Page 35 of Never Not Friends

Then he bolts.

“No!” I whip around, following his path, but it’s too late. My open studio apartment has a shocking number of hiding places, and before I can stop him, he wiggles under my couch.

“Are you kidding me?” I whisper-yell because it’s past ten, and my parents are probably asleep, and I’d feel terrible if I woke them. Not that they’d mind. I just don’t want to inconvenience them.

For fifteen full minutes, I try to get the creature that weighs less than a loaf of bread out from under my couch. Not an exciting way to spend your Friday night. I’m out of breath. There’s a broom and a flashlight involved. Hair askew. Dignity gone. And that’s when Chili darts across the room TO MY BED.

“No!” I crawl over to the other side of the room to confirm my worst fear.

Chili is wedged between my mattress and the wall.

I thought I was an animal lover, but there are limits to my love. Rodents in, on, or near my bed are where I draw the line. And let’s be honest, that’s a pretty low line if you were to ask anyone else.

If I’ve learned anything from the last fifteen minutes, I’ve learned this is not a one-person job. I sit back on my heels, pushing my hair out of my face as I glance at the clock. Ten forty-nine p.m.

My eyes dart to the window.

Juliet.

I rush to it and throw back the curtain, searching the driveway and street in front of the Montgomerys’ house. Only one car sits in the driveway, and it’s not Vinny’s. Relief washes through me. Good. Juliet is there alone. Because if Vinny were there, she’d send him instead of coming herself.

Not that Vinny wouldn’t be helpful in this situation. I’m sure he would, but after he left my school yesterday, Avery gave me a lecture on bad optics.

If you’re not planning on telling Juliet how you feel about Vinny, then it’s bad optics to be alone with him so much.

Which I agree.

It’s bad for the optics and bad for the heart.

But I’m in luck tonight, because Vinny’s not there.

I grab my phone, thumbs moving fast as I text Juliet.

Emma:

I have an emergency, and I need you to come ASAP. This is not a drill!

I hit send then rush back to the compromised mattress.

VINNY

“Next week, we have to go taste samples for the wedding cake. Then we have engagement pictures. And then, next weekend, we meet with the florist. Plus, we have to go preview the venue.” Juliet holds her palm against her forehead as if she’s testing whether or not she has a fever, but really, she’s just stressed with all the wedding stuff.

“Hey”—I grab her fingers, forcing them down from her face—“don’t stress. It will all get done.”

“Yeah, it will only get done if I do it, and I can’t do it because I have a full-time job and am caring for my mom full-time. So of course I’m stressed.”

“Then let’s just postpone the wedding.” Her eyes form two tiny ovals as she shoots me a pointed look. “No,” I backpedal, “just, like, if it’s stressing you out, then let’s pause on everything. I don’t mind.”

She sniffs out a humorous puff of laughter, pulling her hand back from mine. “Oh, I know you wouldn’t mind.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Her eyes meet mine, but this time, the irritation is replaced with vulnerability. “Do you really want to know?”

“Yeah.” I mean, I think I do.

“It’s just that when it comes to getting married, you’ve been dragging your feet for years. So no wonder you want to postpone now.”