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We pass several people lingering by the doors, as though mustering the courage to go in. I don’t recognize anyone yet, but they all look at me with big shiny eyes and call me by name.
I do a lot of winking and saying, “Hey you!”, hoping that they mistake my ignorance for playful banter. When Josie and I enter the gym, a sea of unrecognizable faces turns to look back at us.
“Oh my gosh, Logan and Josie are back together?” some excited woman murmurs to our right. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. It’s like we never left high school.
Whispers follow our every move and Josie clutches my arm like a lifeline. We mill around the room, mingling and participating in small talk, before I lead Josie to the banquet tables for a drink.
I can’t keep my eyes off her. The way her hand fits snug in the crook of my arm is like she never left my side. Even after all these years, I’m amazed at how natural it feels to walk arm in arm.
I groan inwardly at the sight of the blonde standing by the punch bowl.
Shelly Bones.
Shelly’s mouth hangs open and she squeals at the sight of us. “Is this really happening? Josie and Logan are back together?”
The sea of faces turns in our direction again and people start clapping now. A rush of adrenaline soars through me, filling me with a buzz. Then I catch sight of Wyatt helping himself to food further down the table. At Shelly’s announcement, he looks up and smirks.
He looks pleased with himself, as though he engineered this whole plot. I’ll never hear the end of it.
Wyatt raises a glass in my direction. You’d think the reunion was for the two of us.
We parade around, beaming from ear to ear. Josie leans in to mutter in my ear. “Well, no one is asking about my failed career, so thank you for this.”
I chuckle. “Don’t mention it. My intentions are not entirely altruistic.”
Suddenly, everything goes into slow motion. One of the guys knocks into the punch bowl and splashes of punch hit the floor right by Josie’s feet.
She slips and lurches back with a yelp.
With ninja reflexes, I grab her and cradle her body close to mine. Her bright brown eyes blink up at me in shock.
I bow my head, searching her face for any sign of pain. “Are you all right?”
She just blinks, her breaths coming out in quick puffs and blowing on my cheeks. Our mouths are so close, I could easily lower my head and kiss her right here, right now.
I move my head a fraction of an inch, but just as my lips brush against hers, she pulls away and smooths out her dress.
Then the slow-motion ends and now everything is happening really fast. There’s a rush of movement as excited people form a loose circle around us to watch our every move. My heart is hammering in my chest and my mouth grows impossibly dry.
That’s when the realization dawns. Judging by the way everyone is looking at me, I think I’m the last person to figure it out.
I want to kiss Josie. Like a man starved for a glass of water in the Sahara Desert.
I’m still in love with Josie.
9
JOSIE
It takes a minute to register that the music has stopped and that I haven’t gone deaf. There’s a light cough and the squeal of a mic, and everyone looks at the stage to see a familiar face.
Zoe Walsh.
“Welcome, class of 2012!” she bellows. Zoe looks like she’s not aged a day. She’s glowing, and her bright brown curls are just as wild and free as ever. Her slender arms and legs tell me she’s still swimming.
She’s the type of person I imagine sipping chamomile tea in the evenings and doing yoga on the beach at dawn.
It turns out she’s the keynote speaker, and I stand quietly beside Logan, looking like I’m listening to it but really, I’m letting Zoe’s bubbly voice float over my head.
