He turns his hazel eyes back to me. “Take notes, Em.” Jake smirks just before we hear plates fall from the front, crashing onto the floor.
“I’m so sorry, I’m such a klutz,” Amelia says.
Levi responds, “Let us help you out.”
“You guys are too kind.” Amelia’s voice is light and airy.
“Not a bad actress.” Jake nods in agreement with me. “Is the coast clear?”
Jake lifts his head. “Levi and Cameron are helping, and she’s…” He laughs. “Amelia is crying, so naturally, the girls’ attention is all on her. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
We get up, I take off my heels so as not to call attention, and I grab my purse as we double-check everything to ensure we’re ready, then dash out of the diner. As we turn the corner toward the back door, I check on our friends one last time and can’t help but feel terrible for leaving them with a mess we didn’t want to create.
Chapter Three
EMMA
“My coordination is good, but I’m still struggling to keep up with my hip movements.” Grabbing my water bottle, I chug about half of it.
Kamila nudges me with her elbow, her amber eyes meeting my light blue ones. “You’re doing great, Em.” She flinches when someone calls her name from across the room. Kamila hesitates before turning around, worried it’s another student who will recognize her from the tabloids with Jake. She lets out a relieved breath.
“One of your regulars?” I whisper.
She smiles and adjusts her bright red shirt that stands out against her naturally tanned skin. “For a year now. She’s probably going to ask me for the new playlist. Gotta go.” Kamila turns to her boyfriend, Cameron, and rises onto her tiptoes, giving him a quick kiss. Cameron then gives her a look I’ve seen only a few people make. My heart squeezes with happiness for my best friend, who also happens to be my roommate, who deserves every bit of joy in the world.
“I’m sweating like a pig.” Levi lifts his shirt and wipes his forehead. His wife, Stevie, follows his bare stomach, staring at his abs, practically drooling. Levi notices her stare and smirks.His dark blue eyes meet her green ones, and like always, the two newlyweds forget that everyone around them exists.
Feeling my face heat from their sexual tension, I snap my fingers three times, and they look down at me. “There are other people in here, you two. Save it for when you get to your apartment. This is Kamila’s job, show some respect.” My tone is light at the end, making it clear that I’m joking but also a little serious.
“Sorry,” Stevie says shyly as a blush blooms over her cheeks. The girl entered our lives last semester, shocking us by tying one of my best friends down after months of tension between them.
“I’m not.” Levi pulls her in and gives her a quick peck.
Sneering at both of them, I turn my attention to the two men gathered on my left. Cameron’s talking to Jake, who managed to find the time to join us for Kami’s first Zumba class of the semester. Taking a quick look around, I see some people staring at our small group. No doubt, they’re looking at the hot guys, but also recognizing Johnathan Jacob Greymoore III, better known as Jake to us.
Ignoring the stares, I walk over to where he’s standing.
“Yeah, this one’s new. Got it over the summer.” Cameron points at his bicep, where there used to be a small, empty spot that hadn’t yet been inked with a tattoo like the rest of his arms. It’s been about a year since I met Cameron for the first time when he stumbled back into Kamila’s life, and ever since then, he has come back with a new tattoo every month.
“Looks awesome, man.” Jake nods, impressed.
Curious, I tap Cam’s back, and he swivels his six-foot-five frame, giving me a warm smile.
“Mind lowering that arm a bit so I can see?”
He ducks down and points to the unique-looking wolf, which also happens to be our school mascot. “Had to honor the university somehow. It is our senior year after all.”
I smile sadly at the thought of us not taking Zumba classes together anymore, starting in less than a year. “Yeah.”
“Oh no,” Jake says from my side. “Don’t make her cry, dude.”
That’s when I feel a small tug in my chest. Not enough to cry, but enough to make an impact.
Cameron pulls his arm back up. “Shit. I’m sorry, Emma.”
“Don’t listen to him.” I throw a thumb over my shoulder to Jake. “I’ll cry on our graduation day.” Shaking my head, I think about how we started college as strangers that morphed into a group of four best friends: Kamila, Levi, Jake, and me, which then turned into six people with Cameron and Stevie. We may have some other close friends, but everyone here knows that it all started with the core four. “I can’t believe how much has happened in a year. It’s been a doozy.” I laugh, trying to hide the melancholy building in my chest.
Levi whistles. “You can say that again.” He points to Cameron. “You and Kami are months away from your one-year anniversary.” Grinning, I can’t help but remember how much of a mess we all were a year ago. Kamila was bitter over her high school friend-slash-future boyfriend, who had broken her twin sister’s heart, Levi had just been dumped by his ex-boyfriend, Stevie was in a toxic relationship, and Cameron was also bitter, missing his oldest best friend, who is now his girlfriend and my long-term roommate.
