Upside Down(36)

I laughed again. “Favourite season?”

“Autumn.”

“Dream job?”

“I have it. Just wish it paid more. Or maybe own a bookstore, but I suck at taxes and all things numerical so I’d probably go broke, which is why I’m probably better off sticking to my job.”

“Celebrity you’d love to meet?”

“Percy Shelley but I’ll need a priest, a Ouija board, and the blood of a chicken.”

I burst out laughing. “Harry Potter house?”

“Ravenclaw,” he answered without hesitation. Then his smile became a panicked frown. “That’s only nine questions.”

“Was it?”

He nodded seriously. “Yes.” The bus pulled in at my stop and I had to get up. I squeezed past him. He looked up at me with wide eyes. “Hennessy, you said ten questions. You can’t say ten and only ask nine, it’ll drive me crazy.”

“Will you have lunch with me tomorrow?

His smile was immediate and breathtaking. “Yes.”

“I’ll text you later,” I said, making my way to the door, and the people around us clapped and cheered.

I got off the bus laughing and Jordan was grinning from ear to ear. I’m pretty sure Mrs Petrovski hugged him from behind as the bus pulled away, and Charles gave me two thumbs up.





Chapter Nine





Jordan





The text from Hennessy came in kind of late. Not that I was checking my phone every two minutes or anything. I was watching TV with Angus—well, he was sprawled on the floor watching TV and checking his phone, and I was lying down on the couch, alternating between staring at the ceiling and checking my phone. I was starting to think Hennessy wouldn’t text at all, and then when my phone did buzz in my hand, I dropped it onto my face. Angus cracked up laughing at me and I couldn’t even be mad.

“Is it him? Your bus boy?” Angus asked.

“Yep.”

“Date tomorrow?”

My grin would have given it away if he had been able to look away from his phone long enough to see. “Yep. And you?”

He pointed his screen at me. “Yep. Tomorrow night, six o’clock. Their place.” His grin was wide and smug. He’d been seeing a married couple for some extramarital fun. “You?”

“Eleven o’clock.”

“Oooh, an all-day date.”

“I hope so.”

Angus grinned. “I hope so too, man. I know you like him.”

“You be careful tomorrow, and if you need anything, you text me.”

“I’m cool, they’re cool. You know that.”

“Yeah, but you know. I just worry.”

He snorted and waggled his eyebrows. “I’ll be in very, very capable hands.” I threw a cushion at him and he snatched it and shoved it under his head. “Same goes to you. If he tries anything or treats you bad, you text me.”

I knew he would come to my rescue if I needed him, even if he was in the middle, the very literal middle, of one of his dates. Just as I would drop everything to help him, it’s what friends do.

“I don’t think I need to worry about my bus guy,” I said.

Angus craned his neck to give me a long look. “You really like this one, don’t you?”

I nodded. “He’s different to anyone I’ve ever met. But he’s kind of like me, and he… I don’t know. He’s just a nice guy and he knows books and—”

“I know, I know,” Angus said. “He doesn’t expect anything. Just promise me one thing.”

“Okay.”

“Tomorrow, find out if he’s on the same page as you.”

I sighed. “Yeah. I want to know because it’ll be a step forward, but I also don’t want to know because what if he’s not on the same page?”

“If he’s not, Jay, then you and me can watch that Colin Firth movie on repeat tomorrow and order in pizza and beer.”

I smiled at him. “Thanks.”

He gave me his serious face. “But if he is on the same page and he expects to be calling himself your boyfriend anytime soon, then I need to meet him, ’kay?”

“Yes, Dad.”

Angus laughed. “I usually only let a certain couple call me that.”

I snorted. “Jesus, please don’t elaborate. There are things I do not need to know.”

But ten to eleven the next day, I stepped off the bus at my work stop, and when the bus drove off, I scanned the park across the road to see if Hennessy was here already. But I was early, so I wasn’t surprised not to find him.

I crossed the street and said hello to some dog walkers and there was a group of parents and prams with toddlers running amok. Which was fine. I’d take squealing and laughing kids over the screaming and crying kind any day. The sun was out, even though the air was a fresh reminder it was still winter. I shoved my hands in my pockets and waited, wondering what Hennessy had planned for us. His text message last night was short and sweet.

Meet me in the park across from the library at 11am. I have a surprise planned. Can’t wait!

Truth be told, neither could I. I was super excited about seeing him and what surprise he had planned, but the conversation we needed to have left me feeling a little anxious. But that all fell away when I saw him walking toward me with a takeout coffee cup in each hand and a stunning smile on his face.