Page 120 of Play On

“Jules!” I say, smiling at her. “It’s been too long!”

She smiles back at me and returns my hug as I embrace her. “Hello, Violet,” she says, stepping back from me. “What a surprise to see you after all this time!”

“I know,” I say. “I was thrilled to hear from Aimee, and it’s like we picked up where we left off at St. Andrews. Except for doing years of catch-up, that is.”

“Do you want stir-fry?” Aimee calls out from the kitchen. “There’s plenty for all of us. We can do like we did at uni. Have dinner and listen to Violet talk forhours.”

I look at Aimee, who is grinning mischievously at me.

“Ha-ha,” I say. I turn back to Jules. “She’s exaggerating.”

She smiles. “You always were a master at conversation.”

Okay, that’s a polite way of saying I talk a lot.

Jules looks over at Aimee. “I’m going to decompress a bit in my room before eating.” She turns back to me. “It’s really good seeing you again, Violet.”

“You too, Jules.”

Then she retreats to her room. As soon as I hear the door shut, I look back at Aimee and smile. “I’m afraid she had flashbacks to me at uni,” I quip.

“No, she always needs alone time when she gets home,” Aimee says. Then she smiles. “And maybe she’s not quite ready for the full Violet experience again.”

I laugh at that. I never hold it against people who can’t handle my talking. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, and I accepted that a long time ago.

“But I know someone who is,” Aimee continues. “Noah Darby.”

I find myself grinning at the mention of his name.

“I wish I could see Noah’s face when he sees you in the stands,” Aimee says as she begins chopping something on the cutting board. “He’s going to be stunned!”

I smile as I think of this. Noah will be stunned, there’s no doubt about it. But that’s the whole point of this trip. To do something he would never expect anyone to do for him.

“I’m so excited. I only wish I could spend more time with him in Australia. But Camden said they have the night off after the match so I’m hopeful we can spend that evening together before I have to fly back the next morning.”

Camden and I have been texting back and forth the past few days, and he’s thrilled I’m doing this for his best friend. We’ve made a plan that when they go out onto the pitch for warm-ups, I’m going to be there, and Camden is going to point me out to Noah.

Goosebumps sweep over my skin when I think of the reaction he’s going to have. Shock, for one, but then knowing I’m there for him? That I was so excited to watch him play, I flew all the way to Australia for the privilege to do so?

Then he’ll see I’m wearing his shirt.

It’s going to be magic.

“Noah still doesn’t suspect anything is up, right?” Aimee asks.

“No. It helped that we didn’t see each other this weekend because he started training and I worked. Although he did want to drive up and back to get a cup of coffee with me, but I held him off.”

“What? You could have had coffee and quick hot sex and you let him stay in Surrey?” she teases. “What’s wrong with you, Vi?”

I laugh. “Trust me, it was hard. But I want him focused on training right now, not me. We’ll have to do the coffee and quickie sex things until I can get a job in London, but I only hope that once I get my art events approved and done, I can work on making London a reality.”

“When are you going to bring those up with your parents?” Aimee asks, adding some things to her wok, which instantly sizzles upon contact.

“I’m waiting until after Australia. But I will when I get back. I know Nicholas will support me, too, which helps.”

“He’s such a good brother. I wish I had a Nicholas. And a Noah.”

“You’ll find a man like them,” I assure her. “And then you’ll have lots of incredible, next-level sex.”

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