Page 24 of If This Was a Movie

“Thanks, Jaime.”

“No—” he starts, then there’s a scuffle before Ava’s voice is coming through the line clearly again.

“You listen to me, Julianne Everett. You text me as soon as you get settled. You call me first thing in the morning, no questions asked. I don’t care if you wake up at four a.m., you call me.”

“Ava, you’re in California. That would be one a.m. your time.”

“Do I sound like I care?” she asks, and I can almost see her foot tapping.

“Your fiancé would.”

“Jaime won’t care, trust me.” There’s a grumble in the background of disapproval, and Ava whispers something that’s probably much too spicy for my ears but makes the grumbling disappear. “I’m serious. I’m not going to hound you now because Jaime’s going to make sure you’re safe, but my god, Jules, if I don’t find out everything ASAP, I’m going to snap. You hear me?”

On account that my best friend runs a business teaching women self-defense and once incapacitated a man on a live using little more than hair tools, I’m forced to agree.

“Yes, Ava, I’ll call you as soon as possible tomorrow morning.” I expect her to argue, to tell me she means to do so first thing when my eyes crack open, but she doesn’t.

“Love you, Jules. Remember that sometimes things happen for a reason. If this was a movie—” she starts, a smile in her words, saying my signature words, but I’m not in the mood for it, so I cut her off.

“Goodbye. I love you.” And then I hang up, giving myself a few more moments of peace and quiet before I head back out to face whatever the next wave of drama is bound to be.

TEN

LAST YEAR

JULES

“He’s it,” I say as I drive to the grocery store, my friends on the Bluetooth of my car.

“It?” one of my two best friends, Harper, says in disbelief.

“I know it’s crazy, but he’s my dream man. My love at first sight, knew it from the very first moment I saw him, absolute perfection. He’s my rom-com,” I explain, feeling a bit silly but unable to really care.

I spent two nights at Nate’s house before I had to reluctantly leave to live my real life, but we’ve been talking non-stop since then, and somewhere in my heart, I know this is special.

“Jules—” she starts with a sigh because she’s seen some variation of this a few times.

Of the three of us, Harper is the most practical. Ava is the fun, impulsive one, always ready for some grand adventure. Harper is the one who keeps our feet on the ground…and out of prison. While I’m the romantic, living in my head where I’m safe from reality and waiting for my love story.

My entire life, I’ve seen signs and meanings at every turn, making it easy for me to twist the most basic nicety into something more. I meet a man, and before the first date is evenover, I can envision white dresses and the two-point-five kids, even when the dresses are really just red flags waving.

This isn’t the first time I’ve come home from a date and said that I was wildly into a man, only to have my heart destroyed a week later.

But this time is different. I can’t explain it other than something in my gut knows this is different. Even though I know it sounds crazy, I can’t deny it.

“I’m serious! I know it sounds crazy, but I know it to my bones.”

“I get it,” Ava says in my defense as I park and transfer the call to my phone before heading into the store. “I saw Jaime in that bar, and I think part of me knew; we were just way too stubborn to even consider admitting it. I think that’s the way you know someone is your person. All of the books and movies have a moment where they meet, and they know to their bones, you know? Sometimes, it just takes a bit for them to get to that point. Jules is just skipping all of the bullshit.”

“Exactly!” I say, glad someone understands and confirming that I’m not completely insane.

Just a day ago, Nate and I spent almost two days holed up together before the roads were cleared and he had to take me home. Every moment since the time he kissed me on his kitchen island has felt almost magical.

Like I’m walking on clouds and it’s finally my turn to live the fairy-tale love story.

“I mean, didn’t you have that with Jeremy?” Ava asks, and I know she doesn’t mean it in a mean way, thinking Harper would agree without hesitation. Instead, I watch on the FaceTime call as her nose scrunches up and she shakes her head.

“It’s not a need, Harper, to have that feeling from the start,” I say, jumping in to save her feelings. “You’re much more practical than Ava and me.” Ava catches on, nodding with wide eyes.

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