Page 61

“About?” I smile. Because being next to Jude makes the craziness of New York, and the trepidation of all these important life decisions, disappear.
“Some friends of mine wanted to meet up for dinner, and I want you to come with me,” he says. “Will you? Come?”
I narrow in on his expression, my heart kicking yet again at the starting gate, ready to take off for the races. He looks amused, hopeful, happy. In a way I don’t remember seeing in him last summer.
And he wants me to meet his friends.
The metaphorical starting gate opens, and my heart sprints away.
“Yeah, okay,” I say. “That sounds like fun.”
“Okay, good.” He smiles. “I just have to stop by my brother’s place first, and then we’ll head over.”
“Sounds good.” I push back and relax into the seat, taking in a deep, full, calming breath.
It feels like the first I’ve taken in far too long.
______
An explosion of laughter erupts from across the table.
“No way; no fucking way! Ontrel Edwards?” Jude’s friend is shouting. He just told him—and the rest of his friends—about the professional NFL player he’s going to be meeting with thissummer. It’s amazing, really, since he’s the one who reached out to Jude, wanting to meet up and talk about his future in football.
“Way,” Jude says, leaning back in his chair. He glances over at me and winks.
“So, Declan. Tell us a little more about you,” Connor says, catching the gesture.
I glance down the line of his friends, their eyes all rapt on me. Connor, Nick, Antonio, and Isabella—all with varying New York accents, every single one of them. I’m a little more comfortable with this kind of thing after my freshman year of college—meeting new people, talking to virtual strangers—but not by too much. My heart patters as a reminder, nervousness biting at my palms.
“Um… What would you like to know?” I ask.
Questions fire at me from all directions.
“What made you choose New York?”
“What are you studying?”
“Do you plan on staying in the city after you graduate?”
“Was Jude a complete dick to you when you first met him, too?”
I laugh at that last one, probably harder than I should.
“Oh, definitely. I kind of hated him a little bit, I think, when I first met him.” He nudges me with his knee beneath the table, but he’s all smiles. “But then… we became friends, and I suppose I really like him now,” I tease, and his smile grows softer, fonder. “New York was kind of a whim. Addy, my friend from Oklahoma, it was her dream school, so I applied too thinking there was no way I’d ever get in, but then I did, and now here I am. I’m still undecided on my major, but I’m swaying toward nursing. And I don’t know; I might like to stay. If the city ever starts to feel like… home.”
Connor crosses his arms, a thoughtful line creasing between his light brows. “Give it some time.”
“Yeah, don’t let us scare you off,” Nick tacks on with a smile that stretches across his tan cheeks.
“New York can have a hard exterior, but it softens—eventually,” Isabella says.
And Antonio cuts in with, “I’m sure there’s a lot you haven’t explored yet, too. I bet Jude would be more than happy to help you out with that.” Innuendo undercuts his words, and it makes me blush.
“Knock it off, jackass,” Jude says, but still, it’s with a smile. It’s easy to see how at home he feels with these friends of his. There’s an entirely different vibe here than there was last summer with his teammates. A sense of true belonging.
I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and meet Jude’s stare. “That would be nice, though. If you’d be willing to?”
His features draw down into a scowl, and it’s the first he’s worn in over three hours, which must be some sort of a record now that I think about it. “More than willing, Declan. I want to.”