Page 51 of Almost Ours

We’re not going to find anything.

Abi groans again. “Why did I think this would be fun?”

“You were excited for a theme,” I pacify, trying to bring the mood up, stepping aside to let someone pass behind me. “We couldn’t have known we would find nothing.”

“I thought it would be a cute neon vibe. Not—” She gestures to a pair of glowing fishnet tights stretched across a hanger, her wrist bending awkwardly. “—whatever this is.”

“We have actual traffic cone costumes,” the woman at the front calls out, cutting me off. She’s leaning on the counter, bored, tapping a pen against a stack of receipts. “You could wear those?”

Abi gives her a withering look. “No thanks. We’re trying to pull boys, not run them off.”

“I’m not trying to pull boys,” Brooke tuts. “I have a boyfriend.”

“I’m also not interested in boys,” I add, searching around until I stumble upon some glow-stick bunny ears near the till. The plastic is cold and flimsy in my hand. I hold them up to eye level, turning them slightly. Could these work?

Brooke appears at my shoulder, eyeing the bunny ears with a doubtful look. “Are you actually considering those?”

“I don’t know,” I give them a small wiggle. “They glow?”

Abi joins us with her arms full of face-paint sticks and a packet of UV bracelets. “Ooh, those are cute,” she points at the ears.

Brooke looks between us, unconvinced. “Are they?”

“They’re better than everything else in here,” Abi argues, moving the supplies in her hands. “Plus, Ruby could pull them off.”

I blink, not sure what she means by that. “Could I?”

Abi shrugs. “Yeah. You’ve got the face for it.”

What kind of face is one for glowing bunny ears?

Brooke’s eyes narrow. “Hold them up.”

I do, slipping the headband gently over my hair. It feels a bit ridiculous, but not in a bad way. Just because we are in a shop in broad daylight. I’d probably fit right in later tonight.

Brooke takes me in, then nods. “Okay… annoyingly, that does work. You look—” she lifts her hand, searching for the word—“fun.”

Abi smiles at me. “You should get them.”

“We should all get some,” I tell them, picking up two more pairs.

“Oh, look!” Brooke yelps suddenly, stepping closer to the shop window. “There’s Ewan and Josh!”

Abi and I move beside her. The three of us stand shoulder to shoulder, looking out onto the pavement. Outside, Ewan and Josh are walking across the street. Ewan is talking, moving his hands a lot and Josh walks beside him with his hands in his jacket pockets. His posture is straight, and his expression is neutral. He looks the same as the other night. Unreadable. Seriously hot.

Seriously.

He’s covered in mud; his white socks are brown. His brown hair is mussed, and his football kit looks like it might be damp, I’m assuming from sweat as it hasn’t been raining. His shoulders are broad, and he’s tall, broody, sexy—

“He is so fit.” Abi booms, her eyes fixed on Josh, a dreamy look spreading across her face. “Thank God. There are tall and fit guys here. So far they’ve all looked half dead and been creepy as hell.”

“Didn’t you make out with Voldemort the first night here?”

Abi waves a hand. “I was distressed after seeing Georgie.”

I stifle a laugh. “Your ex is called Georgie?”

“Yeah.” She snorts. “Georgie the Porkie.”