Page 36 of The Hopelessly Bromantic Duet
“Of course. All that broody energy,” Jude says.
While he finishes making his tea, I dive into more ofMurder on the Orient Express.When he’s done drinking, he washes the cup and sets it down on the rack with a certain Jude-like panache.
“All right. Are you ready for the greatest shopping adventure ever?” Jude flashes a smile, and it’s red-carpet-worthy. I could see him giving that to photogs and melting them with it.
Yup, that’s the start of the answer to why I don’t open up to Jude. His smile could devastate me.Hecould devastate me. So I protect my secrets from him and protect my heart that way too.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I say.
“Then, as our great leader says, ‘In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing,’” he says.
“TheImportance of Being Earnest?”
“Of course,” he says as he opens the door.
It’s a fitting quote for today.
14
THE SOCIETY OF OFTEN AND WELL
TJ
Out on the street, Jude waggles his phone. “Here’s the plan. I’ve mapped out my five favorite thrift shops in the city, plugged them into Google Maps, and designed an itinerary.”
I mime my head exploding. “I never would have pegged you for such a planner.”
“I’ve also planned for food. I included the best cafés near each shop and my favorite place for crisps in the whole city. Have I blown your mind even more?”
“My mind wasn’t the thing I wanted you to blow,” I say—low-hanging fruit and all.
“I think it’s a good thing when both cocks and minds can be blown. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Damn, this man. I have to work to keep up with him. “I stand corrected. Both should be blown. Often and well,” I say.
“Let’s start a society with that noble goal in mind. We’ll call it...” He scratches his chin.
But I’ve got this. “The Oscar Wilde Society of Often and Well. We can say that in polite company.”
“Brilliant,” he says, and he leads me down a few more blocks until we reach a thrift shop.
A sign swings above the door, spelling in bright pink and blue letters:Out of the Closet.
“I bet this store would want to be in our society,” I say.
“As a matter of fact, there’s a funny story behind it,” Jude says.
I wiggle my fingers, a sign for him to serve up the goods.
“A married couple runs it,” Jude begins. “Benji and Clive met at a party. In the coat closet. They were fetching their jackets at the end of the party, but their jackets got mixed up because they were so into chatting with each other, but both were a little nervous about making the first move. Since it was a phone-free party, they each had each other’s mobiles in their jacket pockets when they left. And so, even though they went their separate ways, thinking they should have gotten each other’s number, fate was looking out for them. They called each other, switched the mobiles, switched the jackets, and went home together.”
“And they lived happily ever after out of the closet,” I add, grabbing the door and holding it open for him.
Jude gives me an approving nod. “Such a gentleman.”
As he walks in ahead of me, I take a moment toponderhow we’re doing. If I were grading myself so far, I’d go with anA. Sure, Jude and I are flirting, but this level of flirting is safe. Despite one close encounter, we’ve made it through a week, and we can make it through fifty-one more.
Yup, I’ve got this.