Page 9 of Never Not Friends

“Well, she’s in bed so much. Her MS flare-ups have been really bad lately.”

I nod, knowing from our years of friendship and living next door to each other that Kayleen Montgomery’s health has always been precarious. Juliet’s mom was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when we were in elementary school, and since her dad works out of town a lot, Juliet’s been the main caregiver since we were teenagers. Being the only child will do that to you.

“If I were your mom, I wouldn’t read. I’d just binge-watch shows all day,” Vinny adds to the conversation.

“That’s because you don’t like to read.” Juliet rolls her eyes but in a loving way that’s hard to miss. “My mom’s not like you. She hates watching mindless television.”

“What about documentaries?” Vinny smiles through the mirror at me. “Those aren’t mindless, right, Em?”

My gaze locks with his, and I can’t help but grin over our shared love of informational TV.

“Ugh!” Juliet groans. “I’ll never understand why you both love them so much. Documentaries are so boring. You’re only allowed to watch them together if I’m not around.”

Together.

What a weird word choice.

I glance away from Vinny and look out the window, trying to picture a scenario where we’d hang out alone without Juliet there.

We would never.

Vinny is a devoted boyfriend to Juliet.

Loyal to a T.

So, picturing Vinny and me hanging out alone, watching a documentary together, will never happen as long as the two of them are still a couple. A rogue thought wishes it would. But don’t worry. I tamp it down. I’m pretty good at pretending like those kinds of thoughts don’t run rampant through my heart.

Even though we’re “friends,” my relationship with Vinny is centered around Juliet.

Always has been.

Well, I guess it wasn’t always that way.

“Hopefully, the books I got for my mom’s birthday will last her at least a month.” Juliet smiles at Vinny, pulling my mind out of the past and back to them. “And then from there, maybe wedding plans will distract her.”

Vinny’s lips press together in a closed-mouth smile as he watches the road ahead, but he doesn’t say anything. Juliet doesn’t seem to care. She leans over and rests her head on his shoulder—an awkward body-reach from the passenger seat, but what do I know? I’m perpetually single.

He kisses her forehead, and it triggers a deep longing in my heart.

A forehead kiss!

What would it be like to be so adored by a man that he kisses your forehead? That’s like real tenderness.

My eyes shift from them to whatever is out the window as my mind lists more things that are surely worse than being the third wheel to Juliet and Vinny’s love story.

A zit inside your ear.

A bathroom stall with no toilet paper.

A price sticker that won’t come off a picture frame.

Your best friend marrying the man of your dreams.

EMMA

There are perks to being single and living alone.

I can walk around naked.