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What would she think of me?
What was she going to wear under her dress?
Would she want to kiss me?
What would she taste like?
What would she feel like beneath my fingers?
“Watch it!” a woman’s voice shook me from my thoughts as she collided into me, bags dangling off her arms.
“Sorry, ma’am. Didn’t see you.” I raised my hands defensively.
“Well, open your damn eyes!” she huffed and turned, barely giving me a glance. Shaking my head, I looked up. Spotting a thrift store sign, I headed in.
Scanning the aisles, I found a pair of jeans and a button-down shirt. They were good enough for a bar on a Saturday night. Then, I picked up a few more items and checked out, handing over all the cash in my wallet.
Thankfully, I started my new job on Monday, but all I could think about was tomorrow night. I knew the moment my eyes landed on her, I would just know. I didn’t have to see a picture of Harley to know what she looked like.
I’d know my little bird in a crowd full of people.
Chapter Thirteen
HARLEY
I paced the confines of my dorm room, tugging at the wet strands of my hair, barely containing my nerves for tonight.
I was going to meet Easton, the inmate I’d been writing letters to for the last year, later this evening. He was the only person on this planet that I had trusted with most of my secrets and the only friend I had.
What if something went wrong?
“Do you mind? You’re going to mess up the rug I just bought,” Kennedy commented from her bed, where she was busy making yet another TikTok with some crazy makeup look she’d invented this morning.
She was the last person I wanted to ask but the only girl I spoke to on campus and, unfortunately, my only hope.
“Can you help me? I have a date tonight, and…” She tapped at her phone and sprung off the bed with a squeal.
“You have a date? What do you need? Of course, I’ll do your makeup.” I inched away from her, wary of the sudden kindness she was showing me.
“Are you sure?” I asked, and she nodded.
“I know we haven’t gotten along, but I love doing makeup, and I can post a picture of the look on my Instagram.”
Of course, she would help me, but only if it benefited her. I honestly shouldn’t have expected anything different.
“Right. Okay, well, I just need to go find something to wear, and then we can get started.” She settled back down on her bed.
“Where are you going and with who?” she nosily asked, looking at her own reflection in the small makeup mirror she had on the bed.
“The new bar downtown—The Rose. Is it any good?” I avoided answering her about Easton. He had been mine, and only mine, for the last year, and the thought of sharing him with Kennedy was too much to bear.
“Oh, yeah. It’s great. So, you forgot to mention the who?” she pressed again, applying pink eyeliner to her one eyelid.
“An old friend.” I pulled a brush through my wet hair and quickly grabbed my bag and shoes, exiting the room before she could ask any more questions I wasn’t ready to answer.
I never liked to go shopping. I hated trying on clothes, only to be disappointed when they didn’t fit. Parking at the mall, I walked across the asphalt, the summer rays beating down harshly on my exposed skin, the humidity weighing me down a little more with each step until I entered the airconditioned building and sighed with relief.
I stopped first at one of the biggest department stores and found myself looking at dresses I knew would never fit. But I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes from a red one in particular. Grabbing it in three sizes, I prayed one of them fit. I didn’t care which one it was, so long as it was flattering.
