Page 85 of Celebrities Don't Date Bookworms

“Shoot,” he said.

“What’s your name?”

His brows furrowed. “You mean other than Jude?”

“I mean, why are you called Luca in the group chat?” I asked.

“Oh,” he said. “My full name is Luca Jude. But only my friends and family call me Luca. Jude is my stage persona.”

I wanted to ask more questions about that, but right then, the front door opened, and Finn called out, “I’m home!”

Jude and Neil didn’t even hesitate before running downstairs, yelling that they had a surprise.

Hudson pulled me off the bed and into a hug.

“I’m so sorry about this,” he murmured.

“It was going to happen sometime,” I said. “Why not now?”

He brushed my hair out of my face andkissed me gently.

“You’re amazing,” he whispered. I smiled up at him.

“Not nearly as amazing as you.”

He shook his head. “No. It’s not even a competition.”

Explaining it to the boys was surprisingly easy, especially since I didn’t have to explain the existence of the group chat to them like I did when I was telling Sloane.

“So... That’s how we ended up here,” Hudson said at the end of the explanation.

“Well, that answers one of the great mysteries of our time,” Finn said. “The identity of Eggo.”

“And now that we know, we can hang out with you in person all the time!” Jude said excitedly.

“Really? You still want to be friends with me?” I asked. “Even now that you know I’m… me?”

“Of course,” Finn said. “Why wouldn’t we?”

“I don’t know,” I muttered. I played with the frayed sleeve of my sweater and considered how much I was willing to actually tell them. “I just worry that I’m not as fun in person as I am over text. You all love Eggo, but do you really like Megan?”

Hudson’s arm slid around me, pulling me tight to his side, and he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I think I like you even more in person.”

“You’re just saying that because you feel bad.”

“No,” he said. “I don’t make empty promises. Especially not to you.”

“I can’t speak for anyone else, but I think you’re great,” Jude added. He paused, holding a finger up tome. “And on an entirely unrelated note… do you think Sloane likes me?”

All the boys burst out laughing at the sudden change in subject, and I found myself giggling along, too, especially as Jude started to go on about how magnificent Sloane was and how he just couldn’t tell what was going on in her head. As I sat and listened, I found myself feeling like I was actually a part of their friend group—not just there as a “fan” (if I could even be called that) or as Hudson’s girlfriend, but as an actual friend of all the boys. It was a feeling I wasn’t used to after years of only having Sloane. It felt good. It felt right.

Like I was finally where I was meant to be.

twenty

“Areyou sure you don’t mind?” Hudson asked for the third time. I rolled my eyes endearingly and shoved him toward the living room.

“Go,” I said. “Jude and I will hang out over here.”

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