Page 4 of Just Friends

It’s not until the day has fully dissolved into night that I remember why I was checking my phone earlier—the text I was in the middle of responding to when Alex found a butterfly on my shoulder.

After I’ve fished the phone from my pocket and responded to the text from hours ago, Alex holds out his hand in front of me.

“What?” I ask, my gaze trailing up from his veiny forearms to the swell of his muscular shoulders and up to his deep brown eyes.

“If we’re going ring shopping next weekend, you’ll need my number.”

I hand the phone to him, biting my bottom lip to keep from grinning. When he returns the phone a moment later, he’s saved his name asFuture Husband Alexander.

“My boyfriend is going to be so disappointed,” I say, and his eyebrows lift so high they practically disappear into his hair.

“Boyfriend, huh?”

“Didn’t I mention him?” I ask, my fingers tightening on my glass.

“No, I don’t think you did.” He holds out his hand for my phone once more, and I slip it into his palm.

When he returns it again, it saysBest Friend Alexander.

I smile faintly at it, and his eyes are warm when I meet them again. “A bit presumptuous, but I like it.”

He lifts a shoulder in the kind of shrug that tells me he’s sure of himself. “I think we’re going to be the best of friends, Hazel Lane. Just you wait.”

BestFriendAlexander:Long time, no see

Hazel: I literally JUST left. Have you even made it out of the airport parking lot yet?

Best Friend Alexander: No, but that’s just because your brother drives like a grandpa.

Best Friend Alexander: When are you coming back to visit me?

Hazel: I’m coming back for the holidays!

Best Friend Alexander: That’s like five months away.

Hazel: Sounds like you’re going to miss me.

Best Friend Alexander: No, just figuring out if it’s going to be enough time to heal my ears after your karaoke.

Hazel: That’s low, even for you.

Best Friend Alexander: A fiancé would never…but we’re just friends.

Hazel: Men like you are hard to find.

Best Friend Alexander: And don’t you forget it.

BestFriendAlexander: What are you doing today?

Hazel: I’m working on a branding project for a new client.

Best Friend Alexander: On a Saturday night??

Hazel:What? You never work on Saturdays?

Best Friend Alexander: Well, sure. I’m working right now.

Hazel:How is this any different?

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