Page 42 of The Plus One
But when they’d pulled into the complex, he’d surprised her, asking if she wanted to watch a movie to take her mind off things. He had even let her pick and Indira had made a few jabs about how chivalry wasn’t dead after all.
That was the first time they’d ever spent time together just thetwo of them, and Indira had assumed it would end quickly with their usual arguing.
But that night had been… fun.
Indira remembered how she’d felt something close to…likingJude. She’d pickedAcross the Universe, and it hadn’t taken long for them both to be absorbed by the moody sixties aesthetic and soundtrack composed entirely of hits by the Beatles.
Jude had even laughed till his cheeks and nose turned pink as Indira stood on the coffee table scream-singing along to the rendition of “Hey Jude” toward the end.
“I feel like that night was the first time I made you laugh,” Indira said, tracing her finger over the edges of the Post-it.
She’d woken up on the couch, a blanket draped over her and the Post-it stuck to her forehead, Jude’s shoes gone from their spot near the front door. She’d felt a weird pang at his absence, like by missing his departure, she’d missed some key opportunity to solidify that comfortable closeness as their new normal.
Maybe she’d been right.
Indira handed the journal to Jude and grabbed a different one, flicking through its pages.
“Oh shit, I totally forgot about the food,” Indira said, shutting the book and looking over at the bag. “It’s probably cold.”
“I certainly don’t care,” Jude said, reaching across her to grab one of the plastic handles, his arm brushing her shoulder. Something warm and bright danced across Indira’s skin and melted into her bones at the contact. She wanted more of it.
Jude pulled out the sandwiches, handing Dira hers. “Good meal, even better entertainment,” he said, waving one of the notebooks. “You tricking me into free labor has its perks, it turns out.”
Indira snorted so loudly that Jude jumped at the noise, making her laugh even harder.
They sat on the floor for hours, eating and reading and remembering.
CHAPTER 17
Indira
T-MINUS THREE WEEKS UNTIL THE WEDDING
“But think about it,” Indira whispered to Lizzie, Thu, and Harper as they stood in Collin’s dining room about a week later. The four friends hadn’t been able to coordinate a hang-out in far too long, so Indira had invited them to Collin’s latest wedding-prep party, her brother glee-ridden to have more helping hands.
“Peanut butter. Like, have you seen a dog get peanut butter stuck on the roof of their mouth? It’s chaotic!”
“Willingly incorporating it into foreplay is a bold choice,” Harper whispered.
“It’s the work of the devil,” Thu said out of the corner of her mouth before sipping her wine and risking a glance across the room at Chris.
“It completely lacks an ideal viscosity for food play,” Lizzie added. “Trust me, I would know.”
“Thank you all for coming,” Collin said, cutting off their conversation by clapping his hands and moving to the head of the table.
“Like we had a choice,” Indira whispered to Jude, who was hovering at her shoulder. He bit back a giggle.
“We’ve been having such a blast bonding with you all during wedding preparations,” Collin continued, flashing a handsome smileat everyone. “And I think this one will be extra fun. Today is all about the art of the flower—”
“Is that a euphemism?” Indira asked.
Collin shot her a dirty look across the filled table. Bushels of flowers ranging from a soft pink to a brilliant crimson were stacked high in the center, while each seat had a plastic container of an ominous-looking yellow goo.
“As I was saying,” Collin continued, turning back to the group. “The wedding symbolizes a new beginning, the blooming of the next chapter of love.”
Indira shot Jude a sidelong glance that had him twisting his lips together to prevent a smile.
“And as such,” Jeremy picked up, wrapping an arm around Collin’s waist, “we will not tolerate a single wilted flower at our wedding. So today, we’re waxing.”
