Page 42 of Just Friends
“JAX!” I squealed. “DON’T!DO NOT!NO!”
“Let me do the interview, then!”
“OKAY OKAY OKAY! FINE! WE’LL DO IT!”
He retreated back to his normal spot on the couch, smug as a bug. “Great.”
I popped up and jumped to the far end of the couch—because I couldn’t trust that boy.
“I don’t knowwhyyou want to do an interview looking like that, though,” I said. “I thought for sure you wouldn’t want people to see you like this.”
He cracked a painful-looking smile. “Because after practice, I picked up my phone andholy shit,Pipes.”
“What?”
“My social media is absolutely blowing up. You’ve been watching Soulmate’s page, haven’t you?”
“Yes!” I slapped the sofa armrest with excitement. “Isn’t it amazing?”
“Everyone’s talking about your app, Pipes.”
“I know!”
“So yeah, I might look kinda haggard. But I can’t let you downnow,not when you’ve got the entire internet talking about your app. This is your moment, Pipes.” He gave a small shrug. “Hell, the fact I’m all beat up is only going to make your app even more popular. Everyone’s going to tune in to get the story.”
“You’d do that for me?” I was so touched, I frowned. “You really don’t mind?”
“Of course. I want to help you out.”
“You’resucha good guy.” I hopped over to his side, wrapped my arms around his big chest, and kissed him on the cheek. “I love you, Jax.”
“Hey. I love you, too.” He smiled. “How long we got?”
“We go on at seven,” I said.
“Seven it is. I’ll be ready.”
11
Jax
Four Weeks Later
It was seven o’clock, but the office chair next to mine, where Piper sits, was empty. Our live-stream chat was already filled with hundreds of thousands of eager viewers, who killed time talking to each other in the chat while they waited for us to go live. I read some of the chat messages as they quickly scrolled by:
“Anyone else download the app yet?”
“yep sure did, but I’m waiting for Jax before I match with anyone”
“Tonight, Jax will be MINE. The rest of you are wasting your time.”
“dream on, bitch”
“Y’all girls can have him. I’m here for Piper.”
“Yo, Pipes!” I yelled from the living room. “You ready or what? The people are getting antsy. They’re starting to turn on each other.”
She yelled back from her bedroom. “Almost! Tell them I need a few more minutes.”
