Page 30 of Never Lasting (Never Blue)

I shifted the lasagna pan to my hip and pulled my phone from my pocket. “I have a number to give you. I spoke to my friend, Brenda, who is the cousin of the booking manager for Swerve. Her name’s Ceri, and I told her about you and Never Again. I told her you’d be perfect for Swerve. Unfortunately, it’s no dice for next summer, but she wants you to email her your demo. She’s also booking for a smaller festival that goes up the east coast, and she’s interested in taking a listen.” I stopped scrolling through my phone when I found Ceri’s information and peered up at Jude, who was as silent as a church mouse.

“Jude?”

He turned away, rubbing a hand over his mouth. I bumped his arm with my elbow, wishing I had a free hand so I could touch him.

He finally turned back to me, and even in the dark, I could see his eyes were shining. “Is this for real, Stripes?”

A smile broke free from my chest and landed on my lips. “Yeah, Jude. You’re going to have to get the gig, but I got you the interview. And from the way I talked you up, Ceri is salivating to hear your sound.”

“Holy shit,” he whispered.

“It’s not Swerve, and I know that’s what I promised, but if you do this small tour this summer, thennextsummer you have a big shot—”

He cupped my face, our bodies still separated by my mother’s lasagna. It was almost as if she’d planned this.

“You are so fucking amazing. No one’severgone out of their way to do something like this for me. How am I ever gonna repay you?”

I rubbed my cheek into his calloused hand, practically purring from the feel of his warmth.

“Liner notes, Jude. Thank me in the liner notes.”

His hand drifted down to my neck, holding me with light, careful pressure. “Your name will forever be first in every liner note, Tali Stripes.”

He gave me his number and email address, and I promised to send him all the info as soon as I got to my dorm.

“I better go. I can feel Nina staring daggers at me from down the street.” I looked down at the pan in my arms. “Do you like lasagna?”

He frowned. “Uh, yeah?”

I shoved the pan at him. “Here. Eat this, courtesy of my mama. I have nowhere to put it in my dorm, so it’ll just go to waste.”

He took the pan from me, carefully set it on the ground, then wrapped his arms around me, taking my breath away. His mouth was next to my ear, his nose in my hair. He breathed me in, then whispered, “It’s really good to see you. And not because you did something for me. It’s you, Stripes. It’s always gonna be you.”

I squeezed him back, letting myself have this hug. It felt too good not to.

“I have to go, Jude,” I mumbled against his T-shirt.

He stepped back, reluctance written all over him. “All right. Get gone.”

Laughing softly, I promised, once again, to email him right away, then I walked off, finding Nina waiting a block away. When I glanced behind me, Jude was in the same spot, hands on top of his head, watching me.

“You’re in such deep shit,” Nina sing-songed.

I had no response. She was right. I really, really was.

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