Jesse: *arm flexing emoji* *water emoji* *sweating face emoji*
I shake my head with a laugh.
Me: *running man emoji*
Jesse: *thumbs up emoji*
I walk into the campus gym exactly twenty minutes later. I keep a bag of clean workout clothes in my car, so I didn’t have to stop at the condo. I change and set up on a free squat rack. I’m stretching when Jesse joins me five minutes later.
“What’s that goofy smile?” He asks in way of greeting.
“What goofy smile?” I pop a brow.
He points his finger and waves it in a circle around my face. “This one. The dopey one. The one that’s got you looking all love drunk and pussy high.”
I stare at him and attempt to maintain a poker face, but Jesse sees right through it.
“Oh shit.” His grin is Cheshire cat-like, and despite myself, I feel defensive.
“I’m not talking about it,” I state. Ivy’s not a hookup, and I won’t be discussing my sex life with anyone but her. Not even with Jesse, my other best friend.
Jesse puts his palms up, but the smile remains. “I’m not gonna press,” he reassures. “Even though I can tell y’all had sex.”
I bristle at his chuckle.
“But you know I respect you, man. Ivy, too. You guys are my people. I couldn’t be happier that my people are now officially each other’s people, and we can be shiny, happy people together.”
I squint my eyes at him and smirk. “This isn’t gonna be a menage, J.”
He barks out a laugh and tosses his towel at me. “Seriously, though. For real. I’m stoked for you guys. It’s been a long time coming.”
“Thanks, J.”
“Also, I totally just won twenty bucks. Bailey bet you wouldn’t hook up until after Ivy took the LSAT.”
“You guys bet on when Ives and I would have sex?” I scrunch my nose up. What the fuck?
“Yeah.” He deadpans like I’m the unreasonable one.
“That’s wrong, man.”
“Whatever.” He shrugs without remorse. “Wanna grab smoothies after this? I’m suddenly twenty bucks richer.” I toss his towel back at him and he bats it away with a taunting laugh.
Our friends are asshats.
Ivy texts at 12:15 and lets me know she’s finished, so I drive to the testing center to scoop her up. Then, I drive her back to her place trying to hide my excitement.
Nothing is out of the norm. Just another Saturday.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you what my mom told me,” Ivy sits up straighter in my passenger seat and turns to face me. “You know that kid you teach? The one who was at the firm with his mom?”
“Yeah, Matthew Harrison. What about him?”
“Well, get this. His mom, Allison, actually works for my mom at the diner. Your mom and I had a talk with Allison last week at the firm, talked about some of her options...” She widens her eyes at me.
“Okay...?”
“I think she and her son might be moving in with my mom and Jacob for a while. My mom asked if it was okay that she turn my room into a guest room for Allison, and Matthew will bunk in Jacob’s room. My mom is going to promote Allison at the diner and I’m pretty sure she is now working with your mom to utilize some of those options, and my mom is going to help her out.”