Blaire
He should be.
Another text comes through.
Nick
Thanks for today.
He sends me a picture of an oversized bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Nick
Girl dinner.
Julie
Happy for you.
Nick
Happy for us.
I set my phone down and head to my bedroom, already planning what I’ll wear in the morning for our yoga session.
I pull out a sports bra and some sexy leggings with cutouts on the thighs.
For the rest of the night, I’m going to let myself enjoy the flutter in my stomach when I think about his hand on my back, the way he said, “She’s the keeper,” and how he listened to me talk about apples and cereal like it mattered.
I shouldn’t be enjoying myself this much with him, but I am. And I don’t give a single damn about it. Neither does he.
7
NICK
I’m awake at five fifteen a.m., staring at the ceiling of the Riverside cabin, wondering what possessed me to suggest sunrise yoga.
The truth is, I haven’t felt this alive in years. Yesterday, walking through a grocery store with Julie, letting her teach me about the foods that brought her joy, was the most normal and extraordinary thing I’d done in decades. I felt like a real person instead of the hollow corporate ghost I’d become in Manhattan.
My phone dings on the nightstand.
Asher
You’re up early. Even for you.
Nick
How did you know I was awake?
Asher
You’re active on Instagram. When did you start liking posts about pumpkin recipes?
I check my activity.
Shit. I’ve been subconsciously liking every post from Cozy Coffee’s account for the past twenty minutes.
Nick