Page 143 of The Hookup Situation
“Oh my goodness! My bestie is going to be abig deal. Finally, the world is going to meet Mr. Dreamy.”She waggles her brows.
Zane chuckles. “It will be a hit. I mean, considering who the hero is based on, of course it will be.”
I laugh. “Who’s Mr. Dreamy?”
“A fictional character,” Autumn hurries and says.
“The man Autumn dreamed about for thirteen years, who happened to weirdly be Zane,” Julie explains.
My brows lift. “Wait, is that true?”
Autumn nods. “It’s true. I still remember the first time we met.”
“Me too,” Julie says, reminiscing. “It kinda feels like yesterday.”
Autumn’s expression softens. “Zane ordered an asshole Ristretto.”
“Not a Ristretto,” I mutter. “Seriously, all the finance assholes in New York drink that. It’s a red flag.”
“Exactly,” Autumn agrees. “Anyway, he told me my coffee tasted like shit and stormed out when it was perfect. Pissed me off.”
Julie snickers. “She was convinced he had a shitty palate.”
“My palate is refined,” Zane offers.
I glance between them. “So, that’s how you met? At Cozy Coffee?”
“Yep,” Zane says. “The moment our eyes locked, I knew she was the one. I wasn’t ready. I had come here to escape, to heal. Falling in love wasn’t on my agenda.”
Autumn smiles wide. “I’ve wanted this since I was a little girl. And now magic is happening.”
Zane’s arm wraps around her, and he kisses her hair. “I’m so proud of you.”
It’s obvious how much he loves her.
Autumn turns to him, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. “You inspired me.”
“You changed my life,” he tells her.
It warms my heart that my best friend has what he always wanted—someone to love and see him for who he is.
“I’m happy both of your dreams have come true.” I reach for Julie’s fingers and take her hand as we wander through the displays.
It feels good, being with her without photographers or drama. We’re hanging out with our best friends, enjoying October. It doesn’t feel real.
She puts on her pumpkin head and turns to me. “What?”
“Nothing,” I whisper, realizing we’re doing everyday couple things. It’s something I’ve wished for, but I never thought I’d get this.
“Remember when we tried to carve pumpkins last year?” Zane asks Autumn.
“You mean when weattempted?”
“Yeah.” He chuckles, and Autumn chews on her bottom lip.
We finish strolling the winding path. Music drifts through thespeakers, and I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself so much.
Once we leave the patch, we stop and eat caramel apples, then continue forward.
