Page 158 of Lose You Twice

“You brought the blanket?” I ask as we push through the stairwell door.

Harlow holds up the folded picnic blanket tucked under one arm. “And snacks.”

“See? This is why I keep you.”

“You keep me because I’m irreplaceable.”

I point the remainder of my granola bar in her direction. “I keep you because you know where the good vending machine is.”

She grins. “That too.”

Harlow leads us across the walkway toward the quad, past students heading to late classes. She finds a spot under one of the bare trees, shakes out the blanket, and smooths the corners down with her hands.

I drop onto it before she’s finished.

For a few minutes, we just eat and watch campus move around us. Mom is home today, and I have to admit, this feels nice in a way I don’t often have now. No twins asking random questions or for snacks every few minutes, no arguing with Justin about doing his homework. No rink. No laundry. No Kai within touching distance causing my brain to short-circuit.

Just my best friend, snacks, and a cool breeze.

“So,” she says.

I groan. “We made it all of four minutes.”

“I gave you strawberries first.”

“You did. Very manipulative.”

“I’m thoughtful.” She bumps her shoulder against mine. “How are things with Kai? I stayed at their place Sunday night, and he definitely wasn’t home at a decent hour.”

I sigh and toss the pretzel into my mouth. “We’re trying. And it’s good. Really good.”

Harlow’s face pulls into a grimace. “On second thought, I don’t wanna know.”

I laugh. “It’s not simple,” I add. “I know it’s not. But being around him again feels easy, natural. Like my body already knows where it belongs even if my mind hasn’t fully caught up. I only went on a few dates over the years, but none of them made me feel even an ounce of what Kai does.”

Harlow watches me for a second, then looks out across the quad. “He’s happy too.”

I glance over. “Kai?”

“No, the campus squirrel,” she says, throwing a pretzel at me. “Yes, Kai.”

“He told you that?”

“He doesn’t have to. You can see it in him. Plus, he’s terrible at hiding things from me.”

“He’s terrible at pretending in general.”

“He’s been…lighter,” she says. “Not all the time. He’s still Kai. He still looks like he’s personally responsible for the rotation of the earth. But he’s lighter with you.”

I lean back on my hands again, looking up at the bare branches overhead. “What about you and Grayson?”

“What about us?”

“Are you nervous?”

Her brow pulls in. “About?”

I look over at her. “About him leaving soon.”