The thought hit fast and I didn’t push it away because it felt right.
Jesse pulled his helmet off, shaking his hair out, then turned slightly toward Ever, saying something I couldn’t hear over the distance.
She smiled.
“Don’t do that,” Oliver said.
I didn’t look at him.“Do what?”
“Stare like you’re about to kill someone.”
I huffed a breath.“I’m not.”
“Yeah, you are.”
I finally glanced over.He had his phone down now, watching me with that look that said he knew more than he was saying.
I didn’t answer because Ever had looked up and she saw me.
Her body went still for half a second.Her shoulders tightened just a fraction before she smoothed it out, then she lifted a hand.
“Hey,” she called.
I pushed off my bike, setting the nozzle back into place as the pump clicked off.
“Hey,” I said, stepping around the bike.
Jesse’s eyes flicked to me, assessing and quick.Then back to Ever and then back to me again.
He was sizing me up and I did the same to him.
He wasn’t small and looked like he was built solid.He carried himself like he knew what he was doing and didn’t look out of place on a bike.Didn’t look like a joke, but I still didn’t like him.
“Jude,” Ever said, like she was filling the space between us, “this is Jesse.”
Jesse extended a hand.
I looked at it for a beat and then took it.I gave him a firm grip and he matched it.
“Jude,” he said.
“Jesse.”
That was it.
Simple, but there was something under it.
Just… aware of each other.
Oliver stepped up beside me.“Oliver.”
Jesse nodded at him.“Jesse.”
Ever shifted slightly, like she didn’t know where to stand in the middle of it.
I noticed that too.
Everything.
