world if you want me to.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because you’d fail spectacularly otherwise. And he deserves some happiness.”

I can’t hide my grin. She has some serious balls, you gotta hand her that.

I wince when a thought crosses my mind. “Am I gonna have to join the entourage?”

Andrea actually laughs. “Forget the entourage. I’m the only one you need to impress.”

“How am I doing so far?” I snarl, only half-joking.

“We’ll see, Foley. We’ll see. I don’t hate you, so that’s a start.”

“Good to know. Surprisingly, I don’t hate you either.” It’s really weird and unexpected, but somehow

I feel like Andrea might actually turn out to be my kind of girl. When she’s not all blase about her

surroundings for once.

Our timing is perfect, or maybe Danny’s is, because that’s when he arrives and joins us. I still get

those silly butterflies in my stomach, getting a welcome kiss from Danny in a public place. No more

sneaking around. It’s such a relief. Still almost surreal. But sure enough, everyone is watching. Guess

I’m gonna have to get used to that. When you’re dating the guy who’s the centre of everyone’s

attention, the guy at least half of campus is infatuated with, you’re bound to get a little attention

yourself. I’m getting better at ignoring it, but it’s gonna take me a while longer, getting used to this.

Maybe you gotta be blase about it all, like Andrea. Maybe I’m gonna be like that some day. But today, I

still get to stare back darkly at the people staring at me, until they drop their eyes. It’s almost fun to do. I

think maybe I’m gonna get used to this circus after all. Maybe Danny and I really have a shot.

Things are changing; I can practically feel the bits and pieces shifting all around me. Everything’s in

motion. As Danny and I are trying to figure out what it is we have, and what we want it to be, we’re

making waves that touch those around us as well. We’re already building a new circle of friends. Our

own circle of friends. People we both can stand. People like Nick, and Anna and Rhea, but also Andrea

and Sebastian, an exchange student we kind of befriended together, which was a whole new experience

in itself. Danny isn’t quite cool with Casey yet, but things are getting better on that front too. It seems

like we’re slowly but steadily drawing more people into this funny little group of a patchwork family.

And that’s exactly what I need right now: family. I’ve been feeling so lost since Mom passed away.

Some days are hard to bear, but there are more and more okay days now. Some days are even pretty

good. And as Danny, Andrea and I fall into a surprisingly easy conversation about art, I think this might

turn out to be one of the better days.

* * *

Danny uses the spare key to my room the next afternoon and enters quietly. I glance up from my desk

briefly, not turning around. I finally managed to get my head around this cursed literature assignment

from hell. I’m almost done making the important final point, and I read through a note on my little

notebook before I continue to type on my computer. A smile lights up my face momentarily when a

large paper cup of fresh coffee is presented to me and placed on the only free spot on my desk. The rest

is covered with stacks of books. Mmm, the scent of heaven. Danny knows how I like my coffee, strong

and black. He gently runs his fingertips along my neck in greeting, and walks over to the bed to get

comfy, dropping his bag of school things on the way.

When I’ve finished typing the paragraph, I look over to him. He’s settled in, shoes off, back propped

against the wall, an open book on his lap. This close to graduation even Danny Rizzo has to study. He’s

taking it surprisingly seriously, and that’s just another side of him that’s completely new to me. The

brown eyes scan the written lines in rapt attention. There’s a small, concentrated frown on Danny’s

forehead. As I look at him, my heart is filled with a strange yearning, and I listen to its beating, the

steady rhythm slowly accelerating. He’s so beautiful. He’s wearing his hair longer for the play, all soft,

dark curls and sinful perfection. In moments like this, he’d make Botticelli angels wither and die with

envy.

“Why me?” I blurt out without thinking, breaking the comfortable silence. I hate to spoil the

moment, but I can’t help it.

Danny lifts his gaze to me. His eyes are still filled with thought from reading, like he’s coming back

to me from another world. “Hm?”

I swallow, my throat feeling tight. “Why did you pick me? I mean, initially.”

A small smile graces his lips, the dark eyes lighting up noticeably. He tilts his head a little to the side

and pats the empty space beside where he’s lounging. “Come here.”

I roll my eyes. “Does that mean you can’t tell me from where I’m sitting?”

“No, that means I intend to kiss you senseless sometime in the near future. Get your delicious ass

over here right now, Jimmy Foley.”

I can’t help but grin at that, and sigh a little in fake protest before I haul myself up and join him on

the bed. He tugs me close and kisses my forehead, his warm fingers tangled in my hair.

“Initially?” He pauses to think before he continues, then grins. “Mostly I was after aforementioned

phenomenal ass.”

I chuckle and kiss him. His playfulness makes way for a rare glimpse of his serious side that always

makes my breath catch in my throat and leaves me a little speechless. His eyes are thoughtful as he

studies my face.

“I’ve been in love with you for much longer than I was aware. It took me a while to realize.” Danny

looks and sounds the most vulnerable I’ve ever seen him, and it only makes me want him more, if that’s

even possible. “Guess it’s because I never felt like this about anyone.”

My voice sounds oddly hoarse. “But you’re pretty sure now, right?”

“I love you, James,” he replies simply. It hurts unbelievably good, in all the right places. He’s only

said it once before, at the motel on that black, black day. But not like this, not with such brutal honesty.

No jokes, no flirting undertones. He’s stripping down to truth and bone emotionally, because I’m asking

him to. Because he trusts me that much. I get a strange lump in my throat.

“It’s hard,” I manage to get out. I know that’s not what you’re supposed to say back. He moves to

say something, but I shake my head. “No. I want to be able to accept this. I’m trying.” I look away,

feeling positively crestfallen. That leap of faith he just made, I’m not sure I’m ready to follow yet. I hate

myself for that, because it’s not who I want to be anymore. “I wish I could just get past all theses…

stupid fears, and insecurities. I hate that I can’t just magic them away.”

He smiles. “Who said that you have to?”

“But…”

“Look,” he says, serious again. “We both don’t believe in all this ‘love will conquer everything’ shit.

So let’s not pretend that we do. You’ve been through hell, and I have some messed up issues too. But

that’s just it. On some completely crazy cosmic-karmic level or whatever, you and I are perfect

together.”

I smile a little, sheepishly, because strangely enough, I have to agree. “On a cosmic-karmic level, is

it?”

He grins. “Yeah, screw you.”

I laugh and look at him, and for a moment I try to imagine us five years down the line, and the crazy

thing about it is - I can. I can see this thing we have working out somehow. Even with us soon being the

entire Atlantic apart. And that’s something I don’t even want to start thinking about, because it breaks