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I smiled. “I wish I were there too.”

CHAPTER 27

JUSTIN

I’d never done drugs before, but I imagined this was what being high felt like. I couldn’t wait for our date tonight.

We were doing the historic bridge walk and getting pizza. There was a Music in the Park event in the Nicollet Island Pavilion, which was on the route. It was the last concert of the season. I was bringing a blanket and some bug spray, a bottle of wine and some glasses. Leigh was watching the dog and the kids. I’d planned everything based on Emma’s answers to the survey I’d sent and then I made another invite. I used a picture of the Toilet King outside my window as the backdrop for it. Details matter.

Every date with her was sacred to me. I liked spending time with her so much, I brought her lunch yesterday just to have an excuse to see her for five minutes. I thought about the next time I got to see her every second up until she arrived.

I thought about her all the time.

She was getting an Uber to my apartment to meet me. When she finally knocked on the door, I practically ran to answer it. When I did, I busted up laughing. She was wearing the same shirt as me. The Toilet King, knotted at the waist.

“No way,” I said, looking her up and down in the doorway. “Where’d you find it?”

“Like it’s hard to find Toilet King anything around here?” she said.

“He’s got us as walking advertisements,” I said, stepping aside to let her in. “Unbelievable. We look like we’re on some twisted team-building exercise,” I said, closing the door behind her.

She grinned up at me. “Aren’t we?”

I couldn’t hide my smile. I didn’t know how it was possible she got more beautiful every time I saw her, but she did.

“Hi,” I said, my voice low.

“Hi, Kiss And Run Guy.”

“Not to be mistaken with Forehead Kiss Guy?”

She scrunched up her face. “Hmmmm. They do look a lot alike.”

I laughed and leaned in and kissed her. Just a quick peck, but it got my heart going anyway.

I could have sworn she was blushing when I was done.

“So this is it,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “The infamous studio apartment with the view.”

I twisted to look over my shoulder. “I’d give you the tour, but you can see everything from here.”

She laughed a little and peered around. “Smaller than I expected.”

“The room at my mom’s house is much bigger,” I added.

“And it doesn’t have a giant toilet outside.”

“Silver lining.”

She nodded at the air mattress where my bed used to be. “What’s this?”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “The guys left this here. Thought maybe I’d want to use the place from time to time. I’m still paying for it.”

“Use it for what?” she asked, blinking at me innocently.

“Uh… naps?”

She nodded wryly. “Right. Naps.”