Page 187 of The Hookup Situation
If that happens, at least she’ll know my truth because I put my heart on the line.
She exhales. “No matter what, I’ve loved every moment with you. You know that, right?”
Her words should reassure me, but the way she said “no matter what” hooks something in my chest. I hate how it sounds like an ending.
“Yes, sweetheart. Friends, no matter what.” I remind her of our original rules.
The silence that follows hums with anticipation.
I think about reaching for her envelope, tearing it open, not waiting another second. But I don’t. I will be impatiently patient.
Julie moves to the seat next to me and wraps her arms around me.
She tips her head back. “You okay?”
I kiss her hair, breathing her in. “Yeah. Just thinking about tomorrow.”
My fantasy future with a redhead in a sweater already feels like home. Being with her is a thought I could get lost in.
“You know, I couldn’t imagine spending my autumn with anyone else,” I confess.
She kisses my jaw. “Don’t get sappy.”
“Oh, just you wait.”
After another few minutes, we get up and make our way to herbedroom. We climb into bed, and the two of us stare at the ceiling, holding one another.
We finally drift off around two a.m., wrapped together like we’re afraid to let each other go.
Tomorrow, we’ll open the envelopes that contain our confessions.
Tomorrow, no matter what, everything will change.
31
JULIE
The first thing I notice when I wake is the empty space beside me. I rub my hand across the mattress and feel cold sheets.
Nick is gone.
My heart lurches forward, and panic claws up my throat.
Today is our deadline.
Halloween.
The deadline to our fake-dating and hookup situation.
I hope this isn’t the end.
I sit up too fast, scanning the room, like maybe he’s just in the bathroom, but his shoes and his jacket are gone; even his cologne that always lingers in the air is faint.
It’s easy for me to convince myself I’ve been ghosted, like how Asher warned over a month ago. He said Nick would be gone without warning.
Just as I’m getting ready to spiral, I see a folded note propped against the bedside lamp with my name written across it in his elegant handwriting.
I unfold it with anxious fingers.
