Page 20 of Finding London

“Did you?”

“Yep, I did.” She grins at me but doesn’t elaborate.

“And?” I chuckle.

“Oh…well, first, I couldn’t decide if I should buy the gummy bears, gummy worms, sour gummies, or gummy Life Savers. But then I remembered that the Dove chocolate wrapper that I had yesterday told me to buy both.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not following.” I can’t help the smile that comes to my face.

“Well, yesterday, my mom and I ignored our diets and bought a bag of Dove chocolates, which is my favorite. You know how, inside each wrapper, there’s a saying or some words of advice? Well, my wrapper said,Buy both. I realize that the wordbothsignifies two things, but in the shop, I was torn between which bag of gummies to get, so I bought all four. I guess, first, you should know that I have a crazy gummy addiction. I love them all, and I normally don’t let myself eat them too often. Apparently, sugar isn’t good for you. Whatever.” She waves her hand in front of her, as if she’s dismissing that logic.

At this point, she reaches into her purse, pulls out four bags of candy, and places them in between us. “Lucky for you, I share.” She smiles before continuing, “Well, my other wrappers yesterday said,Do something that scares you,Forget the rules, and,Take a selfie with your grandma. I obviously can’t take a selfie with my grandma at this point because she’s not anywhere near here. So, I’ll have to put that wisdom on hold. But I’ve decided the other two pertain to you.”

“Yeah?”

“Definitely. You and the whole brooding-jerk vibe you have going on scares me, and if I were to follow the rules of normal human behavior, I would take in the signs you’ve given and back away, leaving you alone to wallow in your moodiness on your own.”

“But you’re not going to?” I say as the plane begins its ascension into the clouds.

“No, Dove says not to. So, nope.” She shakes her head, her long caramel brown hair falling in front of her shoulders. “I’m going to use the time we have together to talk. I’ve lived twenty-two years on this planet, and I have traveled all over the world, yet I’ve never met you until recently. Then, we proceed to run into each other three times in two different states within the same amount of weeks. I’m not sure what, but something—fate, destiny, the cosmos, or an all-knowing sparkly unicorn—wants us to know each other. In what capacity, I’m not sure. But let’s start as friends.” As soon as the last word is out of her mouth, she pulls in a long breath.

“I don’t believe in sparkly unicorns.”

“Apparently, you don’t believe in a lot of things, Loïc, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t real nonetheless.”

“I’m quite sure that omniscient unicorns with glitter coats are indeed not real. I’m willing to bet money on it.”

She playfully swats my arm. “You’re missing the entire point.”

“To which point are you referring? That you take advice from chocolate, have a serious sugar problem, or believe in mythical creatures?”

London laughs, and that sound does something to me.

“That we’re meant to know each other in some way. I’m suggesting friends, but I’m definitely open to other arrangements.”

Her stare takes me in, ripping me raw with intensity. This kind of longing hurts. I’ve never experienced an attraction like this, and I’m convinced I don’t like it.

“I told you that I don’t need more friends.”

At this point, I’m thankful the first-class section is practically empty on this flight. London and I aren’t being loud, but we’re not whispering either. I’m glad that no one else is taking part in our strange get-to-know-you session.

London continues, “I know you said that, but I also know that you didn’t need to come up and say hello back at the airport. You could have ignored me, but you didn’t. So, that right there tells me that you are capable of being a kind person, and that trait alone is enough for me in a friendship.”

“I’ll remember that next time,” I say dryly in an attempt to seem uninterested when, in reality, I am anything but.

London opens each bag of candy and then grabs a gummy worm. She holds on to the end and puts it in her mouth before pulling it out, sucking it.

What the hell?Ilook away, rubbing my sweaty palms on my pants.

She finishes her weird gummy-worm-eating ritual and reaches for a handful of the sour ones. “Have some. They’re so good.”

“I’m fine, really.”

She lightly pokes my side. “Stop being a douche, and just eat some damn candy. I’m prepared to eat it all by myself if I have to, but my thighs won’t be too pleased.”

Leaning my head back against the seat, I groan internally as a vision of holding London’s thighs while she rides me shoots through my head before I can stop it. The flight from Louisville to Detroit is a relatively short one, but no amount of time will be quick enough at this point.

I think back to a few moments ago. “Why are you on a diet?”

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