“Right,” I said, dropping my hand. Emily’s beauty had left me speechless and stupid from the moment we’d met, and I guessed that hadn’t changed.
“Just like old times,” Caden said, smirking at me over Emily’s shoulder. “Give me a hug, J—Emily.” He held out his arms,grimacing for a second. He’d always busted my chops by singing “Jessie’s Girl” to Emily, so often that it had become his nickname for her.
The last time we were all together, shewasmy girl. It was a long time ago, but being here with Emily now, even though we’d broken up years ago, somehow made it feel like it had all just happened.
If I hadn’t literally run into her tonight, I would have been clueless as to how to approach her. It was almost as if I’d been catapulted back to our freshman year of high school when we’d first met. I’d spotted her from the hallway, my eyes lingering on this beautiful girl and not where I was going when I’d knocked everything on her desk onto the floor.
She’d set me at ease with a kind and gorgeous smile, draining the air from my lungs because she was fucking breathtaking. I’d decided at that moment that she was mine, and she had been for all four years, until the thought of losing her had scared me shitless.
Maybe the initial devastation I’d felt as a stupid eighteen-year-old running on hormones and emotion had evolved over time to regret, but the burning need to apologize and confess that regret was palpable, even if it was pointless two decades later.
I’d always joked she was the jock in our relationship. All those hours playing soccer had given her a gorgeous body of lean muscle. I shook off the random memory of her strong legs wrapped around my waist, rocking me into her as we’d explored each other.
Her curves were softer now, but as she adjusted her purse on her arm, I noticed the cut of muscle in her bicep and the same sexy shoulders when she tucked a lock of chestnut hair behind her ear. When I allowed my eyes to drop lower, the hem of her black dress teased just enough of her toned thighs.
Fuck, she was gorgeous.
I’d known she would be, but I hadn’t expected to get so goddamn tongue-tied in her presence.
“Nice to see you, Jesse,” Sabrina said with a little wave. “We noticed your name on one of the cards.”
I bit back a smile when Emily narrowed her eyes at Sabrina.
“Yeah, we got here a little late. Jesse’s fault.” Caden motioned to me. I nodded, not wanting to go into why I had to settle things at home before I went anywhere now. It was almost a relief to feel and think like a teenager tonight, as juggling grief and guilt on a daily basis as an adult was exhausting.
“You didn’t miss much so far.” Sabrina chuckled before taking another sip of her drink. “That’s our table. Remember Gage Sheridan and his crew? The years haven’t been too kind.”
“Shit, for real,” Caden said, craning his neck toward their table.
“And even though they wouldn’t even make eye contact with us in school, they’ve been leering at us since we sat down,” Emily said, her nose scrunched as she glanced behind her. “They asked us to getreacquainted.”
“And that’s a hard no,” Sabrina said, her face twisted in disgust.
“How the mighty have fallen,” Caden said, shaking his head. “Our table seems to be empty. Why don’t you sit with us?”
“I wouldn’t mind that. Would make the night less awkward,” Sabrina said.
“As long as you don’t mind,” Emily said. I searched her gaze for any reluctance, but she appeared not to care one way or the other.
“Not at all,” I said, stepping in front of Emily on instinct to block their view when I caught the tools at their table still staring at them.
Hope bloomed inside my chest that maybe Emily didn’t hate me as much as I’d always suspected she did. Or maybe everything that had happened between us was so long ago, it didn’t matter to her anymore.
Instead of nervousness and guilt, embarrassment settled into a sour pit in my stomach. I’d carried what had happened between us with me for so long, when she might not have even cared anymore. And if she didn’t, why did that make me feel even worse?
“Sabrina originally thought they snuck in here,” Emily said as she took a seat at the end of the table next to Sabrina. “I didn’t think so, because what is the allure of someone else’s twenty-year high school reunion?”
“Seriously. I barely wanted to come.” Sabrina shook her head and grimaced when she glanced back.
“Don’t ask me.” I held up my hands. “Caden was the one all excited to be here tonight.” I settled into the chair next to Emily, ignoring Caden’s smug grin in my periphery.
“Why not? I’m shallow enough to want to show all the jerk-offs we went to high school with that I, in fact, amounted to something. And I liked a few people enough to be curious about them now.” He nudged Sabrina’s shoulder.
“You always said the sweetest things,” Sabrina said, clasping her hands under her chin.
“Will you look at this? The whole gang is still together.”
Sharon Foster flashed us a saccharine smile, pulling out the empty chair next to me as if we were all old friends.
