Page 3 of Let Me

I grin and say, “Yes…like the season.”

“Why is that funny, Autumn?”

I shake my head.“It’s not funny as much as it is obvious.Other people just recognize my name matches the season, but they don’t ask.You are the only person who’s ever asked me that.Ever.”

“Impossible.”

“You are, but it’s cool.Hey—if I see you again, I’ll buy you an ice cream.How about that?”

“You don’t have to do that, Autumn.”

“Of course I do, um...I’m sorry.I didn’t catch your name.”

“It’s Judah.”

Judah.

I love his name.It sounds so powerful and authoritative.And it matches his well-sculpted face.

Judah…

Sounds like a king.Helookslike a king.

“Hey, you may want to…” he says, glancing at my hand.

“Oh,” I say, coming out of a trance to lick my melting, dark chocolate.“Thanks again.It was nice to meet you, Judah.”

“You as well, Autumn.”

I’m caught in a daze with those eyes of his yet again, and when I have enough feeling in my legs to actually turn and walk away, I hear him say, “Hey, I’m going to meet up with some friends later if you would like to join us.”

“Oh,” I say, taken aback by his invitation.I don’t know this man and not only has he given me ice cream, but he has also invited me to hang out with him and his friends?

Strange…

Do I want to go?Yes.ShouldI go?That’s the question.

“Can you give me a minute?”

One of his brows raises.“Uh, sure.”

“Okay.Thanks.”

Licking ice cream, I hustle back over to Riley and say, “Girl, he asked me to come hang with him and his friends.What should I do?Should I go?”

“Autumn, don’t make me smack you out here.Yeah!You’re going!You ain’t doing nothing else.”

“Riley, can you turn it down a notch?You don’t have to tell the whole United States about my boring life.”

“Okay, then shuffle your narrow behind back over there and tell cutie pie you’re going, because, why not?”

“How about because I don’t typically do stuff like this?”

“Welp, you do now.”

With Riley in my court, I take a deep breath, eat some more ice cream, and then walk back over to Judah’s Mustang.

“Well?”he asks as I approach.

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