Page 92 of Still Here Without You

Dylan smiles. “I saw a blonde beauty through the window and had to stop by.”

I crack up laughing before covering my mouth with my hands. “Sorry.”

Summer and Dylan smile.

“Don’t be sorry. I usually laugh at how corny he’s become since we got together. I think I’m becoming immune to it.”

“What can I say?” Dylan shrugs. “I’m happy. But really, I came for a drink. Seeing you was a bonus. I thought you had class.”

“I do,” Summer says, looking at her phone. “Shit, in thirty minutes. Del, I’m sorry. I’ve got to go, but I’d love to get your number.”

Even though I’m hesitant, we exchange numbers as Dylan heads to the counter.

“It was lovely getting to know you a bit better. Joel doesn’t say much, but the little he has said made me sure I would like you, and I do. Don’t let him off the hook too easily, but at the same time…please consider giving him a chance.”

Without my permission, my eyes well with tears. Summer drops into the booth beside me and wraps me in her arms. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I know I don’t know everything. I just love Joel and know he loves you.”

Wiping under my eyes, I sniff back the tears and bite my cheek to stop more from coming.

“It’s okay. It’s just…there’s more to it, and I can’t…”

“You don’t have to explain anything. I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you want me to stay?”

I shake my head with a smile. “No, that’s okay. You head to class. I’ve got to get home, anyway.”

Summer’s face scrunches, but she nods before walking away. I sit for a few minutes, instantly regretting how our conversation ended. I should have made it clear I wanted Joel to move on. Or said nothing at all. I shouldn't be giving any of my feelings away. I've worked so hard to suppress them.

I’m lost in thought, for how long I don’t know, when someone taps me on the shoulder. Looking up, I see the one and only Marky Mark staring down at me with a beaming smile.Maybe wearedestined to be friends?

Chapter Thirty-Four

Joel

I’vefinallydecidedwhatI want for a tattoo. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and today’s the day. Like everything else in my life, I’m sure I’m just using this as a distraction from Delilah—it’s been weeks since I’ve seen her, and that was from a distance—but it’s not like it’s a random idea, so I’m okay with that. The bell above the door chimes when I make my way inside, and I’m met with a salty-looking man with a shaved head and enough muscle to crush me with his bare hands. “Levy.” I nod, trying to keep a straight face.

“Joel.” He tilts his head in return.

We stare each other off until my friend Michelle walks into the room. “The testosterone here is stifling. Cut it out, you two.”

We both laugh before fist bumping and bringing it in for a hug. Levy is Michelle’s husband, who I’ve known almost as long as I’ve known her. She used me once to make him jealous when they first started dating, and it’s been an inside joke of ours ever since.

“You’re really here?” Michelle asks, still shocked that I finally booked an appointment.

“I’m really here,” I say with a grin. “You better have your A game.”

“I always have my A game. But since I’ve been waiting for this day forever, I’ll even give you the A+ treatment. What are we doing for you?”

I explain my idea in detail, roughly sketching it on a scrap piece of paper. When I look up, both Michelle and Levy have watery eyes.

“I love that. You’re one of a kind, Joel,” Michelle says as she pulls me into a hug.

“I try,” I joke.If only everyone thought that about me.

“All right, let me work my magic. Give me five minutes to come up with the design, and we’ll go from there.”

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