“I dunno, like these two do I guess,” he pointed to Freddie and Wolf, “All dreamy and shit.”
Jasper smirked at the girls grimacing.
“No, Clevs. We couldn’t tell,” Wolfie turned to me, “but we could ask, subtly, if you want.”
Freddie’s eyes opened wide. “Oooh, why don’t you just go to one of her classes?”
Felix scoffed. “Spinning? Isn’t that for girls?”
Freddie and Wolf glared at him. He was walking on very dangerous ground around a pair of slightly volatile, pregnant women.
“No, Felix, it is not. It’s hard.” Wolfie raised her eyebrow. “In fact, I bet you wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
Jasper dropped his head, hiding his smile. I also had zero sympathy. The dickhead should’ve known better.
He laughed at her, digging himself a deeper hole. “Course I would. I’m a professional athlete.”
She crossed her arms over her belly, staring at him. “Oh yeah? Prove it.”
“We could all go,” offered up Huck.
“What?” I coughed out, my inhale catching in my throat.
Freddie clapped her hands. “Oh yes, that’s a great idea! Then Drew has our support if he wants it.”
I was suddenly swimming in nerves. Seeing her again was becoming real, and what if she wasn’t how I remembered? Or worse, what if she didn’t remember me and our connection had been a figment of my imagination?
“Guys, I don’t know about this.” I pressed the heel of my palm into my forehead, trying to ease the tension building up.
Jasper looked at me. “Think of it this way - at least you’ll know. Plus we have the added benefit of seeing Clevs make a total dick of himself.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Yeah, you’re gonna have to rip off the Band-Aid with this one, otherwise it’ll drive you crazy.”
I was already going down that highway at full throttle.
I laughed nervously. “Yeah, I guess. Okay, let’s go.”
Felix leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms. “Just so we’re clear, I’m going to support Drew, nothing more.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say,” Wolfie grinned at him as she picked up her laptop. “Right, her next class is tomorrow at eleven. I’m booking us all in.”
I looked at my watch.
Twenty hours to go.
Chapter 7
Iscooped a massive spoonful of oatmeal into my mouth, finishing the bowl, while I stood, mesmerized, by the slowdrip, dripof the coffee into my mug, which always seemed to take forever.
Saturdays were my favorite day of the week. My class didn’t start until eleven, meaning I could enjoy a lie in, a leisurely breakfast, and go about my morning routine of stretches, preparing music for my class, and wait an eternity for the coffee to fill my mug.
Which it now had. Finally.
I topped it up with Half and Half, blowing into it before taking a sip, too impatient to wait any longer. Looking out of thewindow past the fire escape where I liked to sit, I could just make out the bustle of the university streets surrounding Washington Square Park, although seeing the park itself was a stretch when my windows mostly faced the bricks of the buildings opposite.
My apartment was a shoebox at best, although I’d fallen in love with it the second I’d seen it. A tiny one bedroom, the high ceilings in each room made it feel much bigger than it actually was, and although I earned a decent salary, it was all I could afford on my own. After I’d moved out of the apartment I’d shared with Richard, I was determined to live alone and stand on my own two feet.
