Page 17 of Fraternizing with the Enemy
“Let’s just hope he lives up to the hype.”
I glanced over at her. “Why wouldn’t he?”
I hadn’t ended up telling Jade about the mini golf date. I wasn’t really sure why. I chalked it up to embarrassment—I didn’t want to see the look on her face when I told her our date was sixth-grade level at best. She hadn’t really asked, anyway, so it wasn’t too bad of a lie.
Jade shrugged. “I just know how fast the Babble turns. One slip, and it’s notLogan the dreamboatanymore—it’sMadison’s mystery boy ghosted her before Homecoming. And how embarrassing would that be? Your first ever relationship becoming a headline like that?”
I caught Connor looking over at us, though he remained silent.
Shaking off Jade’s words—and Connor’s weird look—I said, “Logan wouldn’t. He’s a total sweetie.”
Jade’s smile widened, all teeth now. “Then you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Kyle jogged a few steps closer, his stench entering our chat before he did. “Wait, seriously. Who’s Logan?”
Jade linked her arm through mine. “No one important. Yet.”
No one important.But he was, though. Wasn’t he? I mean, I spent every single night for the past week listening to his voice before we fell asleep. I’d even visited him at work a few times, popping in to say hi. He’d integrated himself so easily into my life so quickly—he surely wasn’tunimportant.
We got to our cars, and thankfully Kyle parked far enough away that he and Riley couldn’t linger on our conversation. Ashton went with them, his hand sneaking lower on Riley’s back than it should’ve.
I tipped my chin in their direction. “Are we going to let that slide?”
Jade turned and squinted at them against the sun. “Riley needs to learn to keep her mouth shut,” she muttered as she rested her hand on the roof of Connor’s car.
“Not exactly Top Tier behavior.”
Jade turned to me, almost seeming surprised. “So true,” she said after a beat. “This is why I’ll trust you ’til the end. You see the important things.”
“And I’ll follow you ’til the end,” I returned the other half of our bestie saying, feeling emboldened by the compliment.
“Speaking of, any plans tonight?”
I didn’t get how those two topics connected, but I shrugged. “Well, a new episode of that one reality TV show comes out?—”
“Never mind. Just make sure you shower if you goanywhere. You’re not going to impress anyone looking like that.”
I felt my cheeks redden. “I didn’t say I was going anywhere.”
“Deny it all you want,” Jade said, and as she slid into the passenger’s seat, she called out, in an almost sing-song tone, “But you’re a bad liar, Madison.” And she shut her door.
Ismacked my palms together as I walked down the streets of Jefferson, trying to channel nonchalance, even though I was anything but… chalant. Was that a word? I had no idea. Logan would know.
My heart skipped a beat upon thinking his name.Logan. It was funny how quickly my obsession with a five-letter name had grown. My insides would do a happy dance when he’d text me, and I’d practically squeal with excitement when the phone call from him popped up on my phone every night.Logan. It was just too perfect.
Hewas just too perfect. Being with him felt like the beginning of summer all over again, filled with warmth and sunshine and the unknown.
Except I still hadn’t figured out a good ship name.
I’d never had a true crush before, and I blamed that for my complete lack of dignity. At least my English teacher would be proud of all my dorky, corny metaphors. Jade would be horrified.
I grabbed the café’s metal door handle, drawing in a deep, steadying breath as I tamped down my excitement.Cool, Madison, I told myself.Calm. Collected. And with that, I wrenched Expresso Café’s door open.
The air conditioning hit me immediately, a blast of freshness to replace the awful humidity. The café itself was more industrial style than cozy, with exposed pipes and ductwork along the ceiling to create an edgier vibe. The walls were all exposed brick, except for the front, which was lined with floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the tables in sunshine.
I’d only come to visit Logan at work a handful of times since meeting him, but now, there was no separating the space from him. The two went hand in hand, and the second I stepped through Expresso’s door, I felt infinitely lighter.
And then I spotted the boy behind the counter.
