Untimely Love (Book 3)

♠Chapter 17♠

I'd like to think that out of all my friends, I visited Jules the most. Sure, half the time I wasn't in her suite to see her but it counted all the same. Like tonight.

  After our dinner, I'd already made plans with Angelica so I escorted Jules back to her dorm on the way, and here we were; sitting around chatting like we always did.

  I honestly didn't know if she hung out with me more than the rest of our friend group, but I definitely hung out with her more than the others. Mostly because Nate was about half an hour away and we had completely different schedules. It had become easier to hang out with only Nate.

  "Are you sure you two aren't dating?" Jules asked, eyes narrowed on me.

  I sighed, squinting at my brightened phone screen. This was why I only came here to see her half the time.

  She was at her desk, mascara wand in hand and had to pause to try and intimidate me with those eyes. I was comfortably sprawled on her heavy bean bag, which is more of a bed than a chair, as I scrolled through Instagram.

  I tilted my head around my phone to blink at her.

  Julia smiled. "You're right. She kinda has the hots for Jace."

  "I," I shook my head, "did not say that." I didn't disagree though.

  I met Jace a few weeks ago when I went to lunch with Angel and a few of her friends who quickly turned into some of my acquaintances. He was one of the most chill guys I'd ever met. He and Angelica were alike in that way. They were always on the same level—laid back, smiling, never too loud, almost always talked to each other with a therapist-like smoothness. It was kinda freaky.

  When I met him, I realized why they were best friends. I saw what everyone was talking about. There was some attraction there. The looks, attentiveness, and how they talked to each other. I never agreed with the speculation out loud though. They had enough people on their backs about it, they didn't need me weighing. Besides, maybe that was just them. That's how they communicated with each other and the rest of us were looking at it from the wrong angle.

  Julia pointed at me, a cheesy grin etched across her face. "But you know."

  I shook my head with a smile.

  She went back to doing her makeup. "Where are you two headed anyway?"

  "No clue honestly." I'm not sure when Angelica and I became close. We kept running into each other until we started making plans. The kind of plans I didn't mind, thankfully. "We usually figure it out on the way."

  I knew Julia was getting ready to meet Kolton somewhere. It was past midterm and while most people had taken to traveling home for the short couple of days of fall break last week, we were some of the few who stayed in the city, waiting for Thanksgiving, an actual holiday, to take the big trip back home.

  Julia's parents weren't in town, but to be fair she hadn't told them fall break was coming up. Me? I didn't want to go home, so I didn't. Hadn't told my mom about it either. But I did go see my dad for a day.

  "Chris?"

  "Hmm?"

  "You'd tell me if you started dating wouldn't you?"

  I dropped my hands to my lap, ready to ask her why it was such a huge deal. I'd told her multiple times in the past few weeks that I wasn't interested in dating. It wasn't deep; it didn't appeal to me right now. And for some reason, she still-

  "I know I'm no Nate," she said. "I just want to know that you're happy that's all."

  I eyed her teasingly before saying, "I am happy. I'm in a great place and I plan on staying here for a while." I paused. "But yes. I'll make sure you're the first to know if I start seeing anyone, Jules."