Adrenaline

32 | escape velocity (reprise) pt. i

Lauren's voice floats over to us until she's standing beside Jun.

I force my eyes up as her fingers cling to the bottom of his shirt. Knowing the two of them, they don't even realize how obvious they are. Most people in love don't.

"Was that Mick?" Lauren asks.

"Yeah." I clear my throat. "Said to tell you hi."

"Played us that song," Jun adds. "The one Stev and I helped them with when we hung out at his place."

Her eyes light up. "I should've come over earlier."

"Lauren! Jun! Stevie! Can one of you help me with something!" Jenny calls.

Before I have a chance to react, Lauren pulls Jun along with her. The gnawing part of my brain fixates on the way Jun doesn't even look back at me as he's whisked away.

"Sad Bash can't make it?"

I jump five feet into the air and spin to see Rami staring at me.

"How long have you been standing there, fucking hell."

"Long enough."

He kicks off from the wall and drifts over to me. His elbow rest against the bar top, and a Capri Sun lands in front of him before he can spit out another word.

"I don't actually—never mind," he says when the bartender turns away and walks into the backroom. "Guess, I'll take this."

"Gotta support our friend." I tap my pouch onto the counter once.

"Everyone is going to lose their shit when they realize what's happening."

"Marty sure works miracles. And yes, I am."

"I'm sure you'll see him soon."

"Not likely," I sigh. He's got back-to-back races coming up and we're traveling soon. Won't see each other again until his summer break."

Rami shrugs, a teasing smile on his lips. While it can mean a million different things, I don't have the time to consider all options.

"Some say miracles are possible. Maybe we'll see a few of them tonight."

...

When Maverick walks through the door on time for the first time in his life, I know miracles happen. And when Everleigh pulls up next to him, twin flames tethered together by a twisted string of fate, I realize some outcomes aren't miracles, just understandable realities.

"They've fucked."

Jun follows my eyes. "Yeah, probably."

"Everleigh looks—"

"Stop staring so hard, my god."

"What?" I scoff. "I'm not thinking about proposing to her or anything. Unless you think she would—"

Jun snatches the empty juice pouch out of my hand and pushes me away from the bar. "First thing you've noticed is they've moved to the next stage and you're already plotting to steal his girl away from him."

"Bold of you to think I haven't been doing that this entire time. What the—ouch, that is going to leave a mark."

His hand retreats from pinching me. "No trying to steal his girlfriend."

"But Stevie Meadowlark sounds so much better than Kingston Meadowlark."

"That's beside the point." He glances back at the bar. "Let me catch up. I'm going to grab another drink."