?” Riley’s voice is gentle, and I love how he didn’t call me by my name. Harley has no business knowing my name. I know Riley has my back if I want him to send Harley away. But now that he’s here, I want to know what he has to say for himself before I kick his ass to Timbuktu.
I look up at Riley. “I’ll text you later, okay?”
