Hold the Forevers

“What about you?”

Josie rolled her eyes. “It’s me. I’ll manage.”

Understatement of the century.

“But we’re still going to the spring game tomorrow.”

“Oh, absolutely. I fully intend to drink a few bottles of André at the tailgate and walk into Sanford Stadium, trashed.”

I snort-laughed, immediately falling back into the ease of being with Josie. We were just missing Marley, and then we’d be complete.

“You have to help me find something to wear.”

Josie jumped to her feet. “My expertise is required. Come. I’ll be your fairy godmother for the night.”

By the time seven rolled around, Josie had done her work and I was ready to go. Cole had texted, saying that he was going to come up. Because obviously he could just walk up into the all-girls dorm.

At the knock, Josie rushed to answer first.

“Josie!” I hissed.

She swung it open. “Heyyy!”

I put my head in my hands.

“Uh, hey,” Cole said from the door. “I’m here for Delilah.”

“Lila, your date is here,” Josie called.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward. “Yeah, I gathered that. Thanks, Josie.” My gaze caught Cole’s bright blue eyes, and my stomach flipped. He had on jeans and a white button-up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. “Hey.”

“Hey, you look nice.”

I bit my lip, and Josie nudged me, as if to say, See.

I’d wanted to go with jeans and a T-shirt, but Josie had insisted that I needed to—quote—“show off your dancer body.” So, we’d compromised on a light-blue wrap dress that matched my own blue eyes and made my brilliantly highlighted blonde hair shine even lighter.

“Thanks.”

“I’m Josie.” She stuck her hand out.

He laughed. “Cole. Are you Delilah’s roommate?”

“No, I go to SCAD. Just here for the weekend.”

“Am I interrupting your weekend? Should we reschedule?”

“No!” Josie said, all but pushing me out the door. “Y’all have a good time.”

She shut the door on the pair of us. I was left shaking my head.

“She seems … friendly,” Cole said.

“She’s a film major,” I said by way of explanation.

We left my dorm and found his white Jeep parked at the front of the lot.

“God, how did you even get this spot?” It was almost impossible to park this close to the dorm.

“Someone was pulling out right as I drove up.”

“Lucky.”

“It’s my superpower,” he told me as he opened the passenger door.

“That is a random superpower.”

“I don’t make the rules,” he said as I hopped in. Then he jogged around to the driver’s side and got in. “It’s just how it happens.”

“Well, the real test will be downtown.”

He grinned. “I got this.”

And he did. We only circled the block once before a prime spot opened up right in front of us on the most coveted corner of Clayton and College. I was so jealous of his parking luck.

“Fine, you win. You have a parking superpower.” I slung my bag onto my shoulder and hopped out of his Jeep before he could jog back around to help me out.

“What’s yours?”

“My superpower?”

“Yeah. Something random, like finding a good parking spot or being able to win things off the radio before nine in the morning.”

He directed us down the sidewalk. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I have one.”

“Everyone has one.”

I bit my lip, contemplating what my power was while Cole navigated us toward The Grill. It was a dive diner at the heart of downtown, known for its twenty-four-hour diner breakfast and milkshakes. It had red plastic booths and a working jukebox. Every orientation group ended up at The Grill when they came into town; it was tradition.

He pulled open the door for me. “This all right?”

“It’s perfect.”

The harried waitress ushered us into a booth and plopped down menus.

“I hope you like feta fries. They have the best ones in town.”

I blinked. “Feta … fries?”

“Uh, yes. They’re phenomenal. We’re ordering some.”

“All right. I do like feta and fries. I’ve never considered putting them together.” I shrugged as I looked back at the menu. “I think I’m getting breakfast. Don’t know if feta fries go with pancakes …”

“They’re a potato. Potatoes go with everything.”

I chuckled. “That is true.”

Once we ordered our breakfasts and fries, complete with two milkshakes—strawberry for me, chocolate for Cole—he returned to the question at hand.

“So … superpower?”

“Okay, okay,” I said, tapping a black-painted nail on the table. “This is going to sound weird, but when I get a Coke out of a vending machine, I almost always get two.”

“What?” he gasped.

“I know. It’s weird. It doesn’t happen every time, but it happens a frightening amount.”

“Forget it. Take my parking power. I want that. We’re going to have to find a vending machine and test this.”

I buried my face in my hands. “No! It won’t work, and you’ll think I’m a fraud.”

I peeked up at him, and he was grinning like he couldn’t wait to try it out.

“I need to see this in action.”