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Chapter Forty-Two

Andrew

It turns out that single beds aren’t designed for two grown men to get a good night’s sleep.

I wake up with Justin’s elbow in my ribs, my body contorted into a shape that would make a pretzel feel inadequate.

I’m finally living out my teenage fantasy of having a gorgeous football player in my bed, but I hadn’t factored in the logistics of adult bodies fitting in furniture designed for adolescents.

“I’m not really relishing this human origami experiment we’ve got going on,” I mumble into Justin’s shoulder.

Justin’s laugh vibrates against my chest as he pulls me even closer. Although closer is just a theoretical concept at this point.

“I can’t believe I almost lost this,” I say quietly.

Justin’s hand stills from tracing patterns on my skin. He draws back so he can look at me properly, those blue-green eyes seeing everything.

“I thought I didn’t know who you were. But then I realized that nothing changes the fact that I do know the most important things about you,” Justin says.

“Like my strong opinions about brown M&Ms and my deeply suspicious relationship with British cuisine?” I say.

He smiles. “Among other things.”

He goes back to stroking my skin while I close my eyes and try not to channel Tabitha and Cassie and start to purr. It’s difficult.

“So, what now?” Justin asks suddenly.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, do you want to come back to London? What do you want to do?”

My eyes flutter open.

“I went to Europe after selling my company to try to find myself, try to work out what I want to do with the rest of my life,” I say.

Justin studies me. “And did you find the answer?”

“Well, I’ve definitely worked out one thing I want to keep doing,” I say as I trail my hand down his stomach.

Justin grins. “I think you could persuade me to get on board with that plan.”

He leans forward to kiss me. But it’s a sweet, gentle kiss, not one designed to escalate things.

“If this is your way of distracting me from the fact that I’ve lost all feeling in my left arm from our sleeping arrangements, it’s definitely working,” I say when we finally break apart.

“Don’t worry, I’ll massage feeling back into it.”

We fall into a comfortable silence, and maybe it’s the early morning light or the way Justin’s looking at me, but suddenly, I need to tell him about the idea taking shape in my mind.

“I want to design apps to help people,” I blurt out. “Like with prosopagnosia, there are other conditions where I think we could make daily life a little easier. But I don’t want to get too absorbed in my work again. I want to make sure I’ve got a life outside my job.”

A smile spreads across Justin’s face. His eyes crinkle at the corners. “I hope your work-life balance includes dealing with two very demanding cats and a boyfriend who will insist on cooking for you.”

“I think I could manage that,” I say.

Justin shifts closer, eliminating what little space remains between us in the tiny bed. “You know what else helps maintain a healthy work-life balance?” he asks, his lips brushing against my neck. “Regular breaks for…physical activity.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Well, since we’re already this close, we might as well try to get closer,” he murmurs in my ear before trailing kisses along my jaw, making my whole body shiver like I’m caught in a feedback loop of sensation.

“I like your thinking,” I gasp.

After Justin and I have thoroughly explored how close we can actually get, I lie resting with my head on his chest, his hands tangled in my hair.

We discuss my app idea and then move on to talking about other stuff.

And it’s perfect. Lying here, talking to Justin about anything and everything.

Well, it’s perfect until the moment the front door slams, followed by my mother’s cheerful voice echoing up the stairs like a particularly enthusiastic alarm system. “Andrew? Are you home? We brought bagels!”

Justin bolts upright so fast he nearly launches me off the bed. I can’t help laughing, although my laughter might have a tinge of hysteria to it.

The irony isn’t lost on me. After spending my entire teenage years wishing for a social life, the first time I finally have a boy in my room, I’m about to be caught by my parents.

Justin and I launch into a frenzied clothing scavenger hunt with all the grace of two cats trying to tap dance. Justin hops on one foot while wrestling with his pants leg, nearly concussing himself on my old science fair trophy. I’m pretty sure my underwear is on backward, and there’s a strong possibility I’m wearing one of his socks.

“Maybe I could climb out the window?” Justin suggests, peering out the second-story window.

“Unless you’ve developed the ability to fly, I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Justin runs his hand through his hair, somehow managing to make it look even more attractively disheveled.

“Okay, right. So I’m about to meet your parents. While wearing yesterday’s clothes and looking like I’ve been thoroughly debauched in their child’s bedroom.”

“To be fair, you have been thoroughly debauched in their child’s bedroom.”

“Not exactly helping,” he says.

“Look, they’re going to love you. Though maybe fix your shirt buttons first.”

Justin looks down, and lets out a strangled noise before he redoes his shirt to make the buttons even.

Then we make our way downstairs, where the rich scents of cinnamon bagels and coffee waft from the kitchen.

“Maybe we should have rehearsed a cover story,” Justin whispers.

“Because fictional stories have worked out so well for us in the past?” The words slip out before I can stop them, but Justin snorts a laugh, some of the tension leaving his shoulders.

We round the corner into the kitchen, where my mom is arranging bagels onto a plate. My father spots us first, his coffee cup freezing halfway to his mouth.

“Oh!” Mom’s eyes widen as they land on Justin. “We didn’t realize you had…company.”

“Uh…yeah.” I clear my throat. “This is Justin. Justin, these are my parents, Annette and Robert.”

“It’s lovely to meet y’all,” Justin says, his sales-guy charm clicking into place as he offers his hand. “I’m sorry about the unexpected intrusion.”

Mom’s forehead creases as she shakes Justin’s hand. “Wait a minute… Weren’t you the class president in Andrew’s year? Football captain too, right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Justin says, and I have to bite back a hysterical laugh at how his Texas manners surface under pressure.

Dad’s eyebrows raise as he gives Justin’s hand a thorough shake. “So, you went to high school with Andrew?”

“Yes, I did,” Justin says.

“And you just reconnected at the reunion?” Mom asks, turning her attention back to the bagels.

I give a choked cough. My parents think I managed to charm the former class president and football captain into coming home with me last night? It’s nice they have such a high opinion of my pulling power.

“Ah, we actually met back up in London about eight months ago,” Justin says.

“What a coincidence,” Mom says, beaming as she pushes a plate of bagels toward us.

I meet Justin’s eyes and he gives me a half-smile that contains an apology, forgiveness, amusement, affection, and something deeper that makes my chest tight.

“Yeah, it’s an amazing coincidence,” I agree.

After what turns into a nice, leisurely brunch with my parents, Justin and I sit on the swing on the front porch.

Justin’s quiet, his shoulder pressed against mine as we gently rock back and forth.

“That was okay, right? It wasn’t too overwhelming?” I ask.

“No. It was fine. I mean, your parents are great.” He runs his hand along the side of the swing. “I’m just wondering if you want to meet my mom.”

My stomach does a complicated twist.

“I’d love to meet her,” I say.

And so we have our second meet-the-parents event for the day.

Justin’s mom, Julie, is lovely, and she wraps me in a hug before I can even introduce myself properly.

Her apartment is small but filled with cheerful touches. She fusses over us with sweet tea and what appears to be every baked good within a ten-mile radius.

“I’m just so happy to meet someone who makes Justin smile like this,” she says, studying us with eyes that match her son’s exactly. “I spent so many years worried about him, you know?”

“Mom,” Justin protests, but there’s no real objection in his voice.

“But now, I think he’s going to be just fine,” she says.

I like her certainty.

“I hope we’re both going to be just fine,” I say, meeting Justin’s gaze. He smiles back at me.

“So, do you enjoy living in London, Andrew?” Julie asks, refilling our tea glasses with the kind of focused attention that suggests she’s trying not to seem too eager for details about our life together.

“Yes, I love it. It’s an incredible place,” I say. “Although the weather could do with a slight upgrade.”

“Hey, rain is just London’s way of making sure we appreciate the three days of summer we get each year,” Justin says with a smile.

“I’d love to visit sometime,” his mom says softly.

“You absolutely should,” I say.

“You’d love all the history,” Justin adds.

We chat more about some of our favorite tourist attractions, and Justin’s mom’s smile grows wider and wider as we share stories about our adventures around London before we move on to talking about her work.

When Julie goes to the bathroom, Justin shifts closer to me, linking our fingers.

“I think she might like you even more than she likes me,” he says.

“I think it’s because I laughed at all her craft store stories. Though, to be fair, that one about the glue-gun incident was genuinely hilarious,” I reply.

Justin laughs, and I can’t help leaning forward to kiss his smiling mouth.

Our kiss starts gentle but deepens quickly, his mouth warm and certain against mine. His fingers thread through my hair, and I melt against him like I always do.

When he draws back, his eyes are dark. “So, I’m thinking maybe we should get a bed & breakfast for tonight? Unless you want to experience the joy of another single bed?”

“A bed & breakfast is a good idea,” I agree breathlessly.

Justin grabs his phone and begins to scroll through it.

“There’s a decent place just off Main Street,” he says just as his mom returns to the room.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that, honey. Accommodations can be so expensive.”

“It’s okay. Andrew’s paying,” Justin says with a smirk in my direction.

His mother frowns. “I’m sure Andrew doesn’t just want to fritter his money away. What is it that you do anyway, Andrew?”

“Uh…I’m in IT,” I say.

“Oh, I guess that pays quite well, doesn’t it?”

“Ah…yes, it pays quite well,” I say, shooting a look at Justin. He suddenly has a freaked-out expression, like he’s just realized he’s going to have to break the news to his mother about who his boyfriend actually is at some point.

But I’ve had my own realization. This is the one silver lining for how we fell in love. I will never doubt that Justin’s feelings for me are completely unrelated to my net worth.

“Justin, honey, before you leave…” His mom gestures toward a spare room. “Would you mind helping me fix that shelf in my craft room?”

“Sure thing, Mom.” Justin sends a glance at me. “It shouldn’t take too long unless you want to help?

“Given my DIY skills rate somewhere around my cooking skills, I’ll skip it,” I say. “Besides, I need to call Leo.”

Justin nods and follows his mother into the spare room while I step out onto the small balcony.

The faint sound of Justin’s and his mom’s laughter drifts through the screen door as I pull out my phone.

“Hey, Andrew.” Leo sounds flustered when he picks up.

“Hey, how’s it going?”

“Uh…I’m not having the best night, actually,” he says.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s kind of a long story. Anyway, how is everything with you? Did you sort things with Justin?”

“That’s why I called. I wanted to let you know we’re back together.”

“That is really great news,” Leo says.

“It is, isn’t it?”

“Justin’s seen the absolute worst of you, so if he still wants to be with you, then I think you’ve got the basis of a successful relationship.”

It doesn’t sound all that romantic when Leo phrases it that way, but hey, I can’t help agreeing with the underlying sentiment. Justin and I definitely do have the basis for a very successful relationship.

“So, what’s your long story?” I ask.

Leo laughs a dark chuckle. “Well, remember I talked about getting revenge on Vaughn?”

“Vaughn Mansley, the guy who stole your idea and used it to get a promotion ahead of you.”

“Yeah, him.”

“What happened?”

“Well, I ran into him, and an opportunity came up to exact some revenge, so I decided to take it, but…uh…things have gone slightly wrong.”

“What went wrong?”

“Well, I may or may not have accidentally got my revenge on his brother instead.”

“What? What happened?”

There’s a weird sizzling noise in the background, followed by multiple alarmed voices speaking at once.

“Uh…I’ll have to fill in all the details later. I’m at the hospital right now,” Leo says, his voice breathless and distracted, accompanied by what sounds suspiciously like a fire alarm going off.

“The hospital ?”

“I’ve really got to go. Talk later.”

And the phone goes dead.

I stare at my phone, my mind immediately spinning scenarios that get progressively more ridiculous.

Did Leo’s revenge somehow involve physical harm? That doesn’t sound like him. He’s more the type to destroy someone’s reputation via carefully orchestrated data leaks, not actually hurt someone. Then again, I thought I was the type to stick to anonymous technological pranks and look how that turned out.

I guess revenge has a way of taking on a life of its own. And I’m hardly in the position to judge someone else’s revenge plot going sideways.

The sound of Justin cursing at what I assume is an uncooperative shelf draws me back inside. His mom’s laughing, and I can’t help smiling as I walk toward the sounds.

Leo’s dramatic revenge story will have to wait. I’ve got my own happy ending to focus on, complete with the love of my life doing battle with home repairs.

Because it turns out karma had a better plan for me all along. Instead of revenge, she gave me a boyfriend who apparently thinks screwdrivers are optional tools. I lean against the doorframe, watching him wrestle with a hammer, smiling.

He’s what I want for the rest of my life. Not the perfect image I once thought I needed to destroy, but the gloriously flawed reality that somehow healed parts of me I didn’t realize were broken.

Apparently, the best plans are actually the ones that fall spectacularly apart, leaving something infinitely more valuable in their place.