Page 5 of Never Not Friends

“Final answer.”

A smile splits across his face. “It’s absolutely Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun. Why wouldn’t it be? I mean, what’s the story behind that?”

I laugh, yanking the book off the shelf. “Well, now I have to buy this one too. It’s Vinny-coded.”

“Vinny-coded.” He laughs. “I like that.”

Everything in my life seems to be Vinny-coded…unfortunately. It’s part of what makes this all sooooo tragic.

An employee comes by with a book cart that feels too big for the small aisle. Vinny steps in front of me to get out of the way, his hand landing on my elbow. My heart rate spikes as I step back, pressing against the shelf to keep some distance between us.

He glances over his shoulder, giving the employee a smile. “Excuse us.”

I take this opportunity to study his face, even though I’ve studied it thoroughly over the years. Smooth jaw. Kind eyes. And that dang dimple that keeps me up at night.

Once she’s past us with her cart, Vinny steps away, and I feel the Grand Canyon of space between us that’s been there for years.

“Oh, hey!” Juliet comes around the corner, and even though things are innocent, I hug the bookshelf even more.

“We were just about to come find you.” Vinny reaches for her necklace and fixes it so that the charm he gave her two years ago on Valentine’s Day is perfectly centered. His fingers linger, tenderly brushing against her collarbone.

I glance down at the books in my hands, second-guessing if I should buy them after all. What kind of an idiot would purchase more reminders of the man she can’t have?

Me.

I’m that kind of idiot.

“Sorry it took me so long. I ran into one of the other hygienists who works at the dental office with me.” Juliet smiles at me, forcing my gaze to her eyes. “Did you find some good books for your classroom?”

“Uh—”

Vinny grabs The Girl Who Thought in Pictures out of my hand. “Isn’t this one perfect for Emma?”

Sparks of confusion flitter across Juliet’s face. “Because she doesn’t already own it?”

“No, because of her…” He looks at me, hoping for some help.

“Synesthesia,” I finish for him again.

“Oh. That color thing you like to do? Where you assign a color to everything?”

When Juliet mentions it, it feels dumb. But Vinny makes it seem whimsical.

“And the other book is one that I picked out for her.” He grins at me. “You’ll have to let me know what the students think about it.”

“I’m sure they’ll love it.” Why wouldn’t they? Vinny picked it.

“Should we go check out?” Juliet starts walking toward the front.

Vinny pauses, looking directly at me. “Do you want to get some matcha at the cafe before we go?”

I can’t believe he noticed something so new. I’ve been on this matcha train for maybe only a month. Do I like matcha? It’s hard to say. Every time I drink the green tea, I get a stomachache thirty minutes after, but I’m committed to this health trend…for now.

And Vinny noticed.

“Um…” I glance at Juliet.

“Here”—she takes my two books from my hands—“I’ll check out. You go wait in line for the matcha.”